Whenever decisions need to be made in a democratic fashion, while all parties sincerely desire to arrive at the same goal, several divergent opinions arise as to how to get there. There are particular dynamics behind these divergences of methods. Two of them I would coin as the “saw,” and the “scalpel.” Cutting out a blemish in the wood with a saw does the job quickly and effectively while creating much waste in the form of wood tearing and dust. Making an incision in a human body with a scalpel requires skill, patience, but cuts exactly what needs to be cut out, no more, no less. It is easy to want to adopt the “saw” approach. It cuts right through the issue. Using a scalpel requires us taking the time to really measure each argument to the fraction of millimeter so we do not create waste in the form of ignoring people power. This has the potential to also take us on a never-ending merry-go-around that can stalemate our decision-making process. When making decisions then it is first important to decide what it is that we are “cutting.” Is it something we don’t mind to waste or precious material that we don’t want to hurt or lose? In the case of wood, we don’t really care about the wood dust, but when it comes to humans, we have to be very precise. Of course, in the case of decision-making we are talking about people, and people who are honest, willing, devoted, and dedicated, are the most important commodity of all. Retention and participation is much higher when people feel included as a part of the decision-making process and that their opinion matters. So which is it? The saw or the scalpel? Both have a cost. One in time, the other in people. Maybe that’s a new twist on the concept of, “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost ...,?” (Luke 14:28)
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