Photo by Maurice from Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Learning how to make decisions together is a
crucial element of getting along and getting things done with others.
It’s wise for your group to learn how to steer your boat together with
collective decision-making before you have a sinking ship on your hands.
I’ve learned these skills through workshops, readings and from living
and working in cooperatives and they have been incredibly valuable to
the success of these projects.
Collective decision-making has innumerable rewards. If group members
affected by the decision are involved, less conflict will result. If
folks implementing the decision are involved, decisions are more likely
to be implemented with hard work and enthusiasm, and empowered
decision-makers are likely to stick around for the long haul. Team
spirit is cultivated by collaborative problem-solving and listening to
other's perspectives.
A strong example of collective decision-making is participatory
budgeting which often leads to less contentious, more inclusive
budgetary decisions – not an easy challenge. Residents, assisted by city
administrators, create proposals through a collaborative process and
present their projects. Everyone (including youth and immigrants) votes
on their top choices using ballots or dotmocracy - a rank-choice voting
system using dots as votes.
NYC participatory budgeting, courtesy of the Participatory Budgeting Project
Collective decision-making isn't as much about how we vote on
decisions as it is about the process of hearing and incorporating all
sides. This process often involves:
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A well-facilitated discussion of the issue or problem
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Open brainstorming of proposed solutions
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Developing refined proposals
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Identifying concerns about proposals and checking for initial agreement
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Modifying and making amendments to proposals through compromise
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Voting to assess unity, concerns or to make further modifications
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Implementing and evaluating the success of the proposal
Consensus flowchart by Grant Horwood
There are 3 key ingredients to effective collective decision-making:
1) The ability to trust the wisdom and consider the well-being of the group while setting aside personal agendas.
2) Selection of an appropriate process that your group agrees on and get training in the facilitation of the process.
3) A comfortable and accepting group environment, so that individuals
freely share their ideas, thoughts, emotions and experiences without
retribution or oppression. Participants should feel their contributions
are fairly and equally considered, even though they might not be part of
the final solution. Troubleshooting guides listed in the Resources
section below encourage full, fair and safe participation.
Group Mind
A group should have some common ground to hold it together during
conflict, such as values, vision and goals. Common ground serves as a
reference for whether or not a good decision is being made. Knowing
whether you like warm or cold weather will help you figure out whether
to sail your boat North or South. If you don’t know your common ground,
it’s good to find it before you set sail so you don’t have folks
steering you in different directions. Large groups that have factions
can form subgroups that come back together for discussion, like
spokescouncils, as activist groups like Occupy have done. Diverse
stakeholder decisions are an exception, where common ground may be
naturally lacking, and consensus can be challenging though still
worthwhile.
Cooperative Attitude
Cooperative attitude can be learned through cooperative experience
and requires developing a sense of group unity, caring and respect
amongst members. Have positive experiences together like group projects
and shared meals to help create unity – the glue that gets the group
through stormy meetings without unraveling. To a certain degree,
participants must surrender forcing their own personal agenda in order
to make decisions as a group, while still being clear about where they
are coming from. Developing communication and listening skills and to
make compromises comes with maturity and practice, though there are
tools to help accelerate learning, like the Connection Action Project's
guide below.
Decision-making Process
Get trained in a process -- research guidebooks or hire a consultant
to teach the process to your group. Every new person who comes into your
group should be trained, as one unskilled decision-maker could steer
you off course. The larger your group, the more structured process you
will likely need. A consultant can also help you pick your process and
tailor it to your group's needs and culture. Consensus is often thought
of as the ideal collective decision-making process, but other models are
helpful for large, diverse groups: Dynamic Facilitation,
Spokescouncils, Crowd-wise and Consensus-Oriented Decision-making.
Consensus State of Mind flowchart by the Rhizome Coop
Facilitation
Your boat will need a crew trained in all the key roles so that your
meetings stay on course. Training in facilitation can be basic, like
learning meeting roles such as note-taker, facilitator, vibe watcher and
time keeper. Or it can be more elaborate training in conflict
resolution, creating group agreements, techniques to break up mental
gridlock, or anti-oppression tools. Take turns with facilitating and
other roles for power balancing and group skill-building. Create group
agreements/rules for every meeting. Look out for hidden power dynamics,
which can sabotage authentic collective process.
Listening and Communication
These are essential, yet often overlooked, elements of effective
group process - participants must be able to voice themselves and be
heard. There are many communication styles, some more emotional or
nonverbal, and some people are able to speak their mind more than others
due to conditioning or personality. Nonviolent communication is
popular, but be careful about imposing one tool on unwilling
participants; have varied tools available for different folks and
contexts. Cues such as "step up" and "step back" direct members who are
over- or under- participating. Take a break (use a "T" hand sign) to
move through emotions in the middle of a heated discussion and calm the
energy for clearer communication. "Safe space" is one of my favorites to
incorporate into a meeting - it's where anyone can voice any concerns
without response. Personal development practices like meditation or
counseling may help members come to the table with a clearer mind that
less is attached or triggered and more open to hearing others.
Read more and see resource links
here.
As
interest in alternative production, finance and consumption grows in
the face of global crises, this conference will explore the potential
and limits of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) — organizations such
as cooperatives, women’s self-help groups, social enterprise and
associations of informal workers that have explicit social and economic
objectives, and involve various forms of cooperation and solidarity.
