A Common Consensus
Phelim McDermott
phelim at mac.com
Sat Aug 16 15:50:16 PDT 2008
Hi There,
This may be a tangent but the thought is there. This makes me think of
a very good exercise which i did with Keith Johnstone as an
improvisation/ensemble training. I have done it with others and the
emphasis has been off kilter and nowhere near as useful and subtle.
Its called something like. "Lets.. yes lets" So the game is you have a
large group and people shout out: "Let's all stand on one leg!",
"let's jump up and down" "Let's jump out the window!" etc.. or any
proposal. At that point the whole group shout "yes let's.." and they
do it.
People think it's a game about saying yes and everyone not blocking
ideas however, this is not keith's emphasis. He says you have to
notice if you do or don't want to do it and if you don't you drop out.
(Two feet). You have to be honest about whether you do or don't want
to do it. So it's actually a game about finding out which offer's are
"clever ideas" and which are offers it's easy to say yes to. The
discovery I had after doing this over the years was that the ideas
people consent to are not the "wacky" or "clever" or even more
"interesting" ones, they are ideas that are already emergent but have
been caught in the moment and crystalised or voiced by someone in the
group. They are often slightly out of awareness but seem oh so obvious
once said. However they are still definitely within the frame of the
group's culture and don't interrupt or destroy the world the players
are inhabiting.
When these ideas are suggested.. there seems to be a freedom to follow
easily and when they are more like intellectual ideas they involve
duality and the assessment of whether it's a good idea or not.
Similarly ideas that come from nature in the sense of things like
mistakes or things that come out of including a more secondary
process are taken up with great energy. They are easy for the group to
play with. This means that ideas that there is an in the moment
consensus for are the ones which one can choose to bring oneself to
and play. Sometimes it feels like there is no question but to follow
and play. Suggestions that seem like orders are harder to play with.
Suggestions which have open space around them seems to make them an
attractor for engagement with choice.
This seems to suggest that consensus which is taken up with energy may
be the ideas which are emergent within the field. In searching for
consensus could it be possible to vote on the idea which hasn't quite
revealed itself yet but is already present.
Phelim
On 16 Aug 2008, at 17:51, Peggy Holman wrote:
> I must admit to having little energy for consensus process, though I
> have seen its remarkable power to shift a group to a new level of
> understanding when people truly do listen to that one hold-out voice
> who brings some very important truth into the mix. Still, I believe
> Open Space, as an ongoing practice, a collective way of being,
> provides a very useful alternative framework.
>
> I think of the essence of Open Space as taking responsibility for
> what you love. (As an aside, I now believe that to do so is always
> an act of service, not the selfish act that some assume it would
> be. But that's another conversation....)
>
> Now, there is a major assumption in what follows, but I seem to
> recall this is a going in condition for consensus process as well:
> that the people involved are committed to the well-being of the
> system of which they are a part.
>
> This is primarily what I learned from Spirited Work, an Open Space
> community of practice which used the four principles and the law as
> its operating framework (along with Angeles Arrien's four-fold
> way). In practice, those who cared about something, took
> responsibility to make it happen. If, for some reason, their
> actions created dissonance, the issue found its way into the
> marketplace and those who cared showed up to deal with it. This
> happened with everything from washing dishes to dealing with a
> financial deficit early in the community's life.
>
> I think this approach puts decision making into the flow of life, a
> reminder that no decision is permanent. Those who care, act and if
> something hiccups, well, then, it surfaces and those who care,
> convene, reflect, and act anew.
>
> Now all that said, when the risk goes up, perhaps because the nature
> of the action is difficult to undo, then it can be challenging.
> Transparency is essential so that people can step in should they
> choose to do so. As groups stumble through learning to do this, I
> think they develop the capacity to discern when to bring something
> into a larger group for discussion, knowing that action will flow
> based on taking responsibility for what one loves as an act of
> service. I have experienced this sort of co-sensing on many
> occasions. It seems to involve 1) understanding that a decision is
> a moment in a larger unfolding and 2) radically trusting others in
> the community, knowing they are taking responsibility for what they
> love in service to a larger whole.
>
> So much more to be said, but I'll end off here for now.
>
> open-heartedly,
> Peggy
>
> ______________________________
> Peggy Holman
> The Open Circle Company
> 15347 SE 49th Place
> Bellevue, WA 98006
> 425-746-6274
> www.opencirclecompany.com
>
> For the new edition of The Change Handbook, go to:
> www.bkconnection.com/ChangeHandbook
>
> "An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not
> get burnt, is to become
> the fire".
> -- Drew Dellinger
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 15, 2008, at 1:49 PM, Bui Petersen wrote:
>
>> Peter,
>>
>> This is necessarily my favoured definition of consensus but rather
>> the most thorough one that I have seen. Just meant to illustrate
>> the amount of work sometimes required to reach consensus.
>>
>> Bui
>>
>> Peter Emerson wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear Bui,
>>>
>>> You propose the following definition:
>>>
>>> "Consensus is a group decision - which some members may not feel
>>> is the best decision but which they can all live with, support,
>>> and commit themselves to not undermine - arrived at without
>>> voting, through a process whereby the issues are fully aired, all
>>> members feel that they have been adequately heard, in which
>>> everyone has equal power and responsibility, and different degrees
>>> of influence by virtue of individual stubbornness or charisma are
>>> avoided, so that all are satisfied with the process.”
>>>
>>> May I suggest a slight amendment, adding the two words ‘with or’,
>>> as follows:
>>>
>>> "Consensus is a group decision - which some members may not feel
>>> is the best decision but which they can all live with, support,
>>> and commit themselves to not undermine - arrived atwith or without
>>> voting, through a process whereby the issues are fully aired, all
>>> members feel that they have been adequately heard, in which
>>> everyone has equal power and responsibility, and different degrees
>>> of influence by virtue of individual stubbornness or charisma are
>>> avoided, so that all are satisfied with the process.”
>>>
>>> And a voting process in which “everyone has equal power” is, may I
>>> further suggest (as in my original splurb), a consensus vote, a
>>> multi-option preference vote, a Modified Borda Count.
>>>
>>> Just because some voting procedures are so dreadful – probably the
>>> worst is the two-option majority vote – does not mean that all
>>> voting procedures are bad.
>>>
>>> Peter
>>>
>>> Peter Emerson
>>> www.deborda.org
>>>
>>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>> Harrison Owen
>>> Sent: 15 August 2008 20:30
>>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>>> Subject: Re: A Common Consensus
>>>
>>> I quite like what Scott Peck says, although when you read it, it
>>> sounds like very hard work, something which can be achieved only
>>> occasionally and under special circumstances. I wonder whether the
>>> truth is rather different. Indeed I might suggest that the vast
>>> majority of decisions made in any group or organization occur by
>>> consensus. There is no argument, no great discussion, “it”
>>> whatever it was, just seemed like the right thing to do – and that
>>> is what happened. Somewhere along the line we came to the notion
>>> that decision is always a matter of formal action, constrained by
>>> rules and procedure. This certainly seems to be the reality in a
>>> number of organizations – which I find totally claustrophobic!
>>> Probably just me – but my experience is that the essence of life
>>> is deciding. Most of the time it just sort of flows. But there are
>>> certainly times when it gets bumpy and hard and most usually that
>>> happens when I try to force things. Crazy?
>>>
>>> Harrison
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen
>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave
>>> Camden, ME 04843
>>> 207-763-3261 (Summer)
>>> 301-365-2093 (Winter)
>>> Website www.openspaceworld.com
>>> Personal Website www.ho-image.com
>>> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>> Bui Petersen
>>> Sent: Friday, August 15, 2008 1:46 PM
>>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>>> Subject: Re: A Common Consensus
>>>
>>> I have been absent from this list for a rather long time. Life has
>>> intervened again (I have just moved from Vancouver to St. John's,
>>> Newfoundland) and kept me away from anything to do with Open
>>> Space. But the discussion on consensus makes me come out from
>>> hiding.
>>>
>>> Harrison, I agree with much of what you say. However, I think the
>>> difficulty with any discussion on consensus is that everybody has
>>> a different interpretation of what "consensus" means. The way I
>>> see it, consensus is not something you come at easily. Reaching
>>> what I consider to be true consensus requires a process that gives
>>> plenty of space for disagreements to be voiced. If a solution can
>>> be found that everyone believes is the best and most reasonable
>>> (considering the alternatives), and that everyone is willing to
>>> support, that could be considered consensus. It requires a lot of
>>> time and effort and is not always practical or even desirable.
>>>
>>> What irritates me the most is when people talk about consensus as
>>> if it only means a strong majority, as in "8 out of 10 support
>>> this options; it looks like we have consensus. A more common
>>> problem, however, is that people suppress their disagreement in
>>> order to not be seen as "difficult".
>>>
>>> The most thorough definition of consensus that I have come across
>>> is:
>>>
>>> "Consensus is a group decision - which some members may not feel
>>> is the best decision but which they can all live with, support,
>>> and commit themselves to not undermine - arrived at without
>>> voting, through a process whereby the issues are fully aired, all
>>> members feel that they have been adequately heard, in which
>>> everyone has equal power and responsibility, and different degrees
>>> of influence by virtue of individual stubbornness or charisma are
>>> avoided, so that all are satisfied with the process. The process
>>> requires the members to be emotionally present and engaged; frank
>>> in a loving, mutually respectful manner; sensitive to each other;
>>> to be selfless, dispassionate, and capable of emptying themselves;
>>> and possessing a paradoxical awareness of both people and time,
>>> including knowing when the solution is satisfactory, and that it
>>> is time to stop and not re-open the discussion until such time
>>> that the group determines a need for revision." [© 1988, Valley
>>> Diagnostic, Medical, and Surgical Clinic, Inc. of Harlingen, Texas
>>> and the Foundation for Community Encouragement, Knoxville,
>>> Tennessee] (as quoted by M. Scott Peck).
>>>
>>> My two cents.
>>>
>>> Bui
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen wrote:
>>> Peter – Tyranny by the majority is certainly a downside of
>>> Democracy as practiced in my country (USA). That said, it seems to
>>> me that there are circumstances where it is the preferable
>>> alternative. The passage of the Civil Rights Act here in the US
>>> was vociferously and often violently opposed by a very vocal
>>> minority, however I would doubt that many black Americans opposed
>>> the vigorous enforcement of that act, and fortunately (for the
>>> good of the country) a majority of all Americans, regardless of
>>> hue, were in agreement.
>>>
>>> Consensus politics has much to commend it, but it too has its
>>> downsides. Resolution at the lowest common denominator is one
>>> such, which often appears to be no resolution at all.
>>> Alternatively, the whole system may simply become paralyzed. At
>>> such times, I for one find myself longing for a straight up or
>>> down vote. There is also such a thing a Tyranny of Consensus, I
>>> think.
>>>
>>> Perhaps it is useful to think in terms of both/and as opposed to
>>> either/or? For example, Majority Rule, as in the case of the Civil
>>> Rights act, was possible only because of a prior consensus in the
>>> American Population that the Rule of Law was to be preferred even
>>> if you were on the wrong side of the Law.
>>>
>>> I suspect that the situation is infinitely more complicated than
>>> the simple alternative (Consensus/Majority Rule). My learning has
>>> been that our capacity to design and implement effective systems
>>> of all sorts (political, corporate, etc) is limited at best. We
>>> simply cannot comprehend the infinite complexity and random
>>> occurrences (essential chaos), characteristic of all living
>>> systems. Our solutions are always approximations, and try as we
>>> might, we will never get it “right” – and for sure we will never
>>> be in control. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t keep trying,
>>> but I think it is essential that we understand the true status of
>>> our creations – they are maps, and never to be confused with the
>>> territory. Like all maps, some are better than others, and as
>>> conditions change these maps become more or less relevant/accurate.
>>>
>>> We really get in trouble when we decide that there is “One Right
>>> Way.” This effectively limits our options and reduces the living
>>> space (open space). Pushed to extremes the system will die – which
>>> is the end state of all systems, regardless. When you run out of
>>> space/time you run out of life. Fortunately our maps do not create
>>> the systems, and our systems are infinitely more robust than our
>>> designs could ever be. Are they perfect? No. They are always on
>>> the way to something new. And if they ever get “there” that will
>>> be the end, I think.
>>>
>>> Harrison
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Harrison Owen
>>> 189 Beaucaire Ave
>>> Camden, ME 04843
>>> 207-763-3261 (Summer)
>>> 301-365-2093 (Winter)
>>> Website www.openspaceworld.com
>>> Personal Website www.ho-image.com
>>> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>> Peter Emerson
>>> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 5:21 AM
>>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>>> Subject: Re: A Common Consensus
>>>
>>> Dear Jack,
>>>
>>> They key, then, is to ask these folks, do they believe in
>>> democracy? Yes? Oh jolly good. And do they believe democracy is
>>> for everybody, or just a majority? And if they agree to the
>>> former, away you go.
>>>
>>> Mediation works only when the parties to the dispute agree to it.
>>> Democracy should work for all democrats. Russians and Georgians
>>> claim the adjective. But the idea that a majority can determine
>>> the fate of an unwilling minority should be abhorrent… to both.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Peter
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter Emerson
>>> Director, The de Borda Institute
>>> 36 Ballysillan Road
>>> Belfast BT14 7QQ
>>>
>>> 028 90 711795
>>> 078 377 17979
>>>
>>> pemerson at deborda.org
>>> www.deborda.org
>>>
>>> The Borda count "is the best protection ever devised from the
>>> tyranny of the majority." Professor Sir Michael Dummett.
>>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>> Jack Martin Leith
>>> Sent: 14 August
>>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>>> Subject: Re: A Common Consensus
>>>
>>> Peter,
>>>
>>> Thanks for taking the trouble to explain the method in so much
>>> detail. I've turned your post into a Word document and filed it
>>> under Decision Making Methods for future reference.
>>>
>>> The challenge is getting people's agreement to use the method.
>>>
>>> Catch-22!
>>>
>>> Warm wishes,
>>>
>>> Jack
>>>
>>> Jack Martin Leith
>>> Now-to-New activist
>>> Bristol, United Kingdom
>>> Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
>>> Skype: jackmartinleith
>>> email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
>>> www.jackmartinleith.com
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