Building Consensus

This article, in edited form, appeared in HRMonthly, the Journal of the Australian Institute of Human Development, following a workshop at their annual convention in Canberra in 1998.

"I'm proud to be Australian, and I'm proud that Australia is a multi-cultural country. But I think Australians should be paying more attention to the most Australian culture of them all." The speaker is Tex Skuthorpe, Aboriginal Artist of the Year in 1991, addressing the opening session of the recent AHRI Annual Convention in Canberra.

Tex is well known for his work promoting understanding between different cultures. In 1991 he presented a painting to the Princess of Japan, Her Imperial Highness Tomohito of Mikasa. It was entitled "Tomodachi", meaning "friend" in Japanese, and is now part of the National Treasure of the Emperor. The piece combines traditional Aboriginal and Japanese culture, and Tex was granted the privilege of including the Imperial Japanese Crest, an honour granted to to only the most traditional and respected artists.

The painting reflects his belief that such works will bring about understanding between people, being a symbol of respect and friendship. "This respect is the cornerstone of Aboriginal culture," says Tex. "We believe that you can only gain respect by showing respect, and I want to extend this view, and the ways in which we practise it, to Australian organisations. It is something uniquely Australian, a gift we have to give to the world. Respect and understanding are just as important within an organisation as they are internationally."

Tex and his working partners provided a unique process to the AHRI convention, as they encouraged delegates to record their experiences of the conference on canvas. After four days, the painting provided a stunning visual record of the vision of delegates, backed up by their written interpretation of what they had painted.

Detail from the painting done by delegates at the AHRI conference

Tex has been using Aboriginal art extensively in his work as a consultant to organisations for a number of years. "I started using this process when I was doing conflict resolution workshops in outback communities," says Tex. "I discovered that what I was getting when I announced a conflict resolution workshop was conflict, so I decided on another approach." He asked the people with whom he was working to think of where they wanted their community to be in 60 years time, and to record this vision in a painting.

"Suddenly everyone was thinking of where they wanted to go to, rather than where they had been. Now the people in that community, both black and white, are talking to each other. The painting encouraged them to express their vision for the future, and is a focal point in their efforts to work together to achieve that vision."

I have been working with Tex and his partner, Anne Morrill, for two years. We are discovering the effectiveness of Aboriginal processes in bringing people together to produce consensus, empowering them to work together in a common cause.

As modern organisations recognise the value of knowledge, their greatest challenge seems to be how to use the knowledge of their employees, both implicit and explicit, for the benefit of the organisation and all its stakeholders. You can not be involved in this search for the definition of knowledge and its effective dissemination within an organisation without considering the processes involved.

"I have found it interesting to listen to the knowledge management debate. Organisations are obviously experiencing the challenge of generating and using the knowledge of employees. Aboriginal society is based on knowledge, this is the way in which we have survived for thousands of years. Processes for spreading and using knowledge are deeply imbedded in our way of life, our culture is rich in the processes which achieve this," says Tex.

Aboriginal culture rejects the concept of leadership in favour of a system of elders. Elders are recognised through consensus of the people, and one of their major responsibilities is to create an environment within which consensus occurs. Knowledge is regarded as having value only when it is effectively passed on to others; elders achieve their position in Aboriginal society by the manner in which they share their knowledge, and encourage others to share. Retained knowledge is not power, it has no value. This is a society in which the key values include respect and the empowerment of people by the sharing of knowledge.

The elders have no real power, only the responsibility to empower, and the manner in which Aboriginal society traditionally initiates action is through the consensus of the people. Therefore the processes used are aimed at creating this consensus.

Consensus is not clear-cut, it is a building process resulting in progress towards understanding and commitment. People do not necessarily agree with the outcome, rather they agree to support it, being satisfied with the process by which it was created. They will be satisfied with the content, recognising it as the best decision the group can make at this time, even if their ideas were not included. They will be satisfied that they were encouraged to participate in the process, and that their ideas were considered and discussed. They will be satisfied that they have been treated with respect during the process.

This consensus building process stands in stark contrast to European methods of producing action through the agreement of a majority, especially when that majority is based more on power than participation. The creation of a majority implies the creation of a minority, whose opposition leads to the need for conflict resolution through legislation, negotiation, arbitration and mediation.

Conflict resolution treats the symptoms; consensus designs the future.

Tex and his group paintings clearly create consensus. It is fascinating to see things take shape. Normally we initially encounter resistance, as our audiences are more used to putting things down in writing rather than on canvas. Then a few brave individuals step forward, and, with or without assistance from our team, paint their own symbols on the nearly blank canvas. Soon others are encouraged to join in, the painting begins to take shape. But usually the individual symbols are separate, disconnected, the expression of an individual's ideas rather than the group's. Then others, instinctively it seems, start to paint symbols that unite the elements, and soon it begins to be a single painting, an expression of the group.

As each individual finishes their part of the painting, they are encouraged to write a paragraph describing their work. At the AHRI Convention these descriptions were displayed alongside the finished painting. Most were surprised at the content, it seemed that the act of painting had released deeper thoughts, perhaps visions for the future that the painter felt inhibited from expressing in other ways. There was a deep connection, often described as spiritual by participants.

We have used this process with organisations such as the NSW Department of Corrective Services and the International Red Cross, where the completion of the painting is followed by group discussion. It quickly becomes clear that people feel free to include ideas that might otherwise go unexpressed, and that people who might otherwise stay silent in the background are willingly sharing their thoughts. Very often it is the more assertive individuals, who traditionally tend to dominate meetings, who are most reluctant to put brush to canvas, and their initial reluctance tempers their participation in the group discussions.

Finally, the painting is taken by the group, and usually hung in a prominent position as an ongoing reminder of the time spent together and the consensus achieved. "After all," observed one participant, "I'm far more likely to spend time admiring my painting than the spreadsheet that is the normal output of planning sessions!"

Since working together we have continued to develop processes to assist in other areas where group expression needs to be encouraged. Recognising that many indigenous cultures are based on consensus, we have looked to them as a valuable source, and have been well rewarded. Now we can assist organisations not only in the formulation of a consensual vision of what they are doing and where they want to go, but also in the steps needed to achieve their vision through more traditionally documented action plans at the tactical and strategic level. We have one strict criteria: All our processes are aimed at producing consensus, and demonstrating respect for the individual participants.

We have been involved at all levels, from small working groups to senior management strategic planning sessions. Our work might be aimed at increasing understanding in our multi-cultural workplace, or at formulating and disseminating strategies at the corporate level. We have used our processes to stimulate discussion on leadership at youth conferences, and to promote understanding between ethnic groups.

"There were more than 250 different Aboriginal languages, with probably 700 dialects. Each language represented a different culture. We were and are a multi-cultural people, Australia has always been a multi-cultural nation," says Tex. "As part of our initiation we were expected to go out from our own people, to spend time with other cultures, to earn respect by demonstrating respect.

"Now I believe that it is time for all Australians to learn from our Aboriginal heritage. Working together we can discover new ways to share our knowledge, to encourage people to participate actively in teams, and I believe that this is something the whole world is searching to achieve.

"At this conference I have heard repeated mention of the technologies needed to be successful in a knowledge society, the hard technologies and the soft technologies. I like to think of us as possessing the soft technologies that can make it all work. That's what I want to share with you."

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