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The Consensus Building Handbook
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The Consensus Building Handbook
A Comprehensive Guide to Reaching Agreement


August 1999 | 1 176 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Whether you work in the corporate world, a nonprofit organization, or the government sector, you likely face the need to work with others to solve problems and make decisions on a daily basis. And you've undoubtedly been frustrated by how laborious and conflict-ridden such group efforts can be. At all levels – from neighborhood block associations to boards of directors of multinational corporations – the consensus building process is highly effective in an increasingly fragmented, contentious society. In addition, the old top-down methods such as Robert's Rules of Orders often prompt more problems then they solve. Consensus helps you to implement better, more creative solutions. It provides a winning alternative to top-down decision making – and even parliamentary procedure. By learning to build consensus, stakeholders come to understand and respect one another's perspectives. The consensus building process allows participants to find solutions and forge agreements that meet everyone's needs – and provides a meaningful basis for effective, long-range implementation of decisions. The Consensus Building Handbook provides a blueprint to help make the process work in your organization, including a practical, quick-reference Short Guide. Plus, you'll find in-depth commentary and seventeen case studies with in-depth commentaries to provide the theoretical basis for this new approach. CASE STUDIES INCLUDE: Activating a Policy Network: The Case of Mainport Schiphol The Northern Oxford County Coalition: Four Maine Towns Tackle a Public Health Mystery The Chelsea Charter Consensus Process Resolving Science-Intensive Public Policy Disputes: Reflections on the New York Bight Initiative Negotiation Superfund Cleanup at the Massachusetts Military Reservation RuleNet: An Experiment in Online Consensus Building Regulatory Negotiations: The Native American Experience The Chattanooga Process: A City's Vision Is Realized From City Hall to the Streets: A Community Plan Meets the Real World The Catron County Citizens Group: A Case Study in Community Collaboration Facilitating Statewide HIV/AIDS Policies and Priorities in Colorado Building Consensus for Change Within a Major Corporation: The Case of Levi-Strauss & Company

 
Introduction
 
PART ONE: A SHORT GUIDE TO CONSENSUS BUILDING
Lawrence Susskind
An Alternative to Robert's Rules of Order for Groups, Organizations and Ad Hoc Assemblies that Want to Operate by Consensus
 
PART TWO: HOW TO BULID CONSENSUS
Susan Carpenter
Choosing Appropriate Consensus Building Techniques and Strategies
Lawrence Susskind and Jennifer Thomas-Larmer
Conducting a Conflict Assessment
David A Straus
Designing a Consensus Building Process using a Graphic Road Map
Chris Carlson
Convening
Michael Elliot
The Role of Facilitators, Mediators, and Other Consensus Building Practitioners
David Laws
Representation of Stakeholding Interests
David A Straus
Managing Meetings to Build Consensus
Sarah McKearnan and David Fairman
Producing Consensus
John R Ehrmann and Barbara L Stinson
Joint Fact-Finding and the Use of Technical Experts
Connie P Ozawa
Making the Best Use of Technology
James E Kunde
Dealing with the Press
John Forester
Dealing with Deep Value Differences
Dwight Golann and Eric E Van Loon
Legal Issues in Consensus Building
William R Potapchuk and Jarle Crocker
Implementing Consenus-Based Agreements
Carl M Moore, Gianni Longo and Patsy Palmer
Visioning
Christopher W Moore and Peter Woodrow
Collaborative Problem Solving within Organizations
Judith E Innes
Evaluating Consensus Building
 
PART THREE: CASES AND COMMENTARIES
Michèle Ferenz
Introduction to the Cases and Commentaries
Peter Driessen
Activating a Policy Network
The Case of Mainport Schipol

 
Sarah McKearnan and Patrick Field
The Northern Oxford County Coalition
Four Maine Towns Tackle a Public Health Mystery

 
Susan L Podziba
The Chelsea Charter Consensus Process
Lawrence Susskind and Susan L Podziba
Affordable Housing Mediation
Building Consensus for Regional Agreements in the Hartford Area

 
Judith E Innes and Sarah Connick
San Francisco Estuary Project
Scott McCreary
Resolving Science-Intensive Public Policy Disputes
Reflections on the New York Bight Initiative

 
Edward Scher
Negotiating Superfund Cleanup at the Massachusetts Military Reservation
Michèle Ferenz and Colin Rule
RuleNet
An Experiment in On-Line Consensus Building

 
Jan Jung-Min Sunoo and Juliette A Falkner
Regulatory Negotiations
The Native American Experience

 
Norman Dale
Cross-Cultural Community-Based Planning
Negotiating the Future of the Haida Gwaii (British Columbia)

 
John Parr
The Chattanooga Process
A City's Vision is Realized

 
Catherine Connolly
From City Hall to the Streets
A Community Plan Meets the Real World

 
Melinda Smith
The Catron County Citizens' Group
A Case Study in Community Collaboration

 
Michael A Hughes with John Forester and Irene Weiser
Facilitating Statewide HIV/AIDS Policies and Priorities in Colorado
Michelle LeBaron and Nike Carstarphen
Finding Common Ground on Abortion
David Brubaker
Organizational Trauma Recovery
The "God's Fellowship Community Church" Reconciliation Process

 
Judy Mares-Dixon, Julie A McKay and Scott Peppett
Building Consensus for Change within a Major Corporation
The Case of Levi Strauss & Co

 

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