Repeated Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.

We are living in a world of almost unparalleled separation. After the most contentious election in American history, the country stands torn between two polarized views of the world that are so rooted in fundamental differences that some have compared the situation to the Sunni/Shia divide in Islam. People are no longer disagreeing but instead are disavowing each other’s right to an opinion. Throughout the Western world, this same mindset creates an unceasing flow of arguments and a gap that widens into greater and greater divergence all the time. The tension extends to our most fundamental relationships. Thousands of families, for example, canceled their usual Thanksgiving dinners after the 2016 elections because of the fear of confronting political divide. Businesses find it more and more difficult to avoid the tension that all of these dualities create in the workplace on a daily basis. Schools have seen a surge in bullying, with some children returning home with the message from teachers and peers that their families will be deported. The purpose of this session (based on the early research and writing of a new book by the same title that was published by Berrett-Koehler in March 2017) will be to explore the seemingly paradoxical manner in which our compulsion to connect with other human beings often creates greater polarity in our culture and organizations, leaving us deeply connected with some, yet deeply divided from others. The session will look at the recently discovered neuro-cognitive science behind our primary need to belong, explore how it motivates human behavior and investigate how it shows up in our daily lives. Finally, we will explore ways that have been found to bridge the divide in order to create greater harmony and cooperation in our personal, organizational and civic lives. In this session, you will:

• Gain a better understanding of the neuro-cognitive science behind belonging and how we are hard-wired to want to fit in.
• Gain awareness of how the polarization in our society is impacting all of our societal institutions, especially the workplace.
• Explore methods for bridging the gap and creating a greater sense of connection within organizations and communities.