Three Rules of Consensus

More and more groups are using a consensus process to make decisions. While consensus processes can be complex, Organizational Development consultant Bob Marshak has boiled down good consensus process into three basic principles. In this ezine, I will summarize those three principles.

Principle One: You must pay attention to everyone’s considerations. This might seem obvious, but often times we are so busy talking that we are not listening to each other. Furthermore, the more others feel that their needs have been taken seriously, the more flexible they become. If the goal is to come up with win/win outcomes, paying attention to other’s considerations makes it more likely their bottom line will drop and more solutions will be possible.

Principle Two: Search for agreement, not disagreement. This also seems simple, but is hard to put into practice. Usually when we disagree we tend to focus on the area of disagreement. This, however, prevents us from identifying the areas of agreement to build agreements onto. Searching for agreement is both a mindset, but also a discipline. It is a mindset in that our minds are often trained to latch onto the differences. However, sometimes we see the common ground but we don’t give voice to it.

Principle Three: Look for better, not best. Because we all see the world differently, it is very difficult, if not impossible to find agreement on what the best decision is for a group. People often disagree on what is best. In looking for what is better, it is assumed that everyone cannot get their perfect outcome. The focus then becomes on improving the outcome, not steering it in one specific direction.