Consensus Decision Making: How Much Compromise Is Too Much? 

Finding Balance in the Decision-Making Process

As leaders, we’re often conditioned to think that consensus is good. When we’re collectively making a decision, we’ll be in a terrific place. A place where everyone is happy, the ideas are the best, and we can move forward with great enthusiasm.

It’s important to accept that consensus decision-making has its positive moments and elements, but it may not always be the best solution for the needs of our team and the organizations we lead. Let’s explore this concept a bit deeper.

If you seek consensus from a loosely aligned group, it may lead to a suboptimal decision. Why? Nobody is on board with where you’re going and why you’re going there. On top of that, it’s safe to say that everyone comes into the challenge at hand with slightly different backgrounds and beliefs.

However, if your team has spent the time necessary to define its goals and get in alignment, you can potentially build upon that foundation. You can then extract the best of what everybody has to say about a particular issue. If your team is experienced in working together, you should come to something that is, in fact, brighter and more vivid than if you just moved toward the least common denominator.

Is Non-Alignment All That Bad?

At first, the answer may be: ‘No.’ Let’s say you think people are aligned through a discussion, but in the course of that discussion, you can identify points of non-alignment. Uh-oh, right? Well, let’s pause for a moment and consider that non-alignment has its good points too.

If you have the time to discuss concerns and where the points of non-alignment are occurring, that’s good. Ultimately, it’s going to help you get people back into alignment with where you’re going. If you identify issues where people are out of alignment, there’s still an opportunity for a fully aligned team to arrive at a solution. Which is far more powerful than a leader simply ramming through the non-alignment for the sake of moving things along, no matter what.

When Consensus Gives Way to Input

Here’s what happens when things go truly awry: We seek consensus instead of input. This may be the best outcome of all. For if we can gather many different points of view, we may emerge stronger for it, versus having input muted simply for the sake of achieving consensus.

If you have a powerful team that is used to communicating and working together smoothly, it’s fine to seek consensus. Still, recognize that consensus is the final action coming from discussions that seek input.

There are times when one must ask, ‘Do we have the time to go through the process of building consensus as opposed to gathering input?’

Yet, as a leader of a team seeking consensus, you may get frustrated and say, ‘Damn it, we’ve got to make this decision and move on.’ There will be times when you’re going to have to do that.

Measurement’s Role in Consensus

When I was young, my dad taught me how to be a carpenter. An important lesson he taught me was the notion of ‘measuring twice and cutting once.’ What that concept means is that you don’t just do something and be done with it. You do it, measure it, look at it, mark it down, and then measure it again just to be sure that there wasn’t anything wrong with the first measurement.

Is it going to be more precise that way? Sure. You’ve done it all yourself. That’s different than if I measure it and then you measure it so that we’re sure. We’ve got to get it right. And that’s the key. It doesn’t mean that consensus is wrong or that the decision I’ve come to alone is right. It simply means that I’ve come to a different decision by building consensus than I have by doing it myself, by seeking input, and then making that decision.

Fundamentally, as leaders, we need to understand when we have to go it alone.  No matter how many times we measure, we build a consensus when we have the time and resources. We also need to be sure that we communicate what we are doing and why so that the next time we ask, or don’t ask, for help, the team understands why.

Is a Consensus Decision the Same as a Compromise Decision?

The answer very well may be ‘yes,’ but the important piece is that everyone is aligned on the discussion’s goals. If people are aligned on the goals, then the decision that you will reach by taking input and building to an agreement will be better.

When you have made a decision that takes everybody’s comments into account, and they understand that there are some things they believe that the other side doesn’t, and vice versa, then we have to parse it down into things that both parties believe in. This way, you have people who are able to get behind the decision, even though they didn’t agree with all parts of it.

The Art of Compromise

To make people believe in your final decision, you have to master the art of compromise. This entails being able to select the bits and pieces of what goes into the fire so that you are left with some of what you want.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to reach a conclusion where everyone joins hands in happiness and says, ‘We are all aligned on where this initiative is going!’

No. Let’s get real.

Compromise, in its most practical form, is about picking the best of what everybody has to offer. It doesn’t mean everything gets added in. It doesn’t mean that certain people have only suboptimal offerings chosen so that they can be a part of the consensus. We pick the best, the very best, from each person in the group. And then, we communicate how the decision was made and that some folk’s input has not been included.

It’s Also About the Culture

One element that is also often forgotten is the culture of the organization in which you are trying to build consensus.  While the leader may have stated the consensus goal, if it is not repeated to the team and then acted on, consensus will be difficult to achieve.  It is important to note that this is not a one-and-done.  Rather, it needs to be repeated and acted on constantly and consistently.  Furthermore, if it is at odds with the rest of the organization, you need to explain why.  Finally, as new folks are added to the team, both in leadership roles and just as team members, they need to be brought on to the consensus train as well.

It’s a Balancing Act

This happens in companies and teams all the time. Have you built consensus, has the leader made a decision, or is it a combination of the two? You might say, ‘What’s the difference between taking the best input from everyone and making a decision based on full agreement between the team versus you making the decision on your own based on input?’

On paper, the leader has the final authority in the decision-making process. However, if you are in a consensus environment, the leader is taking that strong input to chart the way forward. The leader will not proceed without the full agreement of the team. The consensus decisions made may have pieces that some personally disagree with, but when we make decisions, they are the ‘best of’ as opposed to the ‘least of.’

At the end of the day, as the leader, you need to communicate how the decision was made.  Then communicate it again. And then stop talking about it and get the team moving forward with the next steps to executing that decision.

[Editors’ Note: To learn more about this subject, watch The Effective Board and The Effective Director, each a free on-demand webinar. 

This is an updated version of an article originally published on October 30, 2019 and previously updated on February 29, 2024.]

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