Larry Dressler

Consensus Through Conversations (eBook, ePUB)

How to Achieve High-Commitment Decisions

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Real organizational change isn't brought about by decree, pressure, permission, or even persuasion. Sustained change comes when people are passionately and personally committed to a future that they have helped to shape. If you want to turn your organization's cynics into owners, give them a voice in the decisions that impact their work. Consensus Through Conversation shows how. Consensus is a cooperative process in which all of a group's members develop and agree to actively support a decision. It's not mere acquiescence--consensus goes several steps beyond, transforming people from resigned instruction-followers to dedicated champions of an idea. Larry Dressler shows you exactly how to prepare for a successful consensus-building process, takes you step-by-step through that process, and offers tips for success and traps to avoid. Throughout, he provides a host of tools and examples that make this an eminently practical and immediately useful guide. Consensus Through Conversation will give you the tools you need to use consensus effectively in your organization. It is a handy, vital reference that you will turn to again and again in your efforts to tackle high stakes issues, make high quality decisions, and build enthusiasm and commitment to action.

---

Dieser Download kann aus rechtlichen Gründen nur mit Rechnungsadresse in A, D ausgeliefert werden.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Seitenzahl: 96
• Erscheinungstermin: 12. Oktober 2006
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781609943325
• Artikelnr.: 38331306

Autorenporträt

For more than fifteen years, Larry Dressler has designed and facilitated conversations and learning experiences that elicit new insights and inspire action in organizations. He is sought out by executive leaders as a trusted advisor on how to weave candor, commitment, collaboration and continuous learning into the fabric of the workplace. As the founder of Blue Wing Consulting, Larry has traveled throughout the country speaking, consulting, and connecting with people who embody what he calls “Wide-Awake LeadershipTM.” He has worked with a wide variety of organizations, including Nissan Motors, USC University Hospital, Starbucks, Washington Department of Ecology, Pediatric AIDS Foundation, U.S. Federal Protective Services, and Cisco Systems. Described by clients as a “gentle instigator of breakthrough conversations,” Larry’s work has brought him to interesting places including the headquarters of companies in 30 industries, a “circus school” in Colorado, the Ecuadorian Amazon, and Skid Row, Los Angeles. Whether in a corporate boardroom, on a factory floor or underneath a rainforest canopy, Larry’s special talent for posing powerful questions and setting collaboration in motion is at the heart of his work. Larry’s education combines the disciplines of social psychology and business strategy. He earned his BA degree in Sociology from UCLA and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management. He has also completed post-graduate coursework in Organizational Psychology. He lives with his wife, Linda in Boulder, Colorado.

Inhaltsangabe

Foreword by Pierre Gagnon
Preface
INTRODUCTION: THE NEW RULES OF DECISION-MAKING
CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS CONSENSUS?
Consensus Defined
Beliefs That Guide Consensus
Choosing the Right Decision-Making Approach
Alternatives to Consensus
Common Misconceptions
Consensus in Action
CHAPTER 2: HOW DO I PREPARE?
Determine Whether Consensus Is a Good Fit
Decide Who to Involve in the Decision
Enlist a Skilled Facilitator
Clarify the Group s Scope and Authority
Educate Group Members
Develop an Agenda
Gather the Relevant Information
Start the Meeting Off Right
CHAPTER 3: WHAT ARE THE BASIC STEPS?
Step One: Define the Issue
Step Two: Establish Decision Criteria
Step Three: Craft the Proposal
Step Four: Test for Consensus
Step Five: Reach Agreement
CHAPTER 4: HOW DO I WORK WITH DISAGREEMENT?
Using Consensus Cards
Expressing and Resolving Legitimate Concerns
Dealing with Opposition or Blocks
CHAPTER 5: SIX TRAPS THAT UNDERMINE CONSENSUS
Member Absence from Critical Meetings
Grandstanding Members
Obstructive Blocking
Pressuring Members to Conform (Coercive Tactics)
Group Fatigue and/or Frustration
Silent Members
CHAPTER 6: TEN TIPS FOR BETTER CONSENSUS MEETINGS
Set Clear Ground Rules
Use a Group Memory
Distinguish Must from Want Criteria
Use Silence and Pauses
Assign Questions and Tasks to Breakout Groups
Put Discussion in a Fishbowl
Stack Participants
Take a Break
Use Technology Wisely
Evaluate the Meeting
CHAPTER 7: TOWARD HIGH-COMMITMENT DECISIONS
Return to the Roots of Consensus
Remember the Words of My Teachers
Reconnect with My Purpose and Values
Resource Guide
Index
About the Author

Rezensionen

In this wise and stimulating book, Dressler draws on his rich experience to show us how to bring our personal best to facilitating polarized group situations.
William Ury, coauthor of Getting to Yes and author of The Power of a Positive No

An invaluable companion for all those who train, facilitate, run, or design high-stakes meeings Dressler s well of wisdom is awe-inspiring.
Susan Scott, author of Fierce Conversations and Fierce Leadership

A book for anyone who feels called to stand in hard places and help people find life-giving ways to proceed.
Parker Palmer, author of A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to Teach

Practical, insightful, and filled with entertaining stories. I recommend this book for anyone working in the arena of public engagement and deliberation.
Sandy Heierbacher, Director, National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation