Key Steps of a Consensus Process
- How
to do an internal agency’s assessment
- How
to do an external stakeholder’s assessment
- How
to select and work with a facilitator or mediator
- Establishing
a representative group
- Establishing
ground rules
- Disclosing
timing and funding constraints
- Phases
of work
- Finalizing
the Agreement
Key Step 3: How to select and work with a facilitator or
mediator
Choosing a Facilitator
In a consensus process, the basic management tasks include
making an assessment, organizing the process, facilitating
meetings, and brokering or mediating communications. Managers
of these tasks are usually called facilitators or mediators.
Both are borrowed terms and neither quite capture what a manager
of a consensus process may need to do. "Facilitator"
comes from the task of managing or chairing a meeting. "Mediator"
comes from the field of dispute resolution and refers to someone
who helps people settle their own disputes without taking
sides. Both must be neutral as to the subject matter and act
impartially toward the parties. They need to be able to earn
the confidence of the parties. They serve at the pleasure
of the parties and need to be able to withdraw if their continued
involvement is not acceptable.
What does a facilitator do in a consensus process?
Before -- Facilitators assess prospects
for consensus by conducting interviews with the sponsor and
the other stakeholders. Based on the interviews, they analyze
whether a consensus process is feasible, then prepare their
assessment without favoring the sponsor with the strategic
advice or recommendations that could harm the interests of
another party.
During -- Facilitators prepare for and manage
the discussions as well as write meeting summaries. They see
to it that information needed for each meeting is assembled
and distribute to all participants in time.
After -- Facilitators assist with drafting
agreements, and, if requested, manage meetings during the
implementation period (s).
Should a facilitator from inside or outside the sponsoring
agency manage the process?
In some consensus processes the agency and parties share
tasks, for example by taking turns as chair and recorder.
In others, an employee or representative of the sponsor or
of the stakeholders may be acceptable to all parties as facilitator.
These options will succeed if the parties have good working
relationships and the atmosphere is genuinely collaborative.
If the facilitator is an agency staff member, the agency
should establish an in-house policy or agreement with the
"inside" facilitator that specifies the boundaries
the facilitator will adhere to in order to preserve his or
her impartiality and accountability to the participants. It
is especially important to address how the facilitator will
protect confidential information. Inside facilitators may
need to remind other government participants to deal with
the facilitator as a neutral, not a colleague.
If parties distrust one another, a facilitator affiliated
with one of them may not be able to perform all of his or
her required tasks. Participants may need to reveal information
to the facilitator that they would not want other parties
to know. They must trust that the facilitator can keep such
confidences without having a potential conflict of interest.
For example, a crucial first step is getting straight answers
about whether people want to try to reach consensus. If a
key party is not interested even in talking about whether
and how to organize a process, that needs to be learned promptly.
Facilitating consensus processes is a profession and these
facilitators offer the benefit of experience. Knowing what
has worked and what has failed in other cases is useful expertise.
Lessons learned from sitting in the facilitator's seat can
save parties-and the facilitator-time and aggravation.
What qualifications does a facilitator need?
The most important qualification is past
experience as facilitator and mediator of complex, public
conflicts involving many parties.
How to identify and select an independent facilitator
There are three basic steps to finding a facilitator:
- Identify the pool of candidates - some agencies now maintain
a list of professionals.
- Narrow the list of candidates to those you want to interview
- Consider issuing a Request for Qualifications.
- Interview the candidates -- In an interview you will
be able to observe each candidate's personality, style of
interacting, and ability to communicate effectively.
Rosters of Neutrals on the Web
Notice: The authors of this web site have not evaluated the
credentials of ADR practitioners listed on these rosters.
Agencies hiring a facilitator should be sure to make an independent
evaluation of the qualifications of such professionals.
Maine
CADRES Directory of ADR Neutrals in Superior Court Rosters
CPR Institute
for Dispute Resolution: Panels of Distinguished Neutrals
Maine Association
of Dispute Resolution Professionals: ADR Practitioners
New England
Association for Conflict Resolution: Directory of ADR Providers
Qualifications of a Facilitator Checklist
Ability to...
- Be neutral as to the outcome of the process
- Earn the confidence of the parties
- Know when to recommend not using a consensus process if
conditions are unsuitable.
- Be sensitive to cultural, ethnic, and gender differences.
- Maneuver in political situations without being manipulative
- Work for many bosses at once.
Be a quick learner
- Demonstrate creativity and be willing to improvise, since
very case is different.
- Deal with unforeseen circumstances.
- Be a good listener, speaker, and writer.
Knowledge of...
- The nature of conflict and the conditions that motivate
people to negotiate
- The principles that underlie consensus processes and the
variety of structures that parties have devised for different
process.
- The various techniques associated with facilitation and
mediation
- The nature of group dynamics
- The skills of interest-based negotiation and consensus
building, and the ability to teach these skills.
- How to construct good agreements and link them to the
official decision making process.
- How a successful process proceeds from initial contacts
and exploration of feasibility to organizing the process,
substantive decisions, and implementation.
- When steps can be safely be abbreviated so the process
can move efficiently.
Professional Ethics...
- Resist undue influences by parties and be willing to
withdraw if attempts to influence persist.
- Disclose any associations with the sponsor or other participants.
- Be willing to withdraw if a party loses confidence.
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