I was once in a spiritual group which had a rule of always operating by consensus. In the end, it didn't work and the group fell apart. One member can hang up the entire group, even with the best intentions in the world on everybody's part. Setting it up in your rules that consensus must always be unanimous is setting your group up for interminable discussions (I mean, these things can go on month after month after month!) with no mechanism, and no possibility, of resolution. I think you need to have the agreement to abide by majority vote in there somehow. Maybe make it a super-majority. But I've found in my experience that there will be times in the life of any group of more than two people when absolute agreement among all the members is just not possible. I think you need to have a process built in by which members can agree to disagree and still be able to come to a group decision.

Hope this helps.
Lori | 12.08.04 - 7:43 pm | #

Lori,
Thanks much for sharing your experience. The only other response I've received so far was by email and mirrored what you're saying. I didn't see either of them before tonight's meeting. The solution we came up with is going to be a post of its own.
peace,
Ted Ernst | Homepage | 12.08.04 - 9:47 pm | #