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Introduction:
People on opposite sides of a contentious issue working
together for long periods of time are likely to change their mode of interaction.
Frank Dukes, director of the Institute for Environmental
Negotiation at the University of Virginia, recounts a case in which a group
of people trying to build consensus about a highway expansion eventually began to work
as a team.
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This rough transcript provides a text alternative to audio. We apologize for occasional errors and unintelligible sections (which are marked with ???).
Transformation
Frank Dukes
Director, Institute for Environmental Negotiation, University of Virginia
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Another example
might be looking at another one our rather longer processes that was a two year
consensus building process involving a citizen advisory group that was set up
because they were fighting the department of transportation, who apparently had
plans to create an expansion to a highway that would take some portion of a
park. There were three interstate highways that were coming together at this one
point that was about a mile or so in area and quite congested, and a park that
was right there. After 22 meetings, during the last meeting, there had been a
person who hadn't been participating regularly, but was in the group that came
and said he voted to block consensus. Everyone else had supported it. To see the
strength and power of the process from the people who had been meeting all this
time who were saying that we are going to meet consensus, we are going to
satisfy this persons needs and we're going to address our needs. We aren't going
to waste our time here. By virtue of the fact that they had worked together so
well, and learned from each other, and cared for each other, these people were
able to make that commitment, and instead of just attacking the individual, or
the people who supported him. They said, "I'm going to join this
person." They addressed his concerns, and asked, "What is it that you
need?" What would be effective for you? It was very powerful, more than if
we had done it as facilitators. They were able to address his concern and to
reach full consensus of the group, which was a very powerful moment after 22
months of going to once a month meetings, and some public meetings added on to
that too.
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