Coming to a Consensus

Over at the Admin Bandit blog we have been talking about decision making by consensus.  In a 2 part series we looked at what consensus really is and then the steps committees need to go through when using the consensus model.

It pays to have a consensus when making decisions about finances so we thought we should bring you a summary of the consensus process and why it works so well.  For a more detailed explanation you can drop into the Admin Bandit blog.

Consensus means ‘by general agreement’. It doesn’t mean that everyone agrees with the decision but it does mean that everyone can accept it.  The power of consensus is that the decision is supported by the group.  No member disagrees to such an extent that he or she will undermine the result.

There is a fairly firm procedure to go through in this model of decision making.  The steps are:

1. Present the proposal to the group.

Be as clear as you can about what the proposal covers. The more work you can put into this proposal the more likely it is that the next stages will go smoothly.

2. Question time.

Let committee members get the clarification they need. People need to be sure that they understand the proposal and some need more information than others.

3. Open Discussion

The committee is encouraged to talk it through. You may find that you need to make some alterations to the original proposal – clarify, rephrase or even remove bits.

4. Call for consensus.

Ask you committee for their agreement.  Find out who is not yet satisfied and identify the issues.  Once you know the objections you can usually redraft the proposal to suit.

5. Present rephrased/rewritten proposal and call for consensus.

This is usually a formality by this stage. All concerns have been addressed and your proposal modified so you should reach consensus now.

6. Work out objections.

If there are still objections at this point you will have 2 options.  Firstly, you can guage the extent of the objection.  It might be that the member can 'live with it' and will agree with the others.  The other option is for when the objection cannot be overcome and that is to scrap the proposal and start again.

Consensus is a powerful thing and it is worth the time it takes to reach it.  Just imagine how strong and united your committee would be if they could reach consensus on all of the decisions?