Inevitably, groups of people with different agendas are going to have to work together.
Employers must negotiate with the labor unions. Republicans and Democrats must work together just like corrections officers need to work with the inmates in their care.
When important decisions need to be made, everyone may not agree on the best solution. Regardless of the decision, some people will be disappointed.
The “losers†may reject the decision and even sabotage the project.
When left unchecked, animosity and anger can lead to personality conflicts, making it virtually impossible for these people to work together.
There is a better way to make these decisions in a collaborative way where everyone feels like a winner. The process was explained to me by Joel Kordis, a local executive coach and motivational speaker.
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According to Kordis, you must bring together all the stakeholders for an honest and transparent discussion about the issue.
As a group, everyone must agree exactly how the decision will be made if there is not a unanimous consensus. It could be something as simple as “we will draw straws†or “no action will be taken unless more than 85% of the stakeholders agree.†What is important is everyone agrees this is how the ultimate decision will be made. With this consensus, there will be no losers.
Then the group must agree what the main problem is. Initially, there may appear to be multiple different issues. In many cases, these are really symptoms of a deeper problem that will surface with group discussion.
Once the problem is identified, each stakeholder must identify what is important to them in the solution. What are their interests pertaining to the problem?
Compare each list and look for commonality. What are the things that virtually everyone wants? What solutions would incorporate most of those interests?
Be sure to read next week’s Biz Tip article where we illustrate exactly how this works in a hypothetical case study.
For more information, email Joel Kordis at jhkordis@yahoo.com.