Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Question about Household Decision

[Bob Leigh (bobleigh]

On Thu, Apr 5, 2018 at 10:23 AM, Philip Dowds <rphilipdowds [at] me.com> wrote:

> At Cornerstone, we reformed our consensus process in 2013.  We embellished
> it with a dialog structure and schedule of events and interactions that
> turned it into a real process.  The process is never shorter than 2 months
> (2 plenaries), and for controversial matters, may take 3 months or more.
> But the intent is always the same:  Develop and adopt a proposal falling
> within the tolerance range of all, by identifying, exploring and resolving
> all objections.
>

But be very careful about reforming your consensus process!  The process of
doing so at Cornerstone was arduous, divisive, and is still painful for
some of our residents to remember.   It included accusations of
exaggeration, favoritism, intimidation, voter suppression, delaying
tactics, and (for me, most notably) attempts to have the ends justify the
means.

I'm certain that it can be done without damage to the community, in the
abstract -- but in our community, that's not how it was.

Bob Leigh
Cornerstone Village Cohousing