January 2019 - The FoCuSeD™ Facilitator eNewsletter
Consensus Decision-Making | Gary Rush Facilitation
"I have gotten so much mileage from your definition of consensus and always put it in the group working norms and everyone gravitates to it b/c it's so clear: Consensus is "I can live with the decision of the group even though I don't fully agree." Just thought I would let you know your indirect influence upon others and say thank you for it.“ - Dan, FoCuSeD™ On… Alumnus
It certainly is viewed as faster for one person to make a decision, but know that consensus doesn’t take a lot of time.
Consensus does not mean that everyone is happy, holding hands, and singing “Kum Ba Yah”. Consensus requires a process that supports trust, everyone speaking up, hearing what is said, engaging in healthy conflict, not being afraid to disagree, and acceptance that the whole is more important than the parts.
- “Consensus is NOT Compromise.” Compromise is taking two positions, adding them together, and finding the halfway point. Compromise is lose-lose.
- “Consensus is NOT giving in.” Giving in is to formally agree, letting others do what they want just to get done. This is destructive.
- “Consensus is…” that you can say with commitment, “I can support the decision”. That does not mean that you are in complete agreement, but you can support it in the best interest of the whole. This is win-win.
To reach consensus, the following elements are required along with a clear process to guide the group:
- Everyone must be heard. The corollary is that everyone must be able to speak up and voice his or her support or objection. Active listening is required.
- Healthy conflict is essential. General Patton once said, “If everyone is thinking the same, no one is thinking.” Healthy conflict is ideological, not personal.
- Everyone must feel comfortable to disagree. Groups who are afraid to voice their disagreement don’t trust each other. Trust gives us the confidence to disagree.
Making Decisions
When people are asked to decide on an issue, they often disagree. When people disagree, first, they stop listening and second, they forget about the issue at hand. They get caught up in the features of the disagreement. This causes polarization. People will not say, “I understand where you’re coming from and why you disagree with me. Let me explain what I mean.” A more common reaction is, “You obviously don’t get it! The right decision is …” or some derivation. The challenge is to create an environment that helps get the people back to the initial issue and follow an effective clear process to guide the group. The closer a group moves to consensus, the greater the level of commitment to support and implement the decision.
When making decisions in a collaborative style, every group goes through a three-stage cycle in order to reach consensus. They are:
- Divergence – Everyone needs to express him or herself and be heard.
- The Struggle – Everyone works to understand each other’s perspective or point of view.
- Convergence – Everyone narrows the ideas down to find a solution they can all support.
Following this three-stage cycle in a meeting or workshop, the leader or Facilitator guides the group through the stages, ensuring that everyone speaks up, they discuss the ideas without attacking, and they work towards agreement.
Leaders don’t always have the luxury of pulling together a group to make a decision, e.g., in an emergency, as leader, you make the decision. Having said that, if you have created an open, respectful, and collaborative environment that understands that consensus does not require 100% joyous approval, simply, “you’ve heard me and considered my opinion so I will support the decision,” these decisions are still consensus-based decisions. 