Managing Lack of Consensus

If Consensus Cannot be Reached, Who Must Agree?

A healthy consensus decision-making process usually encourages and outs dissent early, maximizing the chance of accommodating the views of all minorities.

Since unanimity may be difficult to achieve, especially in large groups, or unanimity may be the result of coercion, fear, undue persuasive power or eloquence, inability to comprehend alternatives, or plain impatience with the process of debate, The Open Group may use an alternative benchmark of consensus:

  • Unanimity minus two (or U-2) does not permit two individual delegates to block a decision, but tends to curtail debate with a lone dissenter more quickly

    Dissenting pairs can present alternate views of what is wrong with the decision under consideration. Pairs of delegates can be empowered to find the common ground that will enable them to convince a third, decision-blocking decision-maker to join them. If the pair are unable to convince a third party to join them within a set time, their arguments are deemed to be unconvincing.

When Consensus Cannot be Reached

Although the consensus decision-making process should, ideally, identify and address concerns and reservations early, proposals do not always garner full consensus from the decision-making body. When a call for consensus on a motion is made, a dissenting delegate in The Open Group has one of two options:

  • Declare reservations

    Forum/Work Group members who are willing to let a motion pass but desire to register their concerns with the Forum/Work Group may choose to “declare reservations”. If there are significant reservations about a motion, the decision-making body may choose to modify or re-word the proposal.

  • Stand aside

    A “stand aside” may be registered by a group member who has a “serious personal disagreement” with a proposal, but is willing to let the motion pass. Although stand asides do not halt a motion, it is often regarded as a strong “nay vote” and the concerns of group members standing aside are usually addressed by modifications to the proposal. Stand asides may also be registered by users who feel they are incapable of adequately understanding or participating in the proposal.