10 Suggestions on How to Reach Consensus

One of the major benefits of a consensus decision is that it brings team members who start off with differing points of view to a common understanding of all the issues.

Another Meeting Invite, and you dread hitting “Accept”.  You know what lies ahead is another push-and-pull session with your team nemesis whom you consider to be a wind-bag, endless and circular discussions, unraveling what you thought were conclusions, rude emailing while trying to talk to someone and an alternating sense of boredom, frustration and finally quiet resignation. 

Okay, so things in your real team life may not be that bad.  But, seriously, who likes rambling, rudderless meetings? 

There is a way to keep your eye on the prize: have really good and thoughtful discussion and solid decisions as an outcome.  If your team can come away from a decision feeling it is “right”, based on the circumstances, you’ve all done well.  What we are talking about is consensus, a basic team skill.  Let’s explore.

Compromise or Consensus?

There are basically two ways to make a challenging team decision, compromise and consensus.  A compromise is a way of getting a decision that people can live with.  Generally, the result is only satisfactory.  Some words which describe a compromise are “half-hearted,” “reluctant,” “settlement,”  “concession,” “arrangement”.  Despite that, compromises are important and expedient answers to some problems.  The problem with a compromise is the outcome doesn’t meet everyone’s expectations, or it may literally compromise someone’s values, ideas or beliefs.  In fact, there are always some losers and winners in a compromise decision.  When that happens, the losers may feel half-hearted and reluctant about putting that decision into action; the winner becomes disenchanted with the effort the others are making.  In some ways, a compromise can plant the seeds of later conflict.

Reaching Consensus

On the other hand, certain decisions demand a group commitment to work.  That kind of agreement calls for a consensus.  Basically, the process of consensus involves getting people with different points of view to start seeing things in a similar way, or at least to begin narrowing their different perspectives.

In a consensus, if the points of view of each member are considered, discussed, compared and discussed again, everyone begins to sees all aspects of the problem.  Members begin to learn about others’ perceptions and a decision or approach emerges as differences are understood and narrowed.  This outcome goes beyond something people can “go along with”.  Instead, it is a decision team members believe in as the truly best way to go, given the circumstances.  Because the issue has been examined, re-examined, tested through discussion, critiqued and analyzed, all members of the team can “see” the problem and the solutions from many different points of view.

As you can see, one of the major benefits of a consensus decision is that it brings team members who start off with differing points of view to a common understanding of all the issues. In a way, it’s a learning experience. Through discussion of how members see the problem, everyone begins to share perceptions.  Differences don’t appear as great as they once did and everyone agrees, given the facts, about the alternative that makes sense.

Consensus Guidelines and Tips

Here are some ways to narrow differences in points of view among team members and work towards commitment.

1. Each team member should state how he or she feels about the situation and why.
* Go around the table; give everyone a chance to have their say.
* Stop team members who are dominating discussion and poll everyone else.
* Ask members who are silent what they think.

2. Team members should as for facts, definitions or explanations and try to uncover what different thoughts or words really mean to others.
* Team members have to explain their views.
* Focus on words, like, “What’s a significant delay?”
* Ask for clarification when faced with questionable statements

3. Clarify discrepancies of opinion with facts.
* State facts and ask other team members to compare opinions with the facts.
* Summarize competing points of view and ask members to support with facts.
* If there are no available facts, ask members to gather data before continuing.

4. Be open-minded. Modify your own views when faced with compelling facts and opinions.
* Listen to the facts underlying differing points of view.
* Test the facts being presented against your viewpoint.
* Weigh the impact on you and the team of continuing to resist ideas in the face of convincing facts.
* “Try on” the other point of view and see how it feels. Is it really that different from yours? Are the consequences acceptable?

5. Identify similarities and differences among the points of view in the team.
* Make a list of similarities and differences on a flipchart or whiteboard.
* Ask different members to state what is similar about their ideas.
* Crystallize the differences among team members in a simple statement, such as, “It seems some people view cross-selling as a threat, others see it as an opportunity.”

6. Reinforce open-mindedness—the willingness to listen to other views—as well as the need for cooperation.
* Remind each other about the team’s rules concerning open discussion. (Your team ground rules should reflect that; if you don’t have team ground rules, you have some homework to do.)

* Ensure people time to talk and that they have said what is on their minds.
* Review the team’s production goals if necessary and stress the need 
to work together to reach those goals.

7.  Remain non-defensive and unemotional when challenged and avoid angry encounters.
* Stay silent and calm when being criticized. Wait until the other team member has finished before commenting.
* Take notes reflecting the other team member’s points.
* Summarize the other team member’s opinion in your own words before you talk.
* If the meeting is getting emotional, ask for a short recess; try to relax.
* If you can, be empathic with other’s views. Say, “I can understand why 
you would say that.”

8. List the positive and negative aspects or consequences of each point of view.
* Assume the team has adopted a particular approach. Ask members to discuss the advantages and disadvantages. Repeat with the next approach.
* Explore the risks associated with each idea. Test how realistic different people’s assessments of the risks are. “Will we really be causing serious confusion among ourselves by making independent calls on prime accounts?”

9. Ensure that all team members have had an opportunity to participate.
* Make it a point to ask each member at the meeting what they think.
* Remind members they have a responsibility to speak their minds.

10. Try to define the element of risk associated with every decision and develop an approach that minimizes that risk for everyone.
* Ask people what concerns them about a specific course of action.  “What do you think will happen if we do this?”
* If concerns are based on a misperception or misunderstanding, explain the true facts.
* Balance the advantages and risks of each approach.
* Ask the team what level of risk it is willing to accept.

Why it’s Worth the Time to Gain Consensus

Here are some concepts worth remembering about reaching decisions in teams.

* Consensus is one of the most powerful team skills. Members who understand how to reach consensus find that decisions are fully supported and implemented. What’s more, members believe in the group’s decision because the team has examined each facet of the problem and, through discussion, has finally seen the best way to proceed, given the circumstances.

* Remember, compromise implies half-heated agreement. There is doubt, lingering disagreement and the potential for second-guessing the decision, especially if the results are less than expected.

* The consensus process works when team members take the time to share perceptions about a decision and what it means to them.  Everyone must be given a chance to describe how they see the issues.  Only after these initial viewpoints are clear can the team proceed to identify areas of agreement and disagreement.

* Finally, the real key to consensus is for team members to remain flexible about their point of view. The exchanging of ideas is an opportunity for team members to learn from each other. An effective team member tries hard to remain open-minded, non-defensive and flexible, rather than determined to have his or her way.