In This Moment - A New Perspective on DEI Courageous Conversations: Navigating Workplace Communication in Polarized Times
Oct 21, 2025
Dr. Allison Schlobohm, a clinical associate professor at UNC Kenan-Flagler, shares her expertise on navigating difficult conversations in polarized workplaces. She highlights the importance of courageous communication and critiques superficial organizational approaches to belonging. Discussing incivility and microaggressions, Allison explains how trust is eroded in turbulent times. She offers a structured model for courageous conversations and emphasizes the need for leaders to cultivate understanding and embrace generational shifts in workplace dynamics.
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Polarization Is A Workplace Productivity Crisis
- Polarized politics and incivility are already harming workplaces and engagement at scale.
- Organizations that teach employees to communicate across difference will outperform those that avoid difficult conversations.
Listen To Context, Not Just Comments
- Listen to both what people say and the broader context they live in to predict workplace issues.
- Prepare for silence and disengagement by creating deliberate listening practices and support structures.
Silencing Politics Backfires
- Banning political talk creates a vacuum that raises conflict and reduces engagement.
- Incivility linked to politics is pervasive, with millions of daily incidents that drain organizations.
