Managing Politically Conflictual Environments

We live increasingly in a world of political polarization and conflict. Disagreements, often violent, dramatically shape the challenges and opportunities that leaders face, whether it be while managing diverse teams to addressing the future of the planet.So what can we do about it? In this course, participants will consider a series of decision-making challenges that leaders of organizations have faced in societies divided by political polarization and conflict. We will combine examples drawn from around the world, with insights distilled from the newest research conducted in economics, political science, social psychology and sociology on how to address these issues. This includes work conducted by us at the Stanford Conflict and Polarization Lab. By the end of the course, participants will develop a new set of tools for managing organizations in societies divided by political polarization and conflict, as well as for leaders seeking new approaches to address conflict and polarization directly.