ORGANIZATIONS BRING BALANCE TO OUR POLARIZED WORLD

  

Several weeks ago, I picked up an issue of Sports Illustrated magazine (SI) and began reading the cover article on what goes on behind the scenes of an NFL team, the Miami Dolphins.  I was awe-struck by the number of unsung employees with diverse skill sets and backgrounds who help keep a professional sports organization running smoothly. This caused me to pause and consider other organizations that are more intricate than one would imagine. I was left with the question; how is it possible in our deeply polarized world that humans are so proficient in bringing assorted and contradictory individuals together to form complex organizations?

An NFL team typically has 150-175 employees, including players, coaches, front office staff, medical and training personnel, and support staff. The article in SI acknowledges, “The head coach sets a football team’s culture.” However, a large array of dissimilar employees, many with long careers with the team, surround the coach. Hundreds of tiny details and unrecognized “grunt work” determines success.

The sideline guy in the purple hat is taking care of the Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets. Because the coaches work around the clock, the computer specialists must always be available to field requests and provide maintenance. The video staff has developed 350 data filters of every NFL play.

The assistant athletic trainers must learn all 16 ways to tape an ankle and keep track of each player’s preferences. The strength and fitness coaches are monitoring practice and pre-game exercise routines. Security guards have regular meetings to plan for curfew checks, transportation of players, and to consider every possible crisis. Equipment specialists are responsible for endless checklists and contingency plans involving helmets, cleats, and other football accessories. The equipment manager must determine what items are packed on the multiple trucks for away games and what will go with the team on the plane.

The communications staff is busy getting mandated information from the team to the NFL and to the media.  During the pandemic, there was a team of trained medical staff to develop protocols, perform testing, and then record the results.

Before an NFL game is “ready for prime time,” the organizational effort involves hundreds of additional stadium and media personnel. All of the participants, including the thousands of fans, hold diverse political views like the rest of the nation. On game day, they are a community of one pulling for their football team.

One could point to many other complex organizations that overcome political and social polarization to produce over-the top achievements.   Corporations and business entities are examples. The thousands of community theaters, cultural events, and local community sports teams come to mind.

The United States Capitol may be the most polarized piece of real estate in the country. Almost 11,000 staff members come to work there every day. The Architect of the Capitol is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the Capitol Complex and employs 2,000 personnel. The United States Capitol Police has more than 2,300 officers and civilian employees. This vast network of contrasting individuals is able to form an efficient organization. Somehow, the organization defended the building against a violent attack, even when the elected Congressional officials from opposite sides of the aisle were working at cross-purposes and refused to speak to each other.

On the surface, polarization in our society appears to be spreading. According to the Pew Research Center, the share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades from 10 to 21 percent. As a result, the amount of ideological overlap in the American public has greatly diminished. The same report finds that differences between the right and left go beyond politics. For example, nearly four times as many liberals as conservatives say it is important that their communities have racial and ethnic diversity. About three times as many conservatives as liberals say it is important that many in the community share their religious faith.

In this polarized environment, how is it possible that complex organizations that require cooperation to survive not only exist, but also thrive? For one thing, studies have shown that fewer than 10 percent of Americans are responsible for most political discourse in America. The lion’s share of Americans are not political junkies glued to polarizing news feeds and social media.

Elections and politics more broadly are not a significant factor in most lives. The majority of Americans gain meaning and sources of fulfillment from their family, community, and work. They do not view the life-long journey to reach their potential as dictated by their political views. Religious faith and learned positive behaviors promote family and community goals. Working cooperatively with others in diverse organizations, even in the nation’s Capital, provides feedback that is more positive and satisfying than engaging in negative tribal politics.

Organizations are most effective when they employ communication channels that share information in a timely and transparent manner. Successful organizations break down silos and encourage collaboration. They are exactly what America needs to counter the negative effects of narrow, partisan, political polarization.

There is strong evidence that our elected officials and cable news outlets are far more politically polarized than the country at large. Most citizens work together in non-political cooperative organizations to achieve mutually beneficial results. This reality is helpful in preserving democracy and the American dream.