Prallaxis Member Community – Consultation

Consultation

To clarify what consultation means, here’s a paraphrase of its definition. The original is from the Cambridge Dictionary: Consultation is the practice of holding a meeting for a specific purpose to share information and voice opinions on a particular topic, to gain a clearer understanding of the problem, and to aid decision-making.

Process

This definition says nothing about the process, the primary intent, or the goal of consultation, which is to make quality decisions based on unity of purpose. Below, we present our expanded view of consultation in the Prallagon context, which complements the guidance provided in the previously published Prallaxis Member Community – The Axis of Synthesis.

Preparation

Each member acquires a frame of mind based on pre-Forum preparation that includes familiarizing oneself with the organization, concepts, principles, processes, procedures, and programs of Prallaxis, Praxis-Nexus, and their parent organization, the Prallagon Consulting Group. This provides an understanding of what will be required to achieve quality decision-making.

Key point—Set ground rules. The chairperson charges the group with recommending processes and procedures to achieve the forum’s stated objectives. These are then presented for group discussion and implemented by agreement.

Discussion

• Provide pre-workup: Distribute relevant data, documents, or a summary of the problem(s) beforehand to ensure everyone acquires the same information.
• Identify the Core Issue: Clearly define the problem. Avoid the propensity for a subjective solution. Focus on finding the root cause of the problem, the facts, not just the symptoms.
• Gain an understanding of each group member to help the group choose a facilitator. The group will consist of 4-6 people, as a smaller group allows for more in-depth, focused interaction.
• Explicit rules for interaction: No interrupting, one person speaks at a time, and directs their response not to a particular person but to the chairperson, the one responsible for guiding the discussion. This means to manage one’s ego.

All contributions to the discussion are immediately released from personal ownership. They now become the group’s property, to be dissected and adjusted as needed to reach a proper conclusion.

Conclusions and decision-making are based on consensus; strive for majority agreement.