Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Consensus failures

[eileen mccourt (emccourt]

At Oak Creek Commons, we have a consensus process modeled on the CT Butler
method, and it does include a process for evaluating a block, which we have
not been faced with since it was adopted about a year ago.  It took a
process lasting 6 months headed up by a task force that met almost weekly to
"shepherd" this process through the group.  First we obtained agreement on
terms, then on high level concepts, then on a specific process (step by step
to get to consensus).  

We are still in early days, and so far, the process is working fairly well,
though it is still too cumbersome for simple decisions, and we don't have a
good process for deciding what decisions can be made by a committee and whet
decisions need to come back to the group.  In practical reality, operational
decisions are handled by the relevant committee (landscape, facilities,
finance, etc) and policy and process decisions come back to the group.  But,
from time to time committees are criticized for stepping beyond their
"decision space".    The next big process on the horizon is to work out
committee roles and scope of authority.

Eileen McCourt
Oak Creek Commons
Paso Robles, CA

-----Original Message-----
From: Cinnie Blair [mailto:cpie55 [at] earthlink.net] 
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 4:43 PM
To: Cohousing-L
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Consensus failures

Does anyone have experience using "Formal Consensus" as outlined in the book
"on Conflict and Consensus" by C.T. Butler? I believe it was originally
crafted by political activists to withstand infiltration by government
agents.
Blocks or even "concerns" can be dissallowed if they are not reflecting the
foundational agreements (constitution ) of the group.
Cinnie Blair
www.nevadacountyruralcohousing.org 

-----Original Message-----
>From: Rob Sandelin <floriferous [at] msn.com>
>Sent: Mar 17, 2007 4:07 PM
>To: 'Cohousing-L' <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
>Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Consensus failures
>
>
> I have been present at many failures at consent and consensus. It is not a
>given that either of these methods will work, and so having other methods
at
>hand to use to make decisions is wise. An example, The Seattle office of
>Greenpeace used an open member, consensus process with great success
(1981).
>At one point, a group (perhaps of government agents) who claimed to be
>socialist anarchists came into the group and blocked every single proposal.
>As you can imagine, this shut them down until such time as a majority vote
>changed the process temporarily.  I have also seen a single, misguided
>invidividual do the same thing in other groups including intentional
>communities and cohousing both. This is where you need a process to either
>remove an individual, or move the process to something temporarily that can
>not be hijacked.  There is a place where blocking on convictions is
>appropriate, there is also a place where blocking is used to hold a group
>hostage to a personal agenda. The Delta cohousing group that formed in
>Eastside Seattle fell apart due to a couple who continually blocked the
>groups progress in an effort to convert the group to a political cause.
>Fortunately that group was just beginning and had no capital investment at
>stake. 
>
>It takes a great deal of humility to be able to fully participate in a
>consent or consensus process, and sometimes in some groups, it just does
not
>work.
>
>
>Rob Sandelin
>Naturalist, Writer
>The Environmental Science School
>http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm
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>·..·`·...><((((º>·.. ><((((º>
>·`·..·`·...·..·`><((((º>.·`·..·`·...><((((º>.·`·..·`·...><((((º>..·`·..·`·.
.
>.><((((º>·.. ·`·..·`·....·`·..·`·...><((((º>
>
>
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