10 STEPS: TO BRIDGING POLITICAL DIVIDES.

A finance officer's job is not easy, and political polarization can make it even more difficult. As part of its Rethinking Budgeting initiative, GFOA has worked with Constructive Dialogue Institute to develop resources that will help finance officers navigate politically polarized environments. The 10 steps below are distilled from "Bridging Political Divides in Local Government: A New Way Forward Based on a Nationwide Study.

Read the full report at gfoa.org/materials/bridging-political-divides-in-local-government

1 | Get to know the six "taste buds" outlined in Moral Foundations Theory: care, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority, and sanctity. Along with people's taste buds and taste preferences, cultures and people within these cultures have the same taste buds for morality, but they often have different preferences and draw on them in different ways, and to different degrees, to form specific moral worldviews.

2 | Understand your own moral foundations. Know thyself" is ancient wisdom from across many cultures. Consider taking the Moral Foundations test at yourmorals.org to see which moral foundations you emphasize and how that compares to others. This is a step toward recognizing blind spots and bridging divides.

3 | Acknowledge that moral foundations that are different from yours are also valid. Moral Foundations Theory argues for moral pluralism, which explains how two people can disagree about an issue while both having morally defensible positions. People have different visions and take different actions that may be of equal merit and virtue but are nevertheless conflicting.

4 | Apply "moral reframing" to conflicts. Look for opportunities to show someone how their preferred moral taste can be accommodated within policy arguments. For example, care for the natural environment (typically a position associated with liberals) could be reframed as conservation of an important (sacred) community asset...