Cohousing-L Mailing List: Role of outside consultants in group-based decisions.

[Ivan Greene (igr73]

My question is about the role of outside consultants in group-based decisions. 
I find myself in the unenviable position as being new to cohousing and trying 
to inject sanity into a group-based decision process regarding hiring a project 
manage from within the membership. 

An email message suggesting that we hire a member as a project manager, 
including a contract to do so for consideration at the next group meeting, was 
sent to all members on August 14th. This message raised a big red flag for 
myself.

My response on August 14th was the first response. I responded to the group 
raising my concerns that (1) the suggestion was being presented as an "only 
option" (i.e. no competitive bids were included); (2) the contract was 
retroactive to March 1 and billable hours were included only for July, and 
descriptions of the work were not very specific; and (3) finally I raised my 
biggest concern which was conflict of interest both financially and based upon 
decision making power.

The next day four other members weight in, two with passionate support for the 
member under consideration for hiring, each of these messages was from a member 
of the committee that suggested the move to hire the member as project manage. 
One from the second member to join the group expression admiration and support 
for the member under consideration for the project manager role (the originator 
of the cohouisng project). And a final message from a member suggesting the 
"only option" and the billing details were OK.

In addition to the responses from the four group members a consultant with 
great authority in the cohousing community that we have are paying to work with 
us responded in support for hiring the member as project manager. My 
understanding is that the contract to hire the member came from the same 
consultant.

Being new to cohousing, the situation was a bit overwhelming. My response was 
not to send off reactionary emails. I instead turned inward and began to 
examine my own values, and reminded myself that I'm a member of a group in 
which group decisions need to take precedent over my own interests. In short I 
began to doubt myself and even felt a bit of self-loathing. However, I did not 
stop there. I recognized that I'm new to cohousing and I need more information. 
So I searched the internet and eventually arrived at the searchable database 
for Cohousing-L <http://lists.cohousing.org/archives/cohousing-l/>. There found 
solace in the fact that other people have experienced the same exact thing that 
I was experiencing.

Based upon my research I believe that the email responses that I received 
essentially stating the same position was, at least in part, an example of 
Groupthink.

My question is with regards to the role of the consultant with great authority 
in this situation. My thinking is that this consultant has placed myself at an 
extreme disadvantage in getting the group to try and think critically about the 
decision to hire a member as a project manager.

Our group has a consent-based decision making policy with a 3/4 majority vote 
fall-back and the question to hire the member as a manage is on the agenda for 
our August 24th meeting.

My question to the community is what should the role of paid outside 
consultants be in the group-based decision process of members?

Thanks in advance for any advice,
Future cohouser