Cohousing-L Mailing List: Consensus in cohousing

[Racheli Gai (racheli]

Becky Schaller wrote:

>I wrote this message on Monday and today is Wednesday and I haven't heard
>anyone give a direct answer to my question.   So I'm interpreting that to
>mean that no one who is a  member of an older community  (people living
>in the community for five or more years) still use consensus for major
>decisions.  

Hi Becky,
I'm not sure how you arrived at the conclusion you arrived at... I'd
assume that people still use consensus, unless they say otherwise. I'd
think that if a community doesn't and someone doens't want to post it on
the list, they'd have written to you privately (although I don't see why
someone would worry about "coming out" with it). 

That's how I understood Rob's post too (Correct me, Rob, if I got  it
wrong): Consensus is used *Especially for major decisions*.  It's the
"smaller stuff" (I know that's a rough description) which gets delegated.

R.
  


>I wrote this message on Monday and today is Wednesday and I haven't heard
>anyone give a direct answer to my question.   So I'm interpreting that to
>mean that no one who is a  member of an older community  (people living
>in the community for five or more years) still use consensus for major
>decisions.  

>I asked that question because I'm wondering if consensus is an
>appropriate means of making decisions for cohousing communities.   I
>agree it has some sound and caring reasons behind it when placed in the
>right hands.

>But it seems to me for consensus to work, people need to be commmitted to
>the process and to learning about it.  In cohousing communities, people
>are allowed to move in and out the process as they please. Others may
>encourage them to enter the process for a particular decision at the
>beginning and discourage them from entering in the middle or at the end.

>I realized when I sent the message below that perhaps I was asking people
>to answer a question which might be risky.   If someone says their
>community doesn't use consensus any more, does that mean they are no
>longer a cohousing community.  Does that mean they are telling everyone
>on this list that their community found consensus too difficult or too
>cumbersome and failed at consensus decision making?   Does this say
>something about their community which they do not risk to disclose on a
>public listserv?

>I also know there are many other reasons people may  not have responded.

>I'm wanting to find a way to get this information without asking people
>to tell about the difficulties of their community.   But I would like to
>find a way to get the information somehow.  If, over the years, many
>communities have chosen not to continue with consensus decision making
>(however you want to define that term), I think that is a very important
>piece of information for the cohousing community to have.

>If anyone knows of a way to get this information or has already gathered
>it in another way, would you please let me know.

>Thanks,
>Becky Schaller

-----------------------------------------------------------
racheli [at] sonoracohousing.com (Racheli Gai)
-----------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list
Cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org  Unsubscribe  and other info:
http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L