08/03/2022

Use Discussion Groups to Foster Productive Political Conversations

Personal political values are creating more strife now than before COVID

Super-charged political polarization isn’t new.

It just seems so because many media outlets have provided forums for theatrically dysfunctional political discussions. What is relatively new is that some association members who previously were loyal advocates for their association’s policy positions have now mitigated or abdicated their engagement because of their personal political values. This behavior has consequences for an association’s government relations programs and legislative agenda.

Our research with a variety of organizations reveals that there are advocates and association members who exhibit political maturity and those who cling to personal politics disguised as association interests. The latter group is usually more vocal and negative, and negative communications weigh much more heavily on people than positive interactions, resulting in a form of organizational e-coli.

Please select this link to read the complete article from ASAE’s Center for Association Leadership.