The Role of Consensus in Business

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Understanding consensus and its role in a business
As mentioned earlier in the introduction, consensus is a general agreement that is made within different groups. Consensus is another word for consent, which means to give permission. It is part of the process of decision-making where everyone within the group has a say and agrees to support a decision in the best interest of the business as a whole. Consensus builds a relationship within the workforce and this helps them find a solution that meets the needs of the group and work together to strategically make the best decision suited for the company.

Consensus can work in different surroundings, whether it is a small or a large business, or even in a local community. The end goal is the same for them all, to come to a general agreement within the group, even though the procedure of consensus may differ depending on the size of the business.

How consensus influences business decision-making in the strategic environment
Consensus is a very important part in a business and it is a very powerful process, which can be overlooked. If a company wants to generate high quality decisions and are willing to invest time in creating a plan or a proposal then the company will be assisted from the use of consensus. This allows all group members to be a part of the decision-making process when for example issues are to be addressed.

“Consensus decision-making has a rich history dating back to early Native American societies, as well as the Quaker tradition.” (Extension.umn.edu, 2007)
This quote shows the effectiveness of consensus as it has been used for decades and demonstrates the importance it is for a firm to include consensus decision-making in its plans when a certain change is to be...

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Knight, D., Pearce, C. L., Smith, K. G., Olian, J. D., Sims, H. P., Smith, K. A. and Flood, P. 1999. Top management team diversity, group process, and strategic consensus. Strategic Management Journal, 20 (5), pp. 445--465.

Management.Net, �. 2014. Summary of the Strategic Alignment Model by Venkatraman. Abstract. [online] Available at: http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_venkatraman_strategic_alignment.html (Management.Net, 2014)
Palgrave-journals.com. 2014. [online] Available at: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jit/journal/v22/n4/images/2000109f2.gif

Wiley, J. 1999. [online] Available at: http://web.cgu.edu/faculty/pearcec/TMT_diversity.pdf

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