Consensus in Group Decision Making

Consensus in Group Decision Making
In life, people are often faced with circumstances that require them to make a decision on what option to take among a number of different ones. This is specifically challenging if it is a group setting as varied opinions may arise. In such a case, the consensus is often considered to ensure the decision made is not bent towards one side. Going with a unanimous agreement in a difficult situation may have a positive or negative outcome accordingly. The alternative opted for should, therefore, be supported by all even though it may not settle down well with some of the persons concerned. Consideration and weighing of all options are thus necessary to have as many people as possible backing up the solution. Despite its shortcomings, participatory decision making is preferred to non-collaborative as the conclusion drawn will be based on a comparison of information, research, and thoughts of different individuals hence less biased.

Consensus in Group Decision Making
Consensus is not always a good way for groups to make decisions because most of the time the decision made is the one that the majority dislikes the least. People tend to follow the majority’s lead even though they might not agree with what they are following (Robin & Judge, 2015). In a video by Heroicimagination TV (2012), Asch Conformity Experiment reveals that although people knew the correct answer, they decided to go by what the majority said. This experiment can be associated with the fact that when making decisions through a consensus, most people feel the need to follow the crowd and not what they think is the correct decision.

In addition, I believe that when having a consensus, the result will depend on how each participant is informed on the topic. This is because the least informed will incline his decision towards the person he believes more knowledge on the theme.
One night I was going out with my friends, and I asked each of them what they wanted to do. We all had different opinions on where to go and what to eat. Three of them, including me, said they wanted to eat steak, but the other two friends wanted pasta. Then, I decided the best thing to do was to go to a place where their specialty was steak but that it also served good pasta.
I believe that the decision made was based on what the majority wanted but also keeping in mind what the rest also wanted. Even though this was a consensus at first, one of us had to make a choice for all of us. Therefore, I believe that when having a group that has to make a decision, it will be more convenient if there is a leader who has an objective position on the topic in order to make the right decision for everybody.
Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “A genuine leader is not a seeker of consensus but a modeler of consensus.” What he meant by this that, a genuine leader is able to agree with his group to set common goals and work towards them. In other words, a leader must go beyond the number of supporters of the decision and focus on what each participant actually agrees with.
When faced with a situation where a decision needs to be made in a group of people that cannot find common ground, a leader should be able to use his/her own judgment to draw a conclusion that would be favorable for all and most likely to yield positive than negative results (Robin & Judge, 2015) . Leadership is about handling issues through making resolutions that one in charge can justify and be willing to stand by no matter the outcome. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in a leader who sets the pace for the rest. Visualizing the goals and purpose of the issue at hand is key when deciding whether to follow opinion An other than B.
I believe that for a consensus to be valid and achieve the purpose for which it is being done, it must always be clear to the participants what the goal is, rather than just agreeing with the majority. When the objective of the problem is made clear to those supposed to undertake a decision, the solution they present can be relied on as informed.
Conclusion
The need to apply consensus in decision making often occurs when given individuals seem to share different opinions on how to go about an issue at hand. The consensus is at times not the right way for groups to solve a problem as the decision(s) made often tends to be in favor of the few minority hence undermining the ideas of a significant portion of the group. A true leader is not interested in seeking everyone’s approval but will do that which is in (his own judgment) the best interest of all.
Reference
Heroicimagination TV. (2012, Feb 19). Asch Conformity Experiment. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyDDyT1lDhA.
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. (2015). Organizational behavior (16th Ed.). Boston: Pearson.