Why consensus isn’t the goal
Collaborative workshops shouldn’t aim for universal agreement.
Consensus workshops rarely achieve actual consensus; participants are probably withholding their input, silently compromising their own opinions (or worse: values!) to go along with what appears to be the general opinion (or loudest opinion?) in the room.
Design collaboration by structuring your workshop to gather comprehensive input from all participants: draw out as much information as possible using direct action and probing questions. You can even encourage disagreement and ensure those differing views are thoroughly documented.
Embracing diverse viewpoints will lead to richer insights and more robust, well-tested solutions.
Facilitate for Maximum Contribution
A facilitator’s role is to ensure all voices are heard, not to force agreement. Activities should encourage everyone to participate, not just the most vocal participants. The goal should be to collect input, not to smooth over differences or rush to agreement.
For example, a workshop with breakout teams and topic stations, what I call “Station and Rotation,” lets participants rotate and review others’ inputs. They are instructed to log only additions or disputes, not to seek agreement. Encouraging everyone to post their own ideas individually increases the chance of capturing unique input, since participants contribute directly rather than through a group scribe.
Other techniques like brain writing, silent brainstorming, and structured feedback loops can help quieter participants feel safe to contribute.
These approaches create a safe space for candid feedback and balance opinions and experiences. Designing for input from everyone prevents any single voice from dominating and ensures everyone has a chance to contribute.
Design for Disagreement
Designing for disagreement can counter-intuitively be a key driver of effective collaboration. Workshops that embrace disagreement rely on open feedback and psychological safety. When disagreements emerge, focus the discussion on clarifying the underlying concerns for future exploration rather than seeking an immediate resolution or striving for agreement. Encourage varied input by framing potentially dissenting ideas as critical to the process of testing, challenging, and improved ideas, leading to more resilient and well-thought-out solutions.
Inclusion over consensus
When every voice is valued and disagreement is encouraged, workshops unlock their full potential: Participants feel ownership in shaping solutions, and the group moves forward together, not by agreement, but by inclusion.
