Building and Managing Consensus in clusters

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Building and Managing Consensus in clusters

• Cluster Sector Leadership Training

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Session Objectives

• Identify tips and practices for building and
  managing consensus in clusters
• Practice building and managing consensus around
  shared assessments (session 4.3) and joint
  planning and resource mobilisation (session 4.4)

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1 Grand Idea Exercise

• Imagine that you can implement five grand ideas
  that would drastically improve humanitarian
  response and/or reduce suffering and loss-of-life
  due to disasters and/or complex emergencies.
  What ideas would you propose? List each idea on
  a separate flip-chart.
• Now imagine that we can only implement one grand
  idea

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Instructions continued

• Go stand by the idea you support. Anyone left
  alone, can go it alone, or join another group.
  (2 minutes).
• Identify three compelling reasons why your
  idea/proposal is the most important and deserves
  immediate attention you will have to share
  these reasons with those in other groups (5
  minutes)

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Group discussion

• Each position to be presented in order of the
  group, along with the three compelling reasons (1
  ½ minute pitch).
• Each subsequent presenter must restate the
  position and reasons stated by the last person to
  that persons satisfaction (30 seconds)
• After all positions have been laid out , the
  group is to reach consensus regarding the one
  grand idea that they are proposing for immediate
  implementation. The idea they report in plenary
  must have SMA characteristics.
• Consensus here means all group members find the
  decision acceptable if one blocks agreement,
  then you dont have consensus.
• Facilitator role 1. respect procedures, 2. after
  all presented, facilitate discussion and
  summarise areas of common interests and common
  agreement, 3. work towards consensus 4. keep time

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Observer Handout

• What actions, words or behaviors helped move
  towards consensus?
• What actions, words or behaviors hindered
  movement towards consensus?

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Debrief in Plenary

• Which groups reached consensus?
• Does everyone in your group agree?
• What actions, words or behaviors helped move
  towards consensus?
• What actions, words or behaviors hindered
  movement towards consensus?
• Continued on next page

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Debrief in Plenary

• What is the role of the group facilitator in
  moving the group towards consensus?
• If you didnt reach agreement, what would be your
  next step to help this group move towards a
  decision? (conflict resolution?) after lunch
• How is this relevant to your job as
  cluster/sector coordinator (discuss at your
  tables)

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Plenary debrief

• People hold views strongly and often emotionally
  just as they will in your cluster
• Consensus building requires that meeting
  facilitators listen, restate and facilitate
  discussion and remain neutral
• Facilitator Respect for procedures, and
  constantly trying to find underlying interests
  and areas of agreement

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Three approaches to conflict

• Competitive I insist on my way and care little
  to understand your needs, interests or
  constraints
• Compromising Split down the middle
• Collaborative problem solving/consensus building
  focus on our joint interests, objectives and
  problems to solve

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SET UPa hot day, desert, 2 thirsty parties, 1
refreshment View the video and determine if it
is Competitive Compromise or Collaborative?
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(No Transcript)
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What is consensus building?

• A collaborative style of decision making whereby
  issues and opinions are discussed across a range
  of perspectives with the objective of reaching a
  shared opinion or compromise agreement amongst a
  group of participants.
• a negotiation aimed at recognising and respecting
  common interests and working together towards
  common goals.

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Why Consensus Building?

• equal partners - no line authority
• facilitate a collaborative inclusive process
  on areas of common interest.
• Obtain BUY-IN
• Creative solutions

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When to use consensus building

• Cluster participants have perspectives and
  information that are potentially valuable to the
  decision-making, prioritisation and planning
  process
• Partner "buy in" plays a vital motivational role
  with real consequences for commitment and
  follow-through

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When to move towards consensus

• The way forward is in doubt and/or solutions are
  ambiguous
• Solutions require interdependent action by
  stakeholders
• You want the cluster participants to feel
  ownership for priorities and decisions reached
• Power, information implementation is fragmented
  among many stakeholders
• Stakeholders hold conflicting views yet unity on
  major decisions is required to uphold standards
• Good Relationship among key stakeholders are
  needed in the future

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When not to attempt consensus

• Humanitarian standards and objectives are being
  compromised or threatened
• Another decision making process is more efficient
  and effective
• Stakeholders are extremely politicized
• Decision-makers are not at the table
• Solutions are obvious or limited or are
  standardised
• Your experiences?

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What helps reach consensus

• Focus on the problem to be solved
• Remember common goals
• Remain calm and respectful
• Use active listening skills
• Communicate openly
• Explore underlying interests
• Avoid demonizing
• Trust the process

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Four things to do

• Maintain the honest broker status with
  cluster stakeholders
• Use group/team to help diffuse and mend
  relationships share the problem
• Bring disputing parties together, follow feedback
  guidelines
• State what I observed and my concerns of how its
  affecting the work / performance
• Ask if they are willing to discuss their views
  and feelings about it
• Focus on areas of agreement (job well done,
  coherent competent group, good outcome)

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Dealing with conflict and impasse

• Summarize agreement and disagreements
• Take a break /withdraw temporarily
• Caucus separately with primary disputants
• Bring disputing parties together
• Use small groups, then meet w/ reps.
• Mix up the small groups new dynamic
• Ask for suggestions/help /brainstorm (exercise)
• Remind all of humanitarian consequences

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Polling Check levels of resistance

• Non-support ("I don't see the need for this, but
  I'll go along.")Reservations ('I think this may
  be a mistake but I can live with it.")Standing
  aside ("I personally can't do this, but I won't
  stop others from doing it. ")Blocking ("I
  cannot support this or allow the group to support
  this. It is immoral." If a final decision
  violates someone's fundamental moral values they
  are obligated to block consensus.)Withdrawing
  from the group. Obviously, if many people express
  non-support or reservations or stand aside or
  leave the group, it may not be a viable decision
  even if no one directly blocks it. This is what
  is known as a "lukewarm" consensus and it is just
  as desirable as a lukewarm beer or a lukewarm
  bath.

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Fatal Impasse

• Settlement is not possible today.
• Counters
• Agree to reconvene with more information or
  different participants.
• Narrow the issues in dispute put the agreements
  that have been made into writing.
• Make agreements about the disagreements where
  will you go from here? mediation, independent
  expertise, further testing, settlement
  conference, arbitration (advisory or binding) or
  due process hearing? And how is that in best
  interests of child? binding)