Consensus Problem-Solving

Paper  written by Rick Roskin and taken from our E-learning website. Contact us for a trial free login. Drawn from the research of Virginia Breen, Ronald Fetzer, Linda Howard and Robert Preziosi The One-Liner When a problem is complex and/or potentially controversial, open communication is essential for effectiveness, as is a structured approach to consensus decision making within teams.  This is especially true if the decision warrants implementation. Consensus Problem Solving This research looks at consensus decision making within the context of a particular approach described by Harley and within a particular theory as outlined by Senge.  Essentially, it is argued that when a problem is potentially controversial and/or complex, teams that follow a structured approach and that are more open in their communication are likely to achieve better results. To quote the authors: the purpose of this research was to test whether a consensus problem-solving technique increases communication openness in a team setting when compared to previous problem-solving sessions when team members were left to their own devices. Communication openness in an organizational setting refers to the message sending and receiving behaviors that occur between superiors and subordinates as well as between peers. It is a central variable in organizational communication and is a vehicle for handling non-routine, and possibly negative, information in the form of suggestions, criticisms, new ideas, and bad news. The importance of this approach is emphasized because information often never reaches those who are empowered to implement a decision.  Additionally, the reason for investigating problem solving approaches turns on today’s changing organizational structures and the environment