Decision by Consensus

Decisions by committee get a bad rap. Decisions by consensus are usually characterized as a lowest common denominator compromise. And, oftentimes that is true, but not always. And, it can be a time saver.

When you have a decision that involves multiple perspectives, and those perspectives have a vote in the decision, it’s important to understand their objectives and their viewpoints.

If the objective of the decision is not agreed upon or understood by all the decision’s perspectives, it is hard to imagine that they will come to a consensus on the most optimal solution. Everyone involved must thoroughly understand what is being decided, and the objective, or desired outcome, of that decision.

Many times, usually because people aren’t listening, the various stakeholders in a decision don’t really understand each other’s position. Each person is so busy selling his viewpoint that he doesn’t take the time to truly listen to other’s viewpoints. We’ve all been in meetings where an opinion has been oversold – everyone agrees with the speaker, but he keeps going on and on. One of the key messages in any sales training is the concept of shutting up and listening. It’s not hard to talk yourself out of a sale. Lots of people are uncomfortable with silence, but you must stop talking long enough to listen to others. You might just find that there is a consensus and you can proceed with the implementation of the group’s decision.

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