A unanimous agreement reached by a team is better than a
decision made by any individual team member because it embodies an
idea that's shared and supported by each team member and provides a
solid impetus for action. Each team member has a veto because each
team member needs to agree for unanimity. A team commited to
reaching unanimous agreement continue the discussion until they
arrive at a solution that takes all the team member's needs into
account.
It can be difficult to reach consensus when the decision is
binary, i.e. either yes or no. Consensus is not about making
compromises nor about being coerced into a decision your not
comfortable with. Using a gradient of agreement helps a team reach
consensus even when some team members are not overly enthusiastic
about the decision. It enables team members to express their
support or opposition as a point on a scale.
Gradient of Agreement
Let the team devise their own gradient of agreement and post it
where it's always visible. Here's one that I have used previously.
- 5 = Endorsement. I love it.
- 4 = Agreement with reservation. Basically I like it.
- 3 = Mixed feelings. I can live with it and support it.
- 2 = Disagreement. I have trouble supporting it.
- 1 = Veto. I can't support it and I don't think we should move forward.
Voting
Here's 5 ways to conduct voting:
- Have a show of hands.
- Go around the room asking each team member to state their vote, and why.
- Have each team member write their vote on an index card and then have everyone hold up their card at the same time.
- Hold a secret ballot. Each team member write their votes on an index card. Collect the index cards and tally the score.
- Have two rounds of voting. The first vote is preliminary and is followed by a discussion. The second vote is final.
