Review - The Colorado Lawyer:
Review of Legal Resources
January 2007

Consensus Through Conversations: How to Achieve High-Commitment Decisions
By Larry Dressler (San Fancisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2006) 96 pp.

Reviewed by Masaya K. Quick. Quick is a contract attorney specializing in civil appeals, estate planning, estate administration, and family law

Larry Dressler is a familiar name in the business community; however, his new book, Consensus through Conversation: How to achieve High-Commitment Decisions, has several possible applications to the field of law. For example, consensus could be used when drafting legislation, when a firm need to pare down its practice areas, when a decision needs to be made regarding a particularly difficult case, or when some partners want to form a separate firm.

Consensus is an iterative discovery process designed to result in a decision that satisfies the necessary objectives in a way tat all can support. Consensus takes longer than traditional hierarchical decision making, but because its collaborative nature tends to encourage ñbuy-in,î this method can result in a much faster implementation. Complex issues may require several consensus sessions over a matter of months, whereas simpler issues may be resolved in a single session. Executive-level persons should participate in the discovery process to legitimize the sessions for everyone else; however, everyone should have an equal share, regardless of status.

Consensus also can be used to make a recommendation to the organizationÍs decision makers. Dressler explains how to deal with expressed legitimate concerns by providing additional information, refining the proposal or noting the concern for the record“and then moving forward. It often can be helpful to ask group members to provide alternative solutions that address their concerns while reminding them of the ground rules that foster productivity. In more extreme cases, when a group member is being overly difficult, it may be necessary to politely ask him or her to leave. A neutral facilitator who keeps the conversation positive and productive, while maintaining an open record, should be present.

The short chapters and diagrams of the consensus process make Consensus through Conversation easy to follow. The numerous cross-references give the reader a shortcut to relevant information at a glance. The resources guide lists other sources not only on the consensus process but also on effective meetings and group communication. A brief and inexpensive resource, Consensus through Conversations likely will be useful to any organization in the legal field that is ready to commit to an inclusive, and potentially even radically different, decision-making process in which listening is the key skill.

Home    Book    Consensus Cards    Resources    Order    Contact       ©2008 Consensus Tools     All Rights Reserved     Legal