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10. OBTAINING CONSENSUS <br />return for an agreement. Rarely do people go away completely happy. <br />Instead they talk about the outcome "being the best we could get." In <br />other words, they're not "too dissatisfied." <br />The collaborative problem solving approach is very different. In <br />collaborative problem solving you don't start out by taking fixed positions. <br />There are several reasons for this: (1) taking fixed positions establishes <br />an adversarial relationship from the beginning; (2) the positions people <br />take often mask (to themselves, as well as others) their fundamental <br />interests; and (3) by talking about positions first, you rule out <br />consideration of a whole host of other solutions that might meet your <br />interests just as well. <br />Instead, collaborative problem solving starts out by getting all sides to <br />define what their fundamental interests or purposes are. Normally, <br />groups will find that the issue or problem and some of their interests are <br />shared, while some interests are not. But the assumption is: in order to <br />find a workable solution, we've got to come up with a solution that meets <br />all these interests. That solution may look nothing like what each group <br />thought it needed when the process started, but at the end all groups <br />agree their needs have been met. <br />Steps in Collaborative Problem Solving <br />In somewhat more detail, here are the steps in the collaborative problem <br />solving process: <br />Agree on a Decision - Making Process <br />The first step is to agree on how you'll go about reaching an agreement -- <br />some variant on the steps outlined here. Essentially what you're after is <br />getting buy -in from everyone that they'll work collaboratively. Also, in the <br />beginning, there's a great deal of mistrust, so people are fearful that one <br />side or other will manipulate or misuse the process for their ends. By <br />agreeing on the process, everybody is satisfying themselves that they're <br />playing on a level field (e.g the process is equally fair to everybody). <br />Agreeing on the process also covers concerns like: <br />• Putting limits on discussions with the media while problem solving is <br />going on. <br />65 - <br />