| |
| |
|
Management Information |
|
|
|
Getting to Consensus
The need to get people in an organization to pull together comes out often in discussions about communication. Let's think of it as getting to consensus, to roll a bunch of similar issues into one ball. Further, let's think of getting to consensus as a process. That is, something that happens as the result of a series of deliberate actions on our part. We start the process by analyzing the current situation - how far from consensus do we now stand? Do we have embittered, untrusting people in the group? Or are we at the other end of the spectrum, with everyone nearly in agreement? We'll call this the diagnostic stage. That means we have to listen, rather than talk. Sure, we're probably anxious to get going and to convert them to our way of thinking right away. But, before that we need to let them talk, and we need to hear them. That means our listening has to be real and focused. No preparing responses or rebuttals while the other person speaks, just listening and absorbing what they say, both explicitly and implicitly (through body language, for example). After we complete our diagnosis, we get our turn to talk or otherwise communicate. If the people with whom we want consensus are generally hostile or unwilling to listen, we'll either need to be very patient or prepared to shock them. Shocking means challenging, confronting their assumptions and the status quo. On the other hand, if everyone pretty much agrees with us already, we'll approach them much more softly. In other words, we won't rock the boat much. A key ingredient of our communication will be to explain what's in it for them. Obviously, we see the benefits of consensus, for ourselves and for them. But, do they see the beneficial consequences? The need to explain the benefits is often overlooked in our rush to communicate. Let's lay out the advantages and the disadvantages for them clearly. And, yes, tell them about the disadvantages as well as the advantages. By doing so, we'll increase our credibility. We might even learn something by writing the advantages on one side of a page and the disadvantages on the other. After we've made our case, we'll try to stimulate feedback. Try to get a sense of how our message was received and what response it got. Did they respond the way we expected? Did a consensus begin to emerge? If not, we need to start the process over again, with a new diagnosis. And, we'll basically reiterate the process. But, this time, put even more time into, and emphasis on, their assumptions and expectations. If the process doesn't work, it's because they didn't find enough benefits in our earlier communication. In the end, consensus is always about them. And, to get them to go along with our plans for change, we need to be as conscious of their needs as we are of our own. Summarizing, think of consensus as the end point of a process, rather than something we can immediately organize. That process starts with analysis and listening, then responds to what we heard in the listening phase. Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Management - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Implementation the Catalyst of Change for Management to Reach that Next Level of Success From the personal and professional experiences of other colleagues and myself, one of the more critical success factors for management is implementation. Through my observations, I have discovered that people and organization spend a great deal of resources including time, dollars and the cumulative total of the energy generated from these efforts to create business or strategic plans. The Business Shaman: Exploring the Mystery of Success! Note: This article was written for a internet business site. It is a promo for my work with the business world. Show Me the Money! Are you ready to raise money for your startup?Leslie Mitts, Managing Practice Leader at the Wharton SBDC and Lead Advisor for the Wharton Venture Initiation Program, tells us that most entrepreneurs coming through her programs are focused on raising capital, even though there are higher priorities in many of their businesses. Since fresh dollars help drive the business engine, this is a natural entrepreneurial concern. The Silent Assassin - What to Do When They Visit You? IntroductionThere are a group of people in the community that will some time in their career visit your business; the silent assassin.The silent assassin displays all the qualities of a serial killer as they silently wreck havoc in your business through unrest, sabotage, bullying and non-productivity. Innovation Management - the power of decision makers Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Are You Ready to Sell Your Business Make Sure You Understand Your Motivation for SellingAre you thinking about selling your business?This simple one-question quiz will help you to better understand your motivations behind this thought. A better understanding of your underlying motivations will help you make the right decision. OJT - On The Job Training IntroductionManagers have two powerful ways of improving the performance and productivity of their subordinates, which are counseling and on the job training.Counseling is the process of helping a subordinate define and resolve personal problems that effect performance or in order to develop a good attitude to work. Finding the Right Way to Motivate Your Employees Fear, Incentives and GrowthZig Ziglar says that there are three main ways to motivate people in general and employees specifically. They are fear, incentives and growth. Experiences of Management Coaching (Part 2) In our experience, we have found that there are several reasons managers fail to get employees to see and acknowledge that they have a problem.They assume. Success in Business Means Managing Negative Emotions You may have the MBA but if an internal critic constantly berates you, or you have feelings of self-doubt, low self-confidence, fears of rejection or other negative emotions your chances of success may be quite limited.More and more executives are beginning to realize that the next frontier in maximizing their chances for success is to start focusing on building personal internal skills that go beyond the business training that they have already received. Innovation Management - some ideas are better than others Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Organizational Culture and Creative Blocks - the Similarities Few Decision makers see the link between between creativity and innovation management, as performed by MBA's in firms, and creative endeavours such as screenwriting. In fact, there are very strong linkages. Well-Defined Processes - How to Create Interested in learning how to reduce development time, save money and stay in control? Business professionals can learn how to create well-defined processes with the easy-to-manage Process Approach of Plan-Do-Check-Act.Real Tools for Real Business ProcessIn MBA courses, students come across a lot of buzzwords and the theories behind them. Time-Wasting Problems - One Question to Move You Forward In any organisation, progress is frequently impaired by the time taken up to resolve problems that occur again and again - usually with people's performance (or not!). At a macro level, there could just seem to be 'lots of problems', which is a symptom in itself. Why Half of All Mergers Fail After the Honeymoon Ends Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one thing in common, more than 50 percent end up on the rocks. In fact, according to a McKinsey study, only 23 percent ever recover the costs of walking down the corporate aisle. Business & Family Safety and Health Rating For good reason, practically every endeavor in life is rated. I've seen ratings on who or what's #1 in business, industry, NFL, NBA, MLB, person of the century, athlete of the century, technology, restaurants, university, neighborhoods, travel destination, best looking, best movie, best book, etc. Managing Group Meetings MANAGING SMALL MEETINGS: Keep the size of the meeting as small as possible. The larger the group, the more complicated communication becomes and the more garbled the purpose may get. Steps to Build ISO 9001 Compliant Program Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However, all of that effort can represent a significant shift for a business - from quantity to quality. Top Ten Tips About People Management To get the best results you have to be very good at Managing People.. Ten Problem Solving Techniques Do you ever need to find some good ideas, or come up with a solution for a persistent problem? Learn some simple problem solving techniques, and start applying them. Choose a few of the methods below, and get in the habit of using them in your personal life and your business.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
