Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Consensus/Groupthink

[Jim Snyder-Grant (jimsg]

I've seen this problem: the group can value  getting to a pseudo-agreement quickly over taking the time to explore important disagreements and looking for creative solutions. I confess I've seen it in my own facilitation in the earlier years at New View. 

On the job training can be rough, but it works... Nowadays, I'm just as likely to be telling the group "well, I think we have enough complex new ideas and concerns here, that we need to let go of finding an agreement tonight".  There is certainly an impulse in our group (and most groups) to try to drive to a premature conclusion in those cases. Unresolved issues make many folks anxious. It takes a combination of decent facilitation and/or experienced group members to recognize it and let go. 

The group then needs to find some reasonable way to move forward - charge a 
committee or a new small group to continue working on the issue between meetings; 
design some new way to discuss it at the next meeting that enhances creativity 
& flexibility; finding some workable short-term way to proceed until the next 
meeting; etc.

-Jim

--
Jim Snyder-Grant
18 Half Moon Hill
Acton MA 01720
978 266-9409
http://www.snyder-grant.org/jim/who