Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Conflict Resolution

[Stevenson/Bitner (lilbert]

>?    At least one meeting is held with the only agenda of determining the
>real concerns behind the blocked consensus and the legitimacy of those
>concerns.  It is not the intent of the meeting to persuade the minority to
>the majority view.  A skilled unbiased facilitator is recommended.
>?    With this new knowledge, at least one meeting is held with the only
>agenda of discussing and deciding on the proposal.
>?    If consensus is still blocked (with the same block), a meeting is held
>to decide on the legitimacy of the blocked consensus.  This is done with an
>outside facilitator.   At the end of the meeting the members vote where
>more than 25% for legitimacy blocks the proposal. Otherwise, the concern is
>not legitimate and does not block consensus of the group.
My concern would be that it would take alot of time to resolve just one 
issue.  Are these general meetings or ad hoc?  In our group, this process 
would take nearly 2 months, since we meet biweekly.  I would make the 
first meeting on this list an ad hoc meeting.  As for the second meeting, 
it would be apparent by the end of the first meeting what the outcome 
would be, and I don't think it's necessary.  The last meeting would have 
to be a general meeting.  This would cut the process down to two weeks of 
weekly meetings.

Anyone else?

Liz Stevenson
Southside Park Cohousing
Sacramento, CA