Putting Step 8 into Practice

Putting Step #8 into Practice

1. Tabulate the secret ballots on the Solution Finder chart. For each ballot, mark one tick in the first-choice column for the option circled on the ballot. Follow the row over from the first choice and put tick marks in the columns for the other acceptable alternatives on the ballot. (See Figure 14.)

   Solution Finder
   1st Choice	(acceptable alternative) A	(acceptable alternative) B	(acceptable alternative) C	(acceptable alternative) D
   A
   B
   C
   D

   
   Figure 14: Use a chart like this to tabulate results and find solutions.

2. Look for the best solution. When you look at the results, determine whether there is a clear first choice. Frequently, most, if not all, participants list the same option. If that's not the case, check whether the sum of the first-choice votes for an option and the listings of the option as an acceptable alternative include votes from all the participants. Such a choice would likely be a good solution.

3. Explore the possibility of incorporating attributes from other favored solutions. Examine closely the other options that received first-choice votes. What features do they offer that might be incorporated in the desired solution?

4. Identify an alternative solution. Which other option has broad support? Take time to develop this alternative to the point that the participants would support its implementation if the preferred solution became less desirable.

5. Confirm the preferred solution and the alternative solution with all participants. Although some participants may not have listed the solutions that the group chose as their first choice, or even as an acceptable choice, determine whether they can support the decisions reached as the legitimate result of a process they followed together.

BE AN AGENT OF HOPE

A picture is worth a thousand words. Use the Solution Finder to let the results speak for themselves and guide participants to select and improve upon desirable choices.