Consensus

There is a difference between passive consensus, meaning that the participants consent to a course of.notion, and active consensus, meaning that they are fully committed to it. Those towards the organic end of the organisation dimension may give their assent to a decision but will not abide by it. Those towards the systematic end will only assent to what they feel committed to carrying out.

Those towards the group end of the leadership dimension will look for a genuine consensus based on a synthesis of views. Those towards the individual end will seek consensus bas d on the adoption of the best idea, preferably their own.

The depth of agreement primarily depends, of course, not on cultural difference but on the underlying business interests that each of the participants represents and how much authority they have to commit them. This may not always be clear. In any event, it is wise to aim for complete and active consensus. Majority decisions should be avoided and formal voting postponed until the very last. Consensus-oriented participants should be prepared for apparently irreconcilable positions to be hotly contested by the others before coming together quickly at the end.

10. Follow-up

Those towards the systematic end will expect the meeting to have a definable result and a commitment to concrete actions, steps to which everyone is committed and for which responsibilities have been allocated. The more organic will regard the less tangible results of the meeting - mutual understanding, a reaffirmation of the will to cooperate, a sense of where the venture is going - as more important than specific steps.

As far as possible the form of the desired outcome should be agreed beforehand. However, it should riot be assumed that it will be adhered to by everyone without its being chased up afterwards.

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