a consensus occurs when all team members can support a particular course of action

by Albertha Schowalter II 7 min read

Consensus is achieved when everyone on the team has had ample opportunity to have his or her ideas considered and can fully support the team's decision. Consensus decisions mean that the entire team has come to agreement on a course of action, even if individuals might have a different preference.

A consensus occurs when all team members can support a particular course of action. Why is "small talk" important when a group is first forming? Because teams work better when each member knows each other. No one wants to work with total strangers.

Full Answer

How is consensus achieved in a team?

Consensus is achieved when everyone on the team has had ample opportunity to have his or her ideas considered and can fully support the team's decision. Consensus decisions mean that the entire team has come to agreement on a course of action, even if individuals might have a different preference.

Do the conditions for consensus exist in your group?

If you are having long term problems, a great place to start is the Conditions for Consensus - do they exist in your group? If not, could you build up those conditions? For example, if people in the group are consistently at odds with each other, maybe you need to take a few steps back and collectively define what the aims of the group are.

What is a consensus decision?

The word consensus is often thought to mean unanimous agreement but this is not necessarily the case. Consensus decisions include input from and acceptance by each member of the team. Consensus decisions have a very high level of team involvement and can lead to strong, well-supported decisions. ( More on consensus follows .)

Which of the following is a key ethical responsibility of all team members?

Which of the following is a key ethical responsibility of all team members? put the good of the team ahead of personal gain, avoid advocating positions that might benefit personally. respect others integrity and emotional needs.

Why should you prepare an agenda even for informal meetings?

(E) It will convince participants of the need for a meeting. It will help focus the attention of all participants.

What does informal meeting mean?

Define Informal Meeting – An informal meeting is a meeting which is far less heavily planned and regulated than a formal business meeting, and so lacks many of the defining features of a formal business meeting, such as minutes, a chairperson and a set agenda.

What is formal meeting and informal meeting?

The difference between formal meetings and informal meetings starts before the meeting itself. Formal meetings are organised to a high degree. They are pre-scheduled - sometimes up to a year ahead! The agenda is set in high detail, including space for specific votes and resolutions.

What does it mean when you come to a group consensus?

When you come to a group consensus, your climate for employees feels quite cooperative. Everyone’s ideas were heard, and you came to a decision that all team members could support. This interactive process can bring about feelings of goodwill.

What is consensus decision making?

Consensus decision-making can cause a group to agree to the lowest common denominator—a solution or decision that satisfies the team members' need to agree—but is definitely not optimal for the business. Additionally, in business, not every factor, department, person or decision in an organization is equally important.

Why is rationalizing important?

Rationalizing prevents members from reconsidering their beliefs and causes them to ignore warning signs.

Why are Mindguards self appointed censors?

"Mindguards" act as self-appointed censors to hide problematic information from the group. Illusions of unanimity lead members to believe that everyone is in agreement and feels the same way.

What is the consensus decision to cut manufacturing costs and not do employee layoffs?

The consensus decision is to cut manufacturing costs and not do employee layoffs, but the result is a shoddy product that eventually causes the company to lose market share. Ultimately, all the employees are worse off.

What happens when you bring all team members on board?

If you can bring all team members on board, you’ll have developed a decision that everyone likes, respects, and supports. That’s the theory—but it often falls flat. While all team members “agree” to support the consensus decision, the decision may not, in fact, be the optimal decision for the team or the business.

What does it mean when employees see benefits?

To get everyone to agree, it generally (but not always) means that the decision made will benefit every group within the team or organization. You’re not sacrificing good HR, for example, to make finance happy, or vice versa.

What is consensus building?

Consensus building is a simple concept, producing a team agreement at the conclusion. Here are the major steps involved in consensus building. Brainstorm possible topics, issues or problems associated with your Six Sigma project. Make sure you follow proper brainstorming rules so that team creativity isn’t limited.

Why is consensus building important?

It’s called consensus building, and it is needed to help the team determine the relative importance of topics, issues or problems. Consensus is a technique that allows everyone on the team to equally play an active role in determining the group’s final decision.

What is the fall back process for a team if agreement cannot be reached?

If consensus among the team members cannot be reached (that’s surprising!), a voting process should be utilized. In addition, it is useful to inform the team that consensus is the primary decision process, with voting being the fall-back process if agreement cannot be reached.

What is a black belt in Six Sigma?

The Six Sigma quality methodology almost always requires a Black Belt or Green Belt to lead a team in solving a problem. When teams members interact – and no matter how well the Black or Green Belt can facilitate – opinions of the individual team members will inevitably differ and the team may end up deadlocked, compromising the team’s forward progress.

How is consensus used?

Consensus is used widely by people around the world working towards a more just and equitable society: from small voluntary groups, co-operatives and campaign networks to businesses, local communities and, in some cultures, across much wider regions.

What is consensus in decision making?

What is consensus. Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all members of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of the group getting their way, a group using consensus is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports, or at least can live with.

Why is it important to make the consensus process clear?

Making the process clear will help people to participate fully in the decision-making as well as reassure people that they will get heard. The consensus process in large groups can get very confusing, as it tends to be a bit more complex and involve more facilitation techniques.

What is consensus in social work?

Consensus is about more than the relationships you build, and the decisions you make within your own group. It also offers a part of the toolkit for a radically different way of organising society.

Why split a meeting into smaller groups?

There are many reasons why you may want to split a large meeting into smaller groups for part of a consensus process. Where appropriate, each small group could take a different topic or task. Even when parallel groups discuss the same topic, more people can actively explore an issue at once, which saves time in the long run, as well as increasing participation. Getting more people involved like this can increase the energy in the room, and make it possible to discuss emotionally charged issues that would be difficult in a large group. And finally, focused tasks like proposal-forming can be more effectively done by a small group.

What is consensus in politics?

At its heart is a respectful dialogue between equals, with people working together to meet everyone's needs. From the individual's perspective this means having as much control as possible over decisions that affect you, without having undue control over everyone else. Consensus means working with each other rather than for or against each other .

How to reach consensus when you don't share goals?

If you don't share enough common goals you may instead consider working in several groups and co-operating on those points you do agree on.

What is consensus process?

Consensus entails the process of reaching the agreement, and includes the conclusion from said process. A consensus process includes appraising conflicting ideas, contradictory statements, and dissimilar views. The conclusion ends in a satisfactory agreement, although the understanding may be a reconciliation of sorts.

What is the meaning of consensus?

Consensus is give-and-take in information sharing. It's the ability to discuss differences calmly and come to some form of an agreement. By discussing differences in opinion, new ideas are free to surface. Consensus entails the process of reaching the agreement, and includes the conclusion from said process.

Why is consensus important?

Consensus improves the decision-making process and is extremely useful in a group setting, or for critical planning sessions. Knowing how to fashion a consensus can make the difference between a successful collaboration group and one known for its talent, but was disappointing in its execution. By utilizing consensus decision making, ...

What is a judicious team?

This group usually consists of team members with deep roots in their organizational interests who feel compelled to fight for their concerns. The Judicious group usually is formed within large organizations with a diverse mission or with a wide array of products directed at different markets. But this group also can be formed within a small organization when it comes time to set up a budget for the next fiscal year so that every department's interests are taken into consideration. The team's reason for existence generally is to allocate resources, directives, and roles within an organization to ensure the organization maintains its superiority in its given field of expertise. Judicious teams components or steps are:

Why do teams exist?

The team's reason for existence generally is to allocate resources, directives, and roles within an organization to ensure the organization maintains its superiority in its given field of expertise. Judicious teams components or steps are: To strengthen its identity. Control internal polity or organized internal body.

What is a highly visionary group?

Highly Visionary. The Highly Visionary group usually is constructed to find a top-notch solution to a complex problem, with minimal risk of failure. The individuals within this group are tough and seasoned professionals who are able to withstand pressure – in fact they thrive in this type of environment.

What are the issues that must be overcome to gain a consensus?

Issues that must be overcome to gain a consensus include: Individual interests – soapbox issues. Criticism . Bureaucratic politics. Negativity for the sake of an argument. Pride – egos. Hurdles for implementation. Perceptions of resources, abilities, or other constraints. Lack of clarification of the issue.

What does consensus mean in a decision?

Consensus. The word consensus comes from Latin meaning "agreement, accord", which in turn comes from consentire, meaning "feel together". Its meaning and usage relate to both a generally accepted opinion, and the conclusion of a decision based on collective agreement. Both the process and outcome of consensus decision-making are referred ...

What is consensus in Wikipedia?

Consensus decision-making or consensus politics (often abbreviated to consensus) is group decision-making processes in which participants develop and decide on proposals with the aim, or requirement, of acceptance by all.

What is the consensus threshold for a majority of nine?

That is, if a majority of nine may override three in a group of twelve, that is a 75% consensus threshold but it is also a "unanimity minus three" threshold, and may be stated either or both ways, as in "75% or unanimity minus three whichever is harder to achieve", in a group's constitution.

What is the difference between consensus and unanimity?

In very rapid decision making, simple consensus (computer science) rules are often imposed, such as: "unanimity minus one" = consensus achieved if there is only one dissenting algorithm/user. "unanimity minus two" = the majority view proceeds over the objections of two dissenters.

What is consensus decision making?

Consensus decision-making is an alternative to commonly practiced group decision-making processes. Robert's Rules of Order, for instance, is a guide book used by many organizations. This book allows the structuring of debate and passage of proposals that can be approved through majority vote. It does not emphasize the goal of full agreement. Critics of such a process believe that it can involve adversarial debate and the formation of competing factions. These dynamics may harm group member relationships and undermine the ability of a group to cooperatively implement a contentious decision. Consensus decision-making attempts to address the beliefs of such problems. Proponents claim that outcomes of the consensus process include:

What is egalitarianism in the decision making process?

Egalitarianism: All members of a consensus decision-making body should be afforded, as much as possible, equal input into the process. All members have the opportunity to present, and amend proposals. Inclusion: As many stakeholders as possible should be involved in the consensus decision-making process.

Why is Quaker consensus effective?

Quaker -based consensus is said to be effective because it puts in place a simple, time-tested structure that moves a group towards unity. The Quaker model is intended to allow hearing individual voices while providing a mechanism for dealing with disagreements.

What is team decision making?

Team decision-making is a core factor in the professional services industry. But it’s also a complex, challenging activity. Do it right, and you will deliver smart solutions for your clients and make your company look good. Do it poorly, and you’ll end up with biased, unsupported, or poor decisions that could make you lose clients.

How to make team based decisions?

Team-based decisions often give way to a large variety of viewpoints and skills. The best way to manage these differences involves a consideration of the following factors: 1 The type of decision – Are these decisions strategic in nature? Are they related to performance? Does this concern how things are done in the company? Will the team be directly affected with the outcome? 2 Availability – How much time and resources can be allocated to deal with the decision? 3 The nature of the task – Will the team be able to bring the appropriate knowledge and expertise required? 4 Commitment – Will the team be committed to deliver?

What is consensus in a team?

Consensus is achieved when everyone on the team has had ample opportunity to have his or her ideas considered and can fully support the team's decision. Consensus decisions mean that the entire team has come to agreement on a course of action, even if individuals might have a different preference.

Why do teams need consensus based decision making?

Teams using a consensus-based decision-making model will need to develop good meeting practices to make sure that every individual has an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. The ability to define the decision topic clearly, and the ability to build agreements and sensitivity to the team's process will all help successful ...

Why do teams use consensus decision making models?

Because effective teams work towards the fullest participation of each member, teams often use some version of a consensus decision-making model. When used appropriately, this model of decision-making can maximize the quality of a team's decisions. (See more on consensus decisions below .) There are a number of possible models for decision-making;

Why is consensus decision making important?

This decision-making model may be the most effective way to implement consensus decision-making because it pre-sets a course of action to be taken if the team is unable to make a decision within an appropriate amount of time. Of course the time allocated for a particular decision will depend on the decision's complexity, ...

Why is it important to know how decisions are made?

Knowing how a particular decision will be made can also help a team plan their meeting agendas more effectively and lead to more collaborative team process . Most importantly, understanding how decisions will be made helps to build support for the final decision and active commitment to that decision's implementation.

Why is it important to understand that the final decision does not compromise their values?

An assessment that the final decision has the best chance for successful implementation because so many members of the team support it. Reaching consensus can take time, although consensus-based decision-making gets easier with practice.

How does a team leader help a team?

Once team members know about any critical constraints, a team leader can delegate a decision to the team or a sub-group of the team. This decision-making model helps teams share the responsibility for decisions, can help the team and individual members develop decision-making skills, and allows the team leader to use his/her time in another way.

Where Can Consensus Building Be used?

  • It can be used anytime a team needs to choose a course of action from a list of possible actions. So, for instance, you may need the team to decided which solution should be pursued from a list of brainstormed options. Or you might want your quality council to select which of three projects should be undertaken first. Obviously, a Quality function ...
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How Consensus Building Works

  • Consensus building is a simple concept, producing a team agreement at the conclusion. Here are the major steps involved in consensus building. 1. Brainstorm possible topics, issues or problems associated with your Six Sigma project. Make sure you follow proper brainstorming rulesso that team creativity isn’t limited. 2. Briefly discuss all brainstormed options. Limit discussions to a co…
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A Simple Voting Process When Building Consensus Does Not Work

  • Voting is used when a team just can’t make it to consensus. Having brainstormed, affinitized and come to agreement on the options available, you then begin the fall-back process of voting. 1. Count the total number of options available. 2. Divide the total number by 3. This is your “voting amount” (e.g. If 15 options are available, your voting amount is 5). 3. Assign everyone on the tea…
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What Is Consensus

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Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all members of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of the group getting their way, a group using consensus is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports, or at least can live with. This …
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Why Use Consensus?

  • Many of us experience very little control over our lives in the wider world, with decisions being made for us by managers, benefits agencies, the police, politicians. The rewards this system promises are mostly about mobility withinthe hierarchy: getting a promotion, buying status by owning different stuff. And we're encouraged to compete with each other and scapegoat whoev…
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Social Justice

  • Consensus is about more than the relationships you build, and the decisions you make within your own group. It also offers a part of the toolkit for a radically different way of organising society.
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Conditions For Consensus

  • It is much easier to use consensus in an ongoing way if the right conditions are in place: we've listed some key factors here. If your group is struggling, this checklist should help identify underlying issues you need to address in order to have a better experience of consensus. Alternatively, if your group is far away from meeting these conditions you may decide that conse…
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The Consensus Process

  • Each group uses a slightly different process to reach consensus - with different degrees of structure and formality. The key to making it work is for everyone to express their needs and viewpoints clearly, and for the group to use this information to find a solution which builds on the common ground and resolves differences. The diagram below shows the ‘journey’ that groups u…
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Consensus Stages in Detail

  • This section looks at each of the stages in more detail. For each stage we've outlined it's purpose and made suggestions for how to make it work – use your judgement and pick the ideas that work for your group.
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Options For Agreement and Disagreement

  • There are many different reasons why someone might not agree with a proposal. For example you might have fundamental issues with it and want to stop it from going ahead, or you might not have time to implement the decision or the idea just doesn't excite you. Consensus decision-making recognises this – it's not trying to achieve unanimity but looks for a solution that everyo…
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Block Variations

  • The block is a defining part of the consensus process, it means no decision can be taken without the consent of everyone in the group. Ideally it should be a safety net that never needs to be used - the fact that the option is there means the group is required to take everyone's needs into account when forming a proposal. Because it is such a powerful tool, some groups have developed addit…
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CORE Skills For Consensus

  • Listening, questioning, summarising and synthesis
    Careful listening, summarising and synthesis help us reach a good knowledge and understanding of what everyone needs, and find solutions everyone can accept. Put simply: 1. good listeningenables us to hear what others are saying; 2. questioninghelps clarify what people are s…
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Dealing with Power Dynamics

  • At the beginning of this guide we said that 'consensus is based on a respectful dialogue between equals'. However, even with the best intentions in the world, consensus groups often replicate the inequalities of wider society. None of us enter a meeting with a clean slate - we bring all kinds of different life experiences and expectations into the room, that impact on how likely we are to co…
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Advantages

  • Collaboration practically does not exist without consensus, and consensus happens with collaboration. Consensus is give-and-take in information sharing. It's the ability to discuss differences calmly and come to some form of an agreement. By discussing differences in opinion, new ideas are free to surface.
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Benefits

  • Consensus improves the decision-making process and is extremely useful in a group setting, or for critical planning sessions. Knowing how to fashion a consensus can make the difference between a successful collaboration group and one known for its talent, but was disappointing in its execution. By utilizing consensus decision making, the organization will benefit from fully utili…
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Formation

  • Basically, there are three types of groups leadership will form to collaborate on a project. When the group of people are placed together to collaborate, even though they are highly skilled in their field of expertise, they should be aware of their make-up, so that reaching a consensus is viable. The three types of groups are: Highly Visionary, Judicious, and the Conquering At All Costs grou…
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Characteristics

  • The Highly Visionary group usually is constructed to find a top-notch solution to a complex problem, with minimal risk of failure. The individuals within this group are tough and seasoned professionals who are able to withstand pressure in fact they thrive in this type of environment. The characteristics within this group are:
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Purpose

  • This type of team is assembled for organizations looking to expand, and are considering spending hundreds of millions to buy another organization, or to enter new territories. This type of a group could be utilized to try and save a failing organization on the verge of closing its doors, or could be formed to come up with ways to bring in new revenue and customers. Whatever the reason, this …
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Assessment

  • Situation assessment brings added value to the decisions within the process. Dissimilar or conflicting viewpoints give a broader understanding to the group of the situation or issue. Having these varied viewpoints allow the group to better assess their processes and weigh the pros and cons to their decisions. For this assessment to be fully utilized, the group members must not si…
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Goals

  • The Highly Visionary team seeks out diverse viewpoints and generally realizes their importance. The group will goad others, until they speak their viewpoint. They will play the role of devil's advocate to encourage a team member to expand their viewpoint's definition. Their commitment to this situation assessment is unparalleled in comparison.
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Example

  • The expansion of the knowledge base not only includes obtaining the much-needed information, so the team can build solid steps to achieve its goals, but also mentally organizing the process, so all the correct information is acquired. Let's say the group is formed to check on the validity of the company expanding into a new territory. They decide that checking on the economics, populatio…
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Format

  • Setting realistic time tables could be anywhere from 24 hours to 20 years. This is determined by the needs of the assessment and if it is a crisis management team or a team constructed for long-term expansion.
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Philosophy

  • By their nature, consensus decisions are value-charged. The decisions are born from conflict-ridden situations, where there truly isn't an easy answer. That is why it is important for the group to have rules in place to resolve said conflicts as they emerge in reaching a consensus. Weighing the pros and cons is more than an objective analysis of an issue. It is more than looking at an or…
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Causes

  • Gray areas occur because there wasn't enough diverse \"gray matter,\" or opposing thoughts, within the group. For example: an organization is looking to expand its marketing strategy for its bookkeeping software. Salespeople have the viewpoint of this being awesome because now they have X number of new customers to contact. Production sees this as a potential test of their pro…
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Components

  • Judicious teams tend to be abnormal groups. This group usually consists of team members with deep roots in their organizational interests who feel compelled to fight for their concerns. The Judicious group usually is formed within large organizations with a diverse mission or with a wide array of products directed at different markets. But this group also can be formed within a small …
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Definition

  • Before any consensus ever will be reached within this diverse group, the team must first see themselves as an interconnected group. Individuals who do not see themselves as a part of the whole will have zero commitment to the group and their skills, knowledge, opinions, issues, will be of no value, and will hinder a consensus being reached. A group's identity is measured by the foll…
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Management

  • Controlling polity is going to be difficult within this group, but it must take place for decision making to happen. An individual's interest can consume the group's energy and eat away at productivity if allowed to control all activities. The group's leader must understand that hiding agendas and information and slight exaggerations to mislead are a part of polity. Some of the te…
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Criticisms

  • Consensus building is a tedious process and can, at times, seem inept, sloppy, and even disorganized. But an organization cannot stay competitive in today's market without putting its best foot forward, and this only happens through collaborative teams reaching consensus decisions. This is done through a strong team identity, controlling polity, and encouraging debat…
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Significance

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