Ch.+8+Consensus+&+Conflict+2

Without a shared understanding, people are left to determine their own standard for consensus. How will we know if our group has arrived at consensus? What is an effective way to confront resistance?
Start Here:A consensus would be if everyone has had a chance to share his/her concerns, etc., and can all agree that this particular thing is the best for our students. Sometimes if there's conflict, you just have to agree to disagree (H. Witt) I feel that an important word here might be compromise. Everyone should be willing to give and take when trying to reach a consensus. I do not agree with the book that some opinions are of greater value than others as stated on p. 147. We all feel that ours is important. That is human nature. To the person expressing the opinion, it has great value whether someone else agrees or not. The book does go on to say that one opinion can be determined to be better. That is where we need to be open and look at results as a group to reach the best consensus on situations.(R. Hames) To truly understand resistance, the person resisting needs to express clearly what he dislikes and why. If the group involved can get a true picture of why there is resistance, then that is a good starting point for compromise. But with any group, compromise will work only when each person is willing to accept the group's decision. If, according to the book, that one opinion is determined to be of greater value, that opinion should be valued based on the training and experience of the person. Opinions are just that-opinions, unless they're based on concrete knowledge, experience, and research. (JHallCES) I like the "fist to five" strategy as a quick assessment of whether consensus has been achieved or not. "Majority rules" will clearly not work. It undercuts the effort to involve teachers in making and shaping the decisions and priorities. Consensus is not so much a numerical count as a sense that the team of teachers is on board and ready to support the decision. When the staff generally has high levels of trust, a willingness to self-assess, and a desire to work effectively as a team, the stage is set for rapid change. (ELand)