Building Consensus

This year I have been chair of a major University committee, the Board of Scrutiny. All members are drawn from the University's governing body, the Regent House, and elected in a ballot of all Regents (a constituency of about 4,000 academic and academic related staff). The Board acts as the University's internal watchdog body. It has wide ranging powers and generally meets in camera with senior figures such as the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrary to question them on a variety of subjects. Operationally is very much like a Parliamentary select committee.

In addition to chairing the meetings, which can be tricky, the chair also has to orchestrate the drafting of the Board's annual Report (which does have a capital 'R'). This goes to the University Council and is the published in The Reporter with the Council's response. The chair also deals with more mundane aspects of the Board - catering arrangements (I will remain silent on just how many contradictory dietary requirements I've been juggling), venue bookings (including last minute changes due to room booking clashes) and the fun that a change in VAT rules caused leading to an immediate 20% reduction in the the spending power available (more negotiations with caterers).

The Report is our final deliverable. There have been drafting meetings where the main themes of the Report are discussed. Members of the Board work together on certain areas and bring back draft text to larger meetings at which it is all discussed. There are disagreements to be aired, middle ground to be found and compromises brokered. On a number of occasions I have found myself treading a fine and diplomatic line between diametrically opposed views expressed in a forthright manner.

At the end of this all members of the Board sign an agreed Report. Reaching this consensus takes time, people need to have their say and it can be hard work. This week we finally reached that consensus. It took one more meeting than originally planned. Not everyone could attend the final session, the important part was scheduling it so that those still at odds could attend, air and resolve the remaining differences. The next few days will be spent tracking down the last stragglers who need to physically sign the Report now that everyone is content with its text. The Report will be published next term, and then it is someone else's turn to take up the baton of chairing the Board.