Reposted from NSCC

Consensus Building for Preservation Buy-in
By Helen Alten

Consensus building (also called collaborative problem solving or collaboration) is essentially mediation of a conflict that involves many parties. Usually, the conflict also involves multiple, complex issues. In museums, the conflict is not usually as obvious or contentious. Consensus building still works to help bring everyone in line for a solution that all can support. Consensus building is usually carried out by a mediator or a facilitator. As with a mediator of two-party disputes, the mediator of a consensus building effort moves through a series of steps. These include 1) participant identification and recruitment; 2) design of the process to be used (often involving the participants in this phase); 3) problem definition and analysis; 4) identification and evaluation of alternative solutions; 5) decision-making; 6) finalization and approval of the settlement; and 7) implementation.

Benefits

Several benefits result from properly employing consensus-building processes to address preservation problems. Probably the most important benefit of collaboration is that it increases the quality of solutions developed by your museum. No one person has all the answers. Team solutions are based on a comprehensive analysis of the problem. Each person has a different perspective and therefore many more angles are considered than if a few experts or a select few people developed the solution on their own. This variety of perspectives leads to innovative solutions. In addition, the capacity of the group to respond to the problem is increased as stakeholders apply a range of resources to solving it. Bringing in all interested stakeholders also minimizes the chance of impasse or deadlock. Consensus building guarantees that all parties' interests will be protected. This is possible because participants make final decisions themselves. Each person has a chance to make sure their interests are represented in the agreement and are a part of signing off on the agreement. As a result, stakeholders have ownership of the outcome of consensus-building processes. Other benefits of consensus building include the fact that people most familiar with the problem at hand will be able to participate in solving it. This is often better than having a representative, who is removed from the problem, work on solving it. The ability to participate in the problem-solving process enhances acceptance of the solution and willingness to implement it. The participatory process may also help strengthen the relationships between stakeholders that used to be adversaries. Consensus building can save money. Lastly, the stakeholder group can develop mechanisms for dealing with related problems in the future.

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