Re: Consensus vs Majority Voting
From: Sharon Villines (sharonsharonvillines.com)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 09:31:01 -0600 (MDT)
on 7/16/2002 11:05 AM, cscheuer [at] umich.edu at cscheuer [at] umich.edu wrote:

> In the consensus
> system if members disengage because of the process, how do you bring them
> back in?

Better process.

Consensus is not a process, it is a decision threshold. One of my concerns
with the way cohousing groups tend to use consensus is that it is confused
with process. There has to be a process that enables you to come to
consensus. (I don't agree that CT Butler's Formal Consensus is a process. It
is just another way of stating the generally accepted steps for discussing a
proposal that have been used in parliamentary procedure for well over a
hundred years.)

In some definitions, consensus is similar to a majority vote but the
definition of "majority" is 100% of the voters. Some groups do "all but one"
or 90%. This doesn't feel like consensus to me but I'm told some groups do
it (not in cohousing that I know of).

I prefer the definition of consensus that Sociocracy uses which is "no
objections". It doesn't mean you agree, but only that you have no
objections. They tend to call it "consent" rather than "consensus" to avoid
confusion, but the dictionary definition of consensus is "gives consent".

Consent is not the same as agreement or "this is what I want." Consent in
this context means this appears to be the best way to move forward at this
time given all the factors. One of the factors may be that most people
believe it to be the best course of action.

But Sociocracy does not encourage overruling objections; it encourages
stating objections so they can be weighed by the group and, if possible, can
result in a better, fuller decision.

Sharon
-- 
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org


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