Group Conscience - by Robert P.

Contents

• Preface

• Introduction

• Description

• References

• Examples

  • Example 1: Holiday Schedule

  • Example 2: Contribution to the Area Convention

Preface

The opinions expressed herein are my own, speaking from my own experience, strength and hope as a member of a twelve-step fellowship. My goal in creating this paper is to describe the decision making process known as a “group conscience.” My motivation is to provide information to members that want to learn about this technique.

Introduction

A group conscience is an essential tool that allows a group to remain united, make decisions and not succumb to “governance.”

Steps toward a group conscience:

1. Openly announce the topic.

2. Give all members time to consider the topic and seek guidance from their higher power.

3. Set a time for the group to gather and assess the conscience of the group.

   1. Announce the topic.

   2. Select a servant leader to facilitate the discussion.

   3. Allow every member to express their understanding of the topic.

   4. Assess the group and see if there is unity.

      1. If everyone is willing to support a decision even if they were not originally in favor, then a consensus is reached.

      2. If consensus is not clear, then patiently wait for higher power’s will to be clear.

Description

The core element in a group conscience is a sincere desire to find higher power’s guidance for the group. As we have learned in our own recovery, higher power cannot be rushed. Most of us have also learned that when we leap ahead without higher power’s guidance, we often regret our haste.

A group conscience is an effort to achieve unity. The group conscience gives every member equal voice - not as an expression of self-will, but as a representative of higher power’s will for the group. Just as trusted servants do not govern, so too, the majority do not govern a group. And while higher power’s will is often expressed in the opinion of the majority, it is also tempting for the majority to express self-will rather than higher power’s will.

References

Alcoholics Anonymous; 2005; The Group; Where it all begins; https://www.aa.org/sites/default/files/literature/assets/p-16_theaagroup.pdf. This pamphlet includes guidance on many topics, including the group conscience.

• From page 28: “The group conscience is the collective conscience of the group membership and thus represents substantial unanimity on an issue before definitive action is taken.”

• Also from page 28: “On sensitive issues, the group works slowly—discouraging formal motions until a clear sense of its collective view emerges.”

• From page 29: “Arriving at an informed group conscience in big matters or small is a process that may take some time. But it is important that the minority, or dissenting, views be heard along with those of the majority. In some instances, they may even turn the tide.”

Alcoholics Anonymous, Area 57; 2005; Informed Group Conscience; https://aaoklahoma.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Informed-Group-Conscience.pdf. This is an excellent, one-page paper that describes the group conscience process.

• “The group conscience strives for unanimity (the state of being unanimous) through group enlightenment, spirituality and adherence to our Steps, Traditions and Concepts.”

• “It is suggested that the Chairman call on every member in turn, allowing 2-3 minutes for each to speak.  No member should speak a second time until all have had their turn. This gives even the quietest person an equal chance.  The Chairperson expresses his opinion only after all the others have spoken.”

Big Book Sponsorship; 2017; Tradition Two: Group Conscience or Mob Rule?; BigBookSponsorship.com; https://bigbooksponsorship.org/articles-alcoholism-addiction-12-step-program-recovery/twelve-traditions-group-conscience-mob-rule/tradition-group-conscience-mob-rule/. An excellent collection of quotes from AA, NA and CA conference approved literature organized by topic.

Narcotics Anonymous; 2002; Guide to Local Services in Narcotics Anonymous; Narcotics Anonymous; https://www.na.org/admin/include/spaw2/uploads/pdf/GLS_2005.pdf.

• From page 9: “As we steadily apply spiritual principles in our lives, our decisions and actions increasingly become less motivated by self-interest and more motivated by what our conscience tells us is good and right.”

• Also from page 9: “Just as we seek the strongest possible spiritual unity in Narcotics Anonymous, so in our decision-making we seek unanimity, not merely a majority vote. The more care we take in our considerations, the more likely we are to arrive at unanimity, and no vote will be needed to help us translate our group conscience into a collective decision.”

• From page 10: “Group conscience is the means by which we collectively invite the ongoing guidance of a Higher Power in making decisions.”

• From page 13: “In any discussion, it is tempting to ignore dissenting members, especially if the vast majority of members think alike. Yet it is often the lone voice, offering new information or a unique perspective on things that saves us from hasty or misinformed decisions.”

• On page 14 there is advice to those who previously expressed dissent: “Half-hearted support of or outright resistance to such a decision runs contrary to our principles of surrender and acceptance.”

Nar-Anon; 2016; Nar-Anon Family Groups' Guide to Local Services; Nar-Anon; https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53714efae4b0db8de8cdfaf8/t/57eeeac31b631b0bd9fe9600/1475275460886/S-300-16-09-20-Guide+to+Local+Services.pdf.

• From page 4-4: “A group conscience is the collective viewpoint on matters affecting the group.”

Examples

Example 1: Holiday Schedule

The group secretary mentioned during the Secretary’s Report that there was a holiday that would conflict with a future meeting date. Several members suggested the meeting should “go dark” and not be held on that day. The secretary suggested that this would be a good topic for a group conscience and asked all members to think about what is best for the group. All agreed to hold a business meeting in two weeks to discuss their options.

The next week the group secretary reminded the members that there would be a business meeting the following week to discuss what to do about the meeting scheduled for the holiday date.

The week after that the group secretary asked everyone to stay after the regular meeting for a business meeting to decide what to do regarding the conflict between the holiday and the meeting schedule.

After the regular meeting ended, a business meeting was called to order. One member asked for a quick show of hands from the members that could not be there on the holiday. Most of the members raised their hand. And this member suggested the discussion was over because no one would be at the meeting anyway. The secretary explained that a group conscience is not just a majority vote, but an expression of higher power’s guidance for the group. Two members then said that they were both available to lead the meeting on the holiday and asked the group to let them keep the meeting open for newcomers that might show up in dire need of a meeting.

Without voting, the group found consensus in the idea that these two members would open the room and hold a meeting on the holiday. The group found higher power’s leading when they focused, not on their needs, but on what would best serve the newcomers.

Example 2: Contribution to the Area Convention

For several weeks, a group had been collecting funds for an Area Convention. The group treasurer announced in the meeting that a total of $150 had been collected for the Area Convention, beyond the Seventh Tradition contributions needed to run the group. The treasurer asked for permission to send this extra money to the Area Convention committee. The members agreed that this was not an appropriate topic for the regular meeting but should be discussed in a business meeting after the regular meeting ended.

Once the regular meeting ended, the group treasurer asked everyone to stay a few minutes to authorize sending the money to the Area Convention committee. The members discussed the request. Many members felt that since their group had raised the funds and their group was short on literature, it would be better to buy more literature for the group instead. The treasurer and a few other members reminded everyone that this money had been donated specifically for the Area Convention and was separate from the Seventh Tradition. However, the only consensus the group could reach was to postpone the decision until a later time.

The group service representative used her time in the next several meetings to explain the concept of service beyond the group level. Her goal was to help members understand the issue so they could make an informed decision.

A few weeks later the group treasurer asked for another business meeting to discuss the funds that had been collected for the Area Convention. Once the regular meeting closed, a business meeting was called to order. Many members expressed the opinion that the money should be used for the group. A few members explained that they had not understood there were service structures beyond the group and now understood why the groups need to support their Area and Region. The group voted to make a contribution to the Area Convention committee.

However, many members still did not understand the importance of service beyond the group. When another money issue arose a few months later, several members left the group and did not return.

More Thoughts regarding the Group Conscience

A “group conscience” is a tool that helps organizations make decisions. Most members come into our fellowship assuming we run our groups, areas, regions and world like a business. We do not - we run our fellowships with the least amount of organization possible.

One way to illustrate the group conscience is to show what it is not. It is not a monarchy or oligarchy. It is not a form of representation nor is it a form of democracy. It is different. I will try to illustrate this by first describing the other techniques and then describing the group conscience itself.

The oldest form of governance is a monarchy. Many modern organizations run like a monarchy. One person makes a decision and everyone else follows. This is very important in organizations, like the military, where delay can be disastrous. This is also common in groups dominated by one person with a strong personality.

An oligarchy is when a small group of individuals share power. We see this occasionally in groups where only the old timers stay for the business meeting. As trusted servants, we rely on their wisdom and experience. And yet, no matter how well those trusted servants seek to serve, they do not speak for the group.

A representative form of governance is like an oligarchy, with one exception. The members of the oligarchy select themselves. Those that govern  in a republic are selected by the members. Most fellowships use a representative organization for service beyond the group. Groups elect Group Service Representatives. Areas and Regions elect officers. And those trusted servants represent their groups. But that is not how groups work. Representative organizations are just a convenience necessitated because all of the members of the area, region or world cannot conveniently sit together and decide what is best. A group can ask for unanimous attendance, a region cannot.

From what I have seen, healthy groups often evolve through these forms of organization. First, the newcomers assume that whoever started the group will be responsible for all the decisions - a monarch. As more members get involved, they tend to form a small clique - an oligarch. Eventually the group elects trusted servants - and then it is not uncommon for the members to abandon their responsibilities and assume that the trusted servants will represent their interests. Some groups find a way to encourage participation from as many members as possible. Typically those members then assume they are part of a democracy.

The weakness with any monarch, oligarch or representative is that no person really understands what all of the members think. A democracy is stronger than the other alternatives because more voices are heard. More brains work together to find solutions. However, the weakness in a democracy is that the “majority” become an oligarchy. And, while it is easier to recognize why one person should not make all the decisions for five million, we often fail to see that five people should also not make the decisions for nine.

All of these organizational approaches can be spiritually led. The monarch, oligarchs, representatives and the majority may all believe that they are following higher power’s guidance. However, sometimes the perceived urgency of the situation is such that the organization will make a decision before higher power’s guidance has become evident.

The core element in a group conscience is a sincere desire to find higher power’s guidance for the group coupled with the patience to wait for that revelation. As we have learned in our own recovery, higher power cannot be rushed. Most of us have also learned that when we leap ahead without higher power’s guidance, we often regret our haste. Many organizations want faster results. Many businesses, for example, want instantaneous decisions. Complex decisions, such as how to run a computer network, are typically made by oligarchs of specialists. Representation is used in fellowship simply because it is beyond our human abilities to collect and process thousands of opinions, unless those opinions can be simplified down to yes and no decisions. Voting allows a democracy to get input from all of the members. But an organization that uses the group conscience process is not a democracy.

A group conscience is an effort to achieve unity. The group conscience gives every member equal voice - not as an expression of self-will, but as a representative of higher power’s will for the group. Just as trusted servants do not govern, so too, the majority do not govern a group. And while higher power’s will is often expressed in the opinion of the majority, it is also tempting for the majority to express self-will rather than higher power’s will. Thus, a group conscience is not a democratic vote.

Voting can be used in a group conscience as a tool to assess consensus. The goal, however, is consensus. And consensus is expressed either through unanimity, or through active agreement by all. A democracy asks the minority to silently go along with the majority opinion. A group consensus asks the majority to listen to the minority and assure that the minority concerns are addressed.

The key to a group consensus is for all to listen to their higher power. The goal is to find higher power’s will for the group. And higher power does not have a different vision for the group on Tuesdays than on Thursdays. The belief is that when higher power’s will is revealed, then it will seem obvious to all that they have arrived at the right decision.

Seeking higher power’s will requires patience and humility. Groups often rush their decision and go back to a democratic vote or another more primitive form or organization. Seeking higher power’s will takes time.