Decision Rules
The level of agreement necessary to finalize a decision is known as a decision rule. Possible decision rules for consensus vary within the following range:
- Unanimous agreement
- Unanimous consent (See agreement vs consent below)
- Unanimous agreement minus one vote or two votes
- Unanimous consent minus one vote or two votes
- Super majority thresholds (90%, 80%, 75%, two-thirds, and 60% are common).
- Simple Majority
- Executive committee decides
- Person-in-charge decides
In groups that require unanimous agreement or consent (unanimity) to approve group decisions, if any participant objects, they can block consensus according to the guidelines described below. These groups use the term consensus to denote both the discussion process and the decision rule. Other groups use a consensus process to generate as much agreement as possible, but allow decisions to be finalized with a decision rule that does not require unanimity. In this case, someone who has a 'block' or strong objection will still have to live with the decision made.
Read more about this topic: Rational Consensus
Famous quotes containing the words decision and/or rules:
“Moral choices do not depend on personal preference and private decision but on right reason and, I would add, divine order.”
—Basil Hume (b. 1923)
“Let’s start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics.... We have: one, a robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Two, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. And three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.”
—Isaac Asimov (1920–1992)