CONSENSUS
03/14/09
Are you getting the most out of your team?
To stay in the game today we need to deliver fast and on target.
As competition for resource and market share increases, organisations have to innovate and implement new solutions, faster, cheaper and better. One implication of this is that we no longer have time to depend solely on a lone genius to develop a solution and train the rest of the team. Teams need a collective understanding of what needs to be done and how they are going to do it.
What approach can you use to get the action based on the collective understanding of what needs to be done?
Many organisations are engaging in projects in one form or another. Most people are familiar with the layout of a project plan. But some are less familiar with how to get teams to understand the plan and commit their time and energy to making it happen. Many managers are using projects as micro management tools rather than vehicles for empowering their teams.
And how can you use projects to empower your people?
Empowering your team requires that you relinquish your power. As more and more organisations try to implement cultures of empowerment some leaders battle to let go of the reigns and launch the potential in their teams. Demanding responsibility for delivery without giving authority for creativity is incredibly frustrating for teams.
So how can you delegate, encourage, empower, build trust and still know that you are creating the best possible solution?
Well, through consensus. When teams collaborate they can generate incredible energy.
But what is consensus and how does it create energy in a team? This is what Margaret Thatcher had to say about consensus:
"Ah consensus … the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects; the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead. What great cause would have been fought and won under the banner 'I stand for consensus'?"
Consensus is a decision making process in which all of the participants synthesise their ideas to arrive at a final decision. Maggie’s view notwithstanding, when you need commitment from a group of people, consensus is a far better approach than voting or autocratic directives. We only ever commit to what we have created ourselves. Through consensus each person may be involved in the creation process. Groups work towards better solutions through consensus and they promote the growth of community and trust.
- Consensus is co-operative; Effective interactions require openness, honesty and good faith from all involved. If a group is not able or willing to cooperate they cannot use consensus.
- Consensus is inclusive; Participants can learn from each other’s experiences and thinking, empathising with people with other backgrounds, and gracefully changing their minds as they hear new ideas and arguments. Discussion in small sub-groups allows everyone, even those who are not articulate, to express their ideas, concerns and opinions.
- Consensus is empowering; the group is held responsible for the process and decisions. When a group abdicates authority to an individual they may be called to account.
- Consensus may involve conflict and pain; Consensus depends on problem solving, questioning, empathy, self-sacrifice, and ordered action. In a good process, conflict is not ignored or covered up, but encouraged and embraced in a group.
How people may respond to consensus
Consensus is not a different way of voting; When we choose voting or consensus we will probably be making the following assumptions:
Voting
Consensus
Consensus will not guarantee a unanimous decision; While the process allows everyone to feel included and considered in the decision making, not everyone will necessarily agree or support the outcome of the consensus process. At the end of the discussion, when the group has reached consensus, each person involved may respond in one of the following four ways to the solution:
- Yes I agree.
- I don't agree but I will go along with it.
- I don’t agree and I will block it (in any way I can).
- I don’t agree and I will withdraw from the group.
A good process will allow each person to freely express their stance on the decisions.
What is the consensus process and how can you help each person in your team to express their views?
The Process of consensus agreement
My associate, Arthur Gobey, a clinical psychologist who also works with groups, uses the following picture to illustrate the consensus process:
A well designed discussion will allow a team to engage in divergent and convergent discussion. An effective facilitator will also know when to encourage a group to diverge and when to allow them to converge on a point of agreement.
So how do you initiate a process for consensus?
"None of us are as smart as all of us"
— Japanese Proverb
If your team is not used to collaboration, even with the best intentions, you may find it difficult to initiate a process of consensus. Building trust and the capacity to share and take risks is usually difficult in traditionally hierarchical or autocratic organisations.
In moving in this direction you may wish to consider the following steps:
- Acknowledge what is working and what is not. Even in the most autocratic environments there are effective processes. Acknowledge what is working well as you address what is not working in the area of consensus and collaboration. Do not for instance, toss out your quality assurance process in the interest of collaboration. Rather review the process for steps in which you could improve the process through collaboration and listening.
- Find out what people in your team are thinking. Build trust on an individual level before you test it in a group. Take time to inspire people to contribute when you all get together. What is the best way to build trust? Listening! That’s it. When people know that you have heard them you can create incredible trust.
- Give yourself time to consider their feedback. Synthesise a view of what everyone has said. List the implications of this view.
- Share your insights with the group. Gather your team and give them feedback on what you have heard and how this has affected your thinking.
- Use your presentation as a time to listen. Each point you present will probably provide material for a conversation within the group. Your feedback session should include opportunities for members to share their own insights and to listen to each others views. It may be a good idea to record some of the information being discussed.
- Get help. A good feedback session will need a well thought out and well defined process. Unless the group is used to this type of session they may not know how to contribute. They may also need someone to raise the energy in the room before they begin to share their own views and insights.
When groups hold discussions about which members hold strong feelings, they often get stuck and frustrated. Consider using a neutral person to facilitate your session. This may be someone else from your organisation or a professional workshop facilitator.