Civic Bridgers’ Theory of Change
Wells and Fences
Civic Bridgers prepares emerging leaders to bridge divides by training them to navigate differences with a centered-set mentality:
Text: In a centered set, people organize around a central purpose. The boundary is clear because the center is clear. Bridgers embody a “centered set” mentality in engaging across lines of difference.
In a bounded set, people organize based on adherence to strictly enforced rules, qualifications, or ideas. The boundary is clear because the rules are clear. A “bounded set” mentality reinforces polarization, isolation, extremism, and mistrust.
These two models can be summarized as “wells and fences.” Bridgers prioritize pluralism as the “well” for positive change rather than defining or enforcing “fences” – rules that codify which ideologies or identities are allowed or prohibited. This does not mean that “anything goes” in the work of bridging. To the contrary, Bridgers have boundaries, but those boundaries are clear because the center – pluralism – is clear. In a community organized around pluralism, there is no space for dehumanization, enforced ideologies or values, or strict dualism.
It’s worth noting that most of society organizes itself into bounded sets. Most religions are bounded sets. Political parties often behave as bounded sets. And while it’s not wrong to have clear boundaries, a “bounded set” mentality can reinforce polarization, isolation, extremism, and mistrust by creating Us vs. Them dichotomies.
Bridgers advance pluralism by modeling and teaching three pluralistic norms:
Humanity – The recognition that all people have equal inherent worth even while imperfection is the human condition. Common humanity allows us to live into our strengths, express our innermost values, celebrate wide-ranging expressions of self and culture, and build appreciation of diversity. Related virtues include: dignity, compassion, respect, autonomy, and fairness.
Humility – The practice of seeking understanding, recognizing biases, embracing uncertainty, and modeling a growth mindset. Intellectual humility allows us to uphold ancient wisdom, storytelling, and spiritual systems as sources of knowledge alongside scientific research and academic or institutional knowledge. Related virtues include: curiosity, love of learning, creativity, forgiveness, and perspective.
Accountability – The recognition that we exist in community and that individual actions redound to the common good, or common harm, and we take responsibility accordingly. Shared accountability allows us to shift from “calling out” to “calling in” and from “canceling” to “restoring” without undermining individual agency. Related virtues include: teamwork, bravery, self-regulation, and judgment.
Embedded into everyday interactions in both civic and private life, these principles distinguish Civic Bridgers from “conflict mediators” or “peacekeepers” who embody them primarily as a professional practice. Further, these principles liberate Civic Bridgers from self-reinforcing biases amplified by echo chambers in real life as well as filter bubbles on social media. In sum, these principles strengthen forbearance in the service of common good.
By leading from a centered-set mentality that prioritizes pluralism and advances humanity, humility, and accountability, Bridgers decrease polarization, enhance social cohesion, and model a new way for leaders to affect change.
