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Consensus Building Can Be Too Much of a Good Thing
Written by: Donna FlaggArticle Overview: There are a lot of upsides to building consensus in organizations, and generally, it tends to be very good for company culture and morale. However, it does have its downside too in that it also increases the chances that nothing will get done. Now, I’m all for enlisting the opinions of others, and happen to personally enjoy weighing multiple perspectives against one another in order to learn something new or see something in a way I hadn’t seen it before. But sometimes instead of helping, the exercise of pursuing “agreement,” does more to hold things back. Why? Because it’s not very often that everyone agrees, especially as the size of a group increases. So while “consensus” is “in” and considered politically correct, it can also be equally as unrealistic a goal if it is not exploited properly.
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Consensus Building Can Be Too Much of a Good Thing
Granted, there are a lot of upsides to building
consensus in organizations, and generally, it tends to be very good for company
culture and morale. However, it does have its downside too in that it also
increases the chances that nothing will get done. Now, I’m all for
enlisting the opinions of others, and happen to personally enjoy weighing
multiple perspectives against one another in order to learn something new or
see something in a way I hadn’t seen it before. But sometimes instead of
helping, the exercise of pursuing “agreement,” does more to hold things
back. Why? Because it’s not very often that everyone agrees,
especially as the size of a group increases. So while “consensus” is “in”
and considered politically correct, it can also be equally as unrealistic a
goal if it is not exploited properly.
It reminds me of a lesson I learned early in my career. I wanted to know
what everyone thought about pretty much everything most of the time. I
liked ideas swirling around. I liked to think about them and generate
more thoughts from more people in the process. Everyone bonded as a
result, which I also enjoyed. But my boss at the time, who was
phenomenal, aptly reminded me, “Donna, we are not a not-for-profit.” She
was right. I’ll never forget those words. Somewhere along the line,
somehow, someone needed to advance the ball.
And now years later, I see companies making similar mistakes. In the name
of building a “team culture,” they try to involve employees in decisions –
sometimes as many as possible - and end up getting nowhere instead. So to
avoid wasting precious time and in turn maximize the input from others…
1) Know where to draw the line and don’t involve so many people that the
process of moving forward becomes bogged down and cumbersome.
2) Manage the different points of view and direct them toward making a
decision.
3) Keep from going round and round in circles that is ultimately preventing a
decision from being made.
4) Don’t force one way of thinking in the name of “agreement.”
Beyond that, my advice would be to have a plan…
1) Make a strategic decision about who needs to pipe in and diversify the
people, so that it’s not a homogenous group.
2) Appoint someone to be in charge of managing time and closing the discussion,
when it’s time for a decision to be made.
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Article Tags: building consensus, company culture, consensus building, decision making, group think
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About the Author: Donna Flagg RSS for Donna's articles - Visit Donna's website  Donna Flagg spent over 15 years in business before founding The Krysalis Group, a consulting firm specializing in management, marketing, training and sales and their respective relationships to business results. Her management career began in sales at CHANEL, and before branching out on her own, she spearheaded a new training function within the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. After earning a BA from Rutgers University and gaining experience on the front lines of Corporate America, Donna went on to attend New York University's Graduate School of Education where she obtained a master's degree in Organizational Development and Human Resource Management, and a post graduate degree in Business Education. She has also been a speaker at City University of New York (CUNY) and New York University through Stern Business School and Delta Pi Epsilon, a national honorary professional graduate society in business education and training. In addition, she speaks at various conferences including those conducted by The Business Leadership Network and The Conference Board, where she was also on the advisory committee for the Enterprise Learning Strategies Conference. For her communications expertise, Donna was invited to be a host at the Liz Claiborne Leadership Offsite to discuss branding during their "Progressive Dinner" event and more recently, a speaker at the Inc. Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX. Donna is the author of Surviving Dreaded Conversations and is blogger on Pyschology Today and The Huffington Post. She is frequently featured in the press for her workplace expertise in outlets including CNBC, the New York Times, WOR, and XM Satellite Radio. Donna currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Randy Foye Foundation where she actively participates in its mission to assist children and families in Newark, NJ. Click here to visit Donna's website   Consensus Building Can Be Too Much of a Good Thing How and When to Use Exit Interviews Strategic HR Plans Integrating People and Business Social Media Management in the Workplace Organizational Alignment The Importance of Building HR Infrastructure |
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