#15Chapter 3: Problem Identification Techniques• Problem Identificationlogical Thinkinggroup Mode2-4 hours(time consuming)

Consensus Building

From the book "Advanced Problem-Solving Toolbox: 115 Creative Plays" | Compiled & Edited by: Mojtaba Goudarzi, Open translation: Mehrshid Goudarzi
Executive Synopsis & Core Logic:

Facilitated process to align various stakeholders and reach a definition and solution accepted by all instead of imposing majority vote.

Operational Parameters & Specifications

Category
Problem Identification
Dominant Thinking
logical
Participation
group
Estimated Timetime consuming
2-4 hours
Workshop
Input Format
Comments and suggestions of group members
Output Format
Joint Decision
Key Application
Aligning groups and departments with conflicting interests around a decision or redefinition of a strategic issue.
Core Differentiator:

focus on persuading and securing the interests of all parties rather than creating a disaffected minority in traditional voting.

Quick Field Example:

Management of the budget deficit crisis in the organization with the agreement of all department managers on how to reduce costs.

Operational Benefits & Implementation Risks

Advantages & Value Creation:

Very high commitment to the implementation of approvals, removing hidden annoyances, increasing organizational cohesion.

Risks & Potential Trade-offs:

being time-consuming, requiring high facilitation skills, the risk of reaching low-quality and conservative compromises.

Real-World Organizational & Industry Scenarios

Strategic planning and budgeting: agreement of all departments on annual investment priorities.
Inter-unit conflict management: resolving long-standing conflicts between the sales team and the product development team.
Education and government institutions: Developing new policies by satisfying multiple stakeholders.

Strategic Rationale & Why to Apply

1Guaranteed stable execution: When everyone agrees, no one messes up the execution phase.
2Refining Decisions: Reviewing feedback from all parties leads to more mature solutions.
3Maintaining team spirit: Avoiding polarization of the organization and feelings of defeat in the minority.
4A more comprehensive understanding of issues: seeing the dimensions of the issue from the perspective of all stakeholders.

Conceptual Framework & Book Method Description

In the "Consensus Building" technique, the goal is to move from the "win-lose" logic of majority voting to a solution that everyone can wholeheartedly support.

This process requires establishing ground rules, active listening, identifying fundamental commonalities, and negotiating differences to preserve fundamental interests and form intelligent compromises.

Step-by-Step Real-World Implementation Scenario

Scenario: Managing a 10% reduction in the budget of the educational complex without harming the quality
1
Step 1: Clear definition of the problem statement and red linesSpecifying the goal: reducing costs by 10% while maintaining 100% of educational quality and not adjusting the main teachers.
2
Step 2: Gather all key stakeholdersForm a working group consisting of representatives of teachers, parent associations, administrative staff and board members.
3
Step 3: Setting the basic rules of dialogue and facilitationBanning interruptions, focusing on real numbers and listening to teachers' concerns about students' mental health.
4
Step 4: Identify points of commonality and create new optionsEveryone agrees on the priority of training and exploring options such as digitizing correspondence, merging parallel workshops and using the capacity of volunteer sponsors.
5
Step 5: Reaching a compromise and signing the action planfinalizing and approving the administrative cost reduction plan along with the monthly monitoring schedule with the full consent of all representatives.

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