Why my community board is in the news
And how we can get out
Views are my own and not the views of Manhattan CB5.
My community board, Manhattan CB5, has been in the news recently:
Leaders Resign at Midtown Board Citing ‘Special Interest’ Influence Amid Zoning Fights
CB5 Sees Wave of Resignations, As Open New York Member Gets Chair Position
In case you need a refresher on what community boards are.
I’m not giving my takes on the “fights” here, but rather some reflections on what next.
Conflict is good. In fact, it’s necessary.
Productive conflict is how we learn and collaborate to produce better results. You’ve seen this at your workplace: Person A has an idea. Person B brings up a concern. Both people work together to improve the idea. That’s productive conflict.
High conflict is bad.
Journalist Amanda Ripley defines “high conflict” as what happens when discord distills into a good-versus-evil feud, the kind with an “us” and a “them.” Once people are drawn into high conflict, they become certain of their own rightness, and assume only negative things about those who have a different position. They lose the ability to see nuance.
On our community board, this could play out as: “the old guard vs. the new guard” or “the preservationists vs. the YIMBYs” or “people who care about the community vs. people who care about making money.”
My perception is that the majority of CB5 members still see nuance, but are concerned about the brewing animosity.
And there are a (loud) few who have succumbed to high conflict.
De-escalating high conflict means leaning into the nuance.
Ripley’s research suggests steps for de-escalating high conflict:
Investigate the understory. Consider: What is the root cause of the current conflict?
Reduce the binary. Acknowledge shared values and interests with “the other side”. For example: get to know them. Grab coffee. Hear about their background, and why they care about this– why are they here?
Marginalize the fire starters. Don’t listen to loud voices that egg on the fighting. In this case, that’s:
Anonymous public commenter #1
Anyone tweeting or going to the press to smear fellow CB5 members
Anyone sending mass emails about rigged elections
The press– know that their job is to sell headlines, so modulate accordingly.
Complicate the narrative. This is hard because our brains so badly want to simplify events, people, and groups into “good” and “bad.” Curiosity is an important way out. Ask more questions to broaden perspective.
The recent attacks from outside and within our board are very new; these aren’t deep seated animosities that have been simmering for years. And most CB5 members want to work together to benefit the community. I’m optimistic that we can get there.