Consensus & Team-Building

Transcription

1 Consensus & Team-Building In democratic countries, knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge; on its progress depends that of all the others. Alexis De Tocqueville

2 Agenda Welcome & Introductions Orientation to the Class Conflict in Political Life Conflict Resolution Tools Separating Interests from Positions Reflective Listening Framing Issues Neutrally Brainstorming Strategy Overview of Effective Teams Team Role Play - Applying the Tools Selecting the Right Community Process Resources/Q&A

3 Learner Objectives 1) Identify common conflicts facing cities and towns in Maryland 2) Identify several core principles of conflict resolution, management and prevention 3) Recognize common obstacles to building teams and consensus 4) Develop, through role-play and experiential learning, strategies for resolving conflict and building teams 5) Acquire awareness of subsequent training opportunities and conflict resolution resources around the state. 6) Others???

4 Conflict The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Good ambition to counteract ambition; reflects diversity of opinion; forces justification of ideas The Bad conflict leads to stagnation (a do-nothing council) The Ugly conflict further disintegrates into personal recriminations and long-term damage to the government and community

5 WHY?????? Consensus & Team-Building Necessary - that s where authority lies legally Practical stakeholder buy-in & resources Effective - officials working as teams are demonstrably more successful than others Inspirational - sets a good example for employees and citizens

6 Costs Sacrifices individual needs for TEAM goals Takes more time Risks stalemate when dealing with polarizing issues

7 Challenges

8 You Can t Always Get What You Want, But If You Try Sometimes You Can Get What You Need.

9 Separating Interests from Positions Positions are essentially wants or demands; focus is on how an individual thinks the issue should be addressed. Interests typically what the person needs; reveals why one stakeholder disagrees with another.

10 Reflective Listening Listen Before Responding Paraphrasing Reflecting Feelings Reflecting Meanings

11 Framing Issues Neutrally Reframe issues so that opposing statements can be merged and then solved as a shared problem.

12 Brainstorming Allows people to be creative and get many ideas on the table in a short amount of time.

13 Rules for Brainstorming Defer Judgment. Choose a recorder and record all ideas as quickly as possible. Build on previous ideas. Don t wait for completely original ideas; but combine, modify, and extend those already suggested. Don t hold back write everything down. Push for quantity.

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15 Group: A number of people forming a recognizable unit

16 Team: Is active Follows a mutually understood process a framework for future success Has common goals Is inclusive when determining process and goals Has Leadership

17 Team Member: Synchronizes individual needs with team goals Shares responsibilities, information, and rewards Listens to and trusts other team members Sees differing views as a strength rather than a weakness (increases information) Inquires rather than assumes Finds commonalities (professional and personal)

18 Consensus : An approach to decision-making that allows all viewpoints to be heard, generates a variety of options, and leads to an agreement that all parties can accept.

19 Roles for Facilitators, Recorders, and Timekeepers Facilitator: Maintains focus on objectives Ensures everyone has an opportunity to participate Identifies areas of agreement and disagreement Recaps meeting and points made Recorder: Creates an accurate record Using speaker s words, writes down main points Stays neutral Helps group focus on the idea rather than the author of the idea Checks in to ensure accuracy of recorded ideas Timekeeper: Alerts group when budgeted and actual time are out of line

20 Tools Separate Interests from Positions Frame Issues Neutrally Use Reflective Listening Apply Brainstorming Strategies

21 SELECTING THE RIGHT COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION MODEL What are your goals for community involvement? Public Information Meeting Public Hearing Round Table Consensus Seeking Process Mediation Some Issues to Consider in Choosing the Process *By using different participatory processes in different situations, government officials can get different levels of citizen input and can choose the processes which would be beneficial for each situation.