Decision-Making Processes

THESE ARE THREE POSSIBLE WAYS of making decisions:

1) voting based on majority,

2) ranked choice voting in which people rank their preferences and the most preferred option is chosen even if it is not necessarily the majority’s first choice,

3) consensus in which everyone must come to an agreement.

Each of these has its own advantages and disadvantages as laid out below. While not all decisions need to be made in the same way, they should all seek to be as democratic as possible and to involve as many of those who are impacted by the decisions as possible.

When should we use each method?

Decisions can be made through various ways. Although consensus is generally preferred, not all decisions require this involved process. In order to select the right method, consider the gravity of the decision, its impact on the organization and its urgency. Not everyone may need to participate in these processes.

Consensus should be the default method of decisionmaking within the Board. Other non-critical decisions may not need community approval and can be based on the assumption of competency.

How about a quorum?

The quorum, the minimum number of people required for a decision (voting or consensus) to be valid, will change based on the type of decision being made. The more people the decision affects, the larger the quorum must be. In some decisions only the Board of Directors will need to approve. In major decisions, such as concerning infrastructural changes, which affect more members, a larger quorum will be necessary. At least two-thirds of the people affected should be involved in every decision.