We've just gone through another strategic planning session. We hoped that this one would be more productive than the others, but - as always happens - we just seemed to go around in circles. As a management team, we just aren't making any progress. In fact, to be honest, we aren't really a team. Some of the managers seem concerned only about protecting their turf, others won't budge from their preconceived notions, and the rest are simply not interested.

How can we develop a strategic plan when nobody cares about the company's vision? How can we establish common goals? How can we start building consensus and transform our group into a team with a shared purpose.

Dear Wannabe:

You say you want to build "consensus." Great - if you really mean it. To some people, "consensus" means "everybody should agree with me." That's the last thing you want - everyone thinking like you, or, worse yet, like the boss. A bunch of "yes men" nodding in agreement isn't consensus, it's fear or boredom, and it will drain your company of its vitality rather than motivate and propel it.

A more energized form of consensus is possible when people come to the table with different points of view. As a starting point, conflict is good; it's a challenge to find common ground upon which to build creative solutions. The productive use of conflict brings, not stifling unanimity, but dynamic unity.

Consensus (from the Latin "consentire") means "thinking together." When team members think together, they can learn to understand and appreciate (not necessarily agree with) different perspectives, analyze differences of opinion, and come to decisions everyone can support. This is consensus at its best - win/win outcomes through which no one's turf is violated and everyone takes responsibility for the decision.

Much of the value of consensus comes not from the fact that people come to some agreement, but from the process they go through to reach that agreement. Through open, honest discussion, participants learn about the issues at stake, know what the decision means, and understand how it came about.

There are four elements to creative consensus building:

• Focusing on agreement rather than disagreement
• Seeking win/win solutions rather than compromises
• Dealing with issues and interests, not positions
• Ensuring total group participation.

Other Tips on Building Consensus.

• Focus on agreement rather than disagreement