Re: blocking consensus | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com) | |
Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 21:17:01 -0700 (MST) |
> I've been told repeatedly that the only justification for blocking consensus > is that you think the proposal will harm the community, and not because you > dislike it personally. As soon as we decide we are making all decisions by consensus, we start try to define consensus in the same terms used for voting and majority rule. We want percentages and time periods. Lists of justifications and qualifying test questions. Consensus requires that a subject be studied, discussed, and solutions found that every member of the group is able to accept at this time. Once you start chipping away at the value of every person's position on a subject, you no longer have consensus decision making. What you have is a decision by the majority with the "no" votes standing aside or avoiding the meeting. My group has been in the habit of what I call "voting consensus". Rather than asking "Are there any remaining concerns?" and hearing none, declaring consensus achieved, we have people raise their hands if they are in favor. I refuse to raise my hand and have spent many hours thinking about why this is such a big issue for me -- it feels major. I finally figured it out. Consensus isn't achieved seriatim. It isn't like Congress where you collect votes and tally them up on a blackboard, making whatever compromises you need to to hit the final number and stopping there. Consensus is a group decision, not my decision or the decision of the first 25 people to raise their hands. My "vote" is dependent on all the other concerns being satisfied. I don't know what my decision is until I know that everyone else's concerns have been satisfied. How can I vote without knowing that? I find consensus exciting when it is done thoroughly. The best solutions are often a big surprise. Usually we stop too soon and are too satisfied with "only" two people standing aside or just not noticing that 7 people avoided the meeting. Sharon -- Sharon Villines Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC http://www.takomavillage.org _______________________________________________ Cohousing-L mailing list Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org Unsubscribe and other info: http://www.communityforum.net/mailman/listinfo/cohousing-l
- blocking consensus, (continued)
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blocking consensus Kay Argyle, February 1 2002
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Re: blocking consensus Sara A., February 1 2002
- Re: blocking consensus Tree Bressen, February 1 2002
- Re: blocking consensus Michael D, February 1 2002
- Re: blocking consensus Sharon Villines, February 1 2002
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Re: blocking consensus Sara A., February 1 2002
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Sociocracy (response to "blocking consensus" and long) Sheila Braun, February 2 2002
- Re: Sociocracy Sharon Villines, February 2 2002
- Re: Sociocracy Sheila Braun, February 2 2002
- Re: Sociocracy Sheila Braun, February 3 2002
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blocking consensus Kay Argyle, February 1 2002
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