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KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF
BUSINESS
Volume
94, January 2009
Publisher: © Key Associates, 2009
ISSN #
1545-8873
http://www.mkkey.com/
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This Issue: On "Consensus Building"
Contents:
"Democracy is two wolves and
a lamb voting
on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed
lamb contesting the vote.”
- Benjamin Franklin
"Most people are more
comfortable with old problems
than with new solutions.”
- Anonymous
"A new idea is delicate. It
can be killed by a sneer or a yawn;
it can be stabbed to death by a joke or worried to death
by a frown on the right person's brow.”
- Charles Brower
MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A VOICE.
HOLDING PEOPLE TO AGREEMENTS OR
REWORKING THE AGREEMENTS.
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MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A
LEADER
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If you are in leadership, you are blessed with the
richness of differences. Were it not so, you would
be surrounded by "yes men" and an absence of
creative thinking. Your challenge is to how to
coalesce the differences into consensus.
Consensus is a decision making process which
equalizes power over a group of people. Consensus
means "substantial agreement," not unanimity
or 100% backing.
Using the tools for consensus building, bring
people together to express their ideas, clarify
areas of agreement and disagreement, and develop
shared solutions and resolutions, to which they
are committed.
The majority rule system creates winners and losers.
This
promotes conflict, and allows the majority
opinion to steamroll an idea over a minority
that dissents.
People in a majority rule system
don't need to listen
to the dissenting minority, or take their opinion
seriously,
because they can simply outvote them. Majority rule
systems say that
the majority is infallible and they have
nothing to learn from the minority.
In the end, you will not have commitment of the whole
and the issue will likely resurface. You have achieved
consensus when everyone leaves the room and agrees
to support the idea.
Can you achieve consensus in large groups?
Truly it is easier to reach consensus in a small group (under
20).
But it is possible to mimic the small group environment by
use of table teams, pods, business units, focus groups,
and other smaller gatherings. Still, I have seen groups as
large as 100+ float around flipcharts, using consensus
decision making tools successfully.
What are the consensus decision
making tools?
At least one tool that generates ideas (brain-
storming, nominal group technique, cause and
effect diagrams, affinity tool) and one that winnows
or narrows down ideas (multi-vote, rank order,
structured discussion). The critical principle is
to "generate ideas before deciding"--diverge
before converging. Another critical piece is
to have criteria for narrowing down ideas and
deciding, e.g., "must be cost-effective." The
group must agree beforehand to the criteria.
In our Team and Leadership courses, we teach
people how to achieve consensus decision making on
one flipchart page grid with Post-its. (See Key, M. K.
Using the grid structure to apply consensus decision
making tools. The H.R. Handbook , 1996.)
Are there principles for conducting a consensus process?
Most certainly.
* Speak one at a time.
* Pass if you don't have an idea.
* Give your own perspective, no mind-reading.
* Listen deeply.
* Generate many ideas before deciding.
* Don't evaluate ideas at first, just clarify.
* Separate the person from the issue.
* Treat one another with respect and dignity.
* Give all parties equal time to talk.
* Stick to the chosen process.
* Build and maintain a public record.
* Think creatively and inclusively (win-win).
EXERCISES AND ACTION ITEMS:
* Go to www.mindtools.com
and learn some new tools
(see Problem Solving and Decision Making).
* Flowchart your process of decision making, before
you use it and see if it invites consensus.
* Evaluate each decision making process: Is it COMMAND,
CONSULTATIVE, or CONSENSUS? Be clear which one
with others involved and don't change the model without
telling them.
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EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES
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Excellent description of a consensus-building process
http://web.mit.edu/publicdisputes/practice/cbh_ch1.html
A simpler way
http://www.nps.gov/phso/rtcatoolbox/dec_consensus.htm
Some guidelines
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/processguides/consensus.html
and additional guidelines
https://www.msu.edu/~corcora5/org/consensus.html
Key Associates facilitates Mediation of
Conflict and
teaches the leadership tools of consensus decision making.
1-888-655-3901 or http://www.mkkey.com
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OTHER
USEFUL
WEBSITES
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Index of articles and links
http://managingwholes.com/--consensus.htm
A clever Tool Kit to give to participants
http://www.ccme.ca/assets/pdf/consensus_toolkit_e.pdf
A tool using fists and fingers to peacefully express
sentiment
http://www.freechild.org/Firestarter/Fist2Five.htm
A simple PowerPoint on the subject
http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/SHI/training/05-Consensus/docs/Consensus-Slides.ppt
Former Keyzines on related topics:
Volume 7, October
2001 - Mediating Conflict
Volume 10, January
2002 - Meetings
Volume 11, February
2002 - Teams
Volume 12, March
2002 - Facilitation
Volume
30, September 2003 - Effective Listening
Volume
37, April 2004 - Dialogue: Thinking Together
Volume 40, July
2004 - Building Community
Volume
42, September 2004 - Convening People
Volume 91,
October 2008 - Coalition Building
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ARTICLES/PUBLICATIONS
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Google Selected Books on Consensus-Building
http://books.google.com/books?q=consensus+building&
source=bll&sa=X&oi=book_group&resnum=11&ct=title&
cad=bottom-3results
Dressler, Larry. Consensus
Through Conversation:
How to Achieve High-Commitment Decisions.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2006.
Dunlop, John Thomas. Dispute
Resolution: Negotiation and Consensus.
Auburn House, 1984.
Fisher, Roger & William L. Ury. Getting
to Yes:
Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Penguin, 1991.
Kaner, Sam. Facilitator's
Guide to Participatory Decision-Making.
Jossey-Bass, 2007.
Lax, David & James K. Sebenious. The
Manager as Negotiator.
The Free Press, 1987.
Patterson, Kerry. Crucial
Conversations: Tools for Talking
When Stakes are High. McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Raiffa, Howard. The
Art and Science of Negotiation.
Belknap Press, 2005.
Scholtes, Peter R. The
Leader's Handbook: Making Things
Happen, Getting Things Done. McGraw-Hill, 1997.
Stone, Douglas, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, & Roger Fischer.
Difficult
Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most.
Penguin, 2000.
Susskind, Lawrence E. Breaking
Robert's Rules:
The New Way to Run Your Meeting, Build
Consensus, and Get Results. Oxford University Press,
USA, 2006.
Susskind, Lawrence E., Sarah McKearnan, & Jennifer Thomas-Larmer.
The
Consensus Building Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide
to Reaching Agreement. Sage Publications, 1999.
