Blog #8

Blog#8: What are the preconditions necessary for using consensus decision making in a group or organization?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of the process?

There are many necessary conditions in order for consensus decision making to work in a group or an organization.  Firstly, the people in the group or organization should optimally share the same interests because if they have conflicting interests then it will be very hard for the group to come to a consensus and move forward.  Secondly, everyone needs to be open minded and willing to accept new ideas to achieve the shared goal or address the shared concern.  If not, people will constantly argue and would most likely be unable to again, come to a consensus.  It is also imperative that the group be smaller rather than larger when attempting to use consensus decision making.  This is important because as we saw with the Occupy Wall Street movement that consensus decision making does not really work that well when used with larger groups; people have different ideas and interests and are unwilling to listen.  Also in a larger group, many people may not really understand the concept of consensus decision making and therefore wouldn't know the prerequisites required in order for it to work properly.

I believe that consensus decision making is a great idea when used correctly.  It helps to resolve issues much easier and helps to resolve issues without creating as much hostility as conventional decision making.