Tag: Policy-consensus-decision-making

Consensus Doesn’t Mean Unanimous

Submitted by Sharon Villines, Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC on March 4, 2019

Q: How many communities out there have switched from a unanimous decision-making process to one where there is a real desire for every voice to be heard but if a community becomes stuck and a unanimous decision cannot be reached another method is employed. Response: Firstly, the consensus process is not about reaching unanimous decisions.... Read More

Decision Making in a Fog

Submitted by Laird Schuab on June 23, 2016

One of the challenges faced by forming groups is who makes decisions at the outset. When people first come together to explore whether or not it makes sense to form a group, there can be ambiguity about who has a voice in that. Is it everyone in the room? Everyone who was invited to that... Read More

What does “open” mean?

Submitted by Sharon Villlines, Takoma Village Cohousing on February 7, 2016

When lying awake last night reflecting on various decisions made in cohousing and in my neighborhood community, I explored some questions about what is open and transparent in a world where everyone belongs to several organizations and tries to involve and represent a larger community. What is required to truly inform and solicit information about... Read More

Bored with Consensus

Submitted by Laird Schaub on August 24, 2015

I was recently selected to join a nonprofit board and attended my first meeting via teleconference. Although the bylaws stiplated that decisions would be made by consensus (I’d done my reading), the meeting was full of calls for votes, motions, and seconds. Uh oh. Had I wandered into the wrong meeting? Unfortunately, I hadn’t. I... Read More