3 Simple Steps to Create Consensus in Projects

In order to develop a good working atmosphere, get the necessary buy-in of all parties involved or simply make better decisions there is always a need of consensus in project teams.

Finding consensus is not only a thing of big decisions. Usually it´s a crucial point for each daily meeting and discussion: e.g. it`s important to find consensus on the agenda, goals and roles, about processes and products.

Of course you could apply a decision making process or complex conflict solving tools to each minor disagreement. But that costs a lot of time and is really annoying for all participants in the long run. In most cases of daily communication you can apply the “mode of dialog and lazy consensus”: in that case you assume consensus until you learn that there is a further disagreement.  

If you assume that there is any disagreement you should change to a “mode of clarification”. In this mode you stop arguing and change to ask questions and summarizing with the technique of active listening.

Use that simple scheme to create consensus:

1. Start with one single position (position A in my last post). Ask questions to understand the background of that opinion and summarize the argument through active listening. Ensure that everybody really understands that argument. In a lot of cases you will learn that there was only bad communication and no real disagreement. Therefore you can save the decision and move back to the mode of dialog and lazy consensus.
   
2. If the first position remains unaccepted invite another person to explain their probably opposing opinion (position B in my last post) and why exactly they can`t agree with that first position. Invite to ask questions in order to make sense of the new argument. Sometimes it´s necessary to understand two opposing positions when a solution appears without pressure. So save the solution and go back to the mode of dialog and lazy consensus.
   
3. If there are still opposing opinions, ask for the common ground of the different positions and summarize the common ground on which the opponents agree in a first step. Then look for differences and discuss only the differences. Invite all parties involved to be creative to bridge the gaps. Summarize one solution that would probably be the most accepted one and use another curve of that simple scheme if you don`t get an agreement.

If you were able to create consensus on that specific dissent: go back to the mode of lazy consensus. 

If you don`t succeed with this simple scheme you usually have to switch to more elaborate tools like a sophisticated decision-making process or conflict management.

foto: © Jürgen Priewe - Fotolia.com