Learn how to make consent-based decisions in teams effectively
- "When will we (finally) have our voice heard?"
- Why should we tap into the inherent collective wisdom within our teams?
- How can organisations encourage engagement and enhance employee experience?
INTRODUCING COLLABORATIVE DECISIONS-MAKING
Increasingly teams have to make decisions as a collective, especially
in self-organised organisaitons. Even in more conventional organisations nowadays decision-making needs to be done collaboratively, rather than rely on any one person, leader or boss. It is good practice, because it lets multiple perspectives be considered, uncovering blind spots, and it enables staff to co-own their decisions, so they are more committed to implementing them. Research shows again and again that decisions reached collaboratively by good functioning teams are far wiser and more innovative than ones taken by an individual, and also they generates automatic buy-in.
While this is generally recognised, most teams actually do not know how to take decisions as a group, and often revert to competitive sometime bullying behaviour, with political infighting or other disfunctional attittudes, like "Oh could someone just please make a decision for us!" This is not surprising as collective decision-making is not something that is generally taught. However, this needn't be so.
- How does a team make collaborative decisions efficiently without being dragged into endless deliberations?
- How do we avoid political backstabbing and similar counterproductive behaviour?
- How do you, conversely, prevent blind group think?
- How can an organisation uncover and tap into the inner wisdom of its introverts?
- How can we get team members authentically listening to each other constructively
This interactive 2-hour introductory module video-call will demonstrate how colloaborative decision-making can be achieved efficiently, while also offering time for participants time to learn and practice some of the basic processes themselves and experience the approach's benefits in action. As such the workshop is also a taster, giving those not sure whether to delve deeper into collaborative decision-making a chance to experience sociocracy alive.
Who is this module for?
The module is for anyone working in teams, whether work-teams, project teams, working groups, steering committees or community groups. It is also for leaders, managers or supervisors who want to engender more engagement in their teams and shift from a mindset of firefighting to one of team problem solving. Indeed the module is for anyone interested in learning collaborative decision-making skills, or wanting to introduce better decisions in teams and organisations regrardless whether they are currently in a team or relevant organisation or not.
Module Content:
This core introductory module of Collaborative Decision-making introduces some fundamental principles and also serves as a taster module. There are follow up modules (see bottom of page) which look at and practice collaborative decision-making more deeply, but this intro module is the foundation and should be taken first as a prerequisite to all other modules.
1. Core Module: Introducing Collaborative Decision-making
- We will first explore the different group decision-making processes that exist, the medits and disadvantages of each in order to understand various possibilities and consider what an ideal model would look like
- We will then go on to explore Consent-based decisions (comparing it to consensus) and the rationale for using consent in governance decisions (but not necessarily in operational or other decisions)
- We will learn the steps needed for a group to hear each other properly and for the team come to a position where a decision is ready to be taken collectivley.
- We wlll look at the deicion-making process itself, and the role of a facilitator in enabling this.
- And finally, but most importantly, participants will be able to practice the steps just learned, putting the process into practice.
What will you gain from this workshop?
- Fully harnessing the power from diversity of views
- Genuine listening to each other
- Decisions that stick and get executed
- Unleashing collective wisdom
- Team harmony while respecting multi-perspectivity
How will you learn?
The module is delivered interactively via teleconference (video conference using Zoom). Contrary to most types of webinars this telenar workshop is highly interactive and involves a great deal of participant involvement - it is not a listening session, and participants should expect to be active. The module includes break-out groups giving participants practice time to try out some of the steps in smaller groups.
In order to participate you will need a computer or laptop connected to the internet, with access to online platforms like Googledocs. We will use Zoom as our video conference platform, which can easily be downloaded at no cost to you. The precise details will be emailed to you after registration.
Who are the workshop leaders?
The workshop is run by Open2Flow, with the head trainer and group coach being Francois Knuchel:
Francois is a vastly experienced trainer and consultant, specialising in trans-cultural management training, new-paradigm leadership and lean business design. His experience of using circle management methods in the Japanese automotive industry has deeply influenced his passion for re-imagining the way that we work together.
He is an important member of Open Space and Sociocracy communities, and has been working with Lean Management since before it was called Lean. Francois is a member of the Human Organising Project, and involved in the steering group of the RSA’s fast growing ‘Reinventing Work Network’. Franois has been exploring different facets of collaborative decision-making for the last 20 years, initially inspired by the consensual way Japanese organisations take decisions.
How much does it cost?
The online 2-hour module costs £12.- per person. To register, purchase a voucher below using the Buy Now button and then register using the form below.
Next Module:
Not planned at the moment.
This module is repeated on a regular basis, approximately once a month. If you cannot make the next on, and are nevertheless eager to start as soon as possible, please pay and register, indicating "asap" in the Notes, and as soon as there are enough people (approx ten) to justify an extra session, then we will contact all and set up an extra one at a day and time convenient to all.
Booking:
To book please first press the Buy Now button and pay. The Paypal payment system will open in a separate tab or window. Open2Flow is a trading name for Transcultural Synergy Ltd, so either name may show. Come back to this page or tab when done - see below.
After purchasing a voucher, come back to this page or tab, copy and paste the long invoice number (in a Paypal confirmation email) into the form below and complete it. Where available please include the date(s) of the module(s) you are taking in the Notes/message box. If you are joining from outside the UK, please let us know which country you will be joining us from. Please also include and a secondary contact detail (telephone, mobile, skype, twitter or second email address) in case we cannot contact on your main email address.
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If you would like to discuss the course further, please contact us on +44 (0)20 7117 8648, or use the form above to ask more.
Follow up Options
Once you have participated in this core introctory module you can delve deeper and go on to take another 6 modules of the series described in detail here. The 6 modules are:
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You can cover the material in several ways:
- Do all of the 6 modules above (B-1 - B-6), or just some of them selectively. See here for details.
- Do a 10-week online course covering the same material but working in a team on an actual project, i.e. experience sociocracy in action. Check SOLT out.
- If you are in an organisation, either run the whole course as a 2-day face-to-face workshop, or through an online video course supplemented with live group coaching. Check Teams out.
