The voice of the minority - Deep Democracy Workshop

At Issuemakers we believe it is important to continue to develop ourselves, so that we can continue to advise and collaborate optimally. As part of this self-development, we as a team followed the 'Deep Democracy' workshop. The workshop was given by Amir Nazar, a public sector governance and change expert, who introduced himself as a dialogue facilitator.

Despite what the name may imply, the workshop was not about democracy in the literal sense of the word. The workshop was about the deeper conversation: how the voice of the minority can be included in decision-making. The theme of the workshop was: “In order to make peace, make war”. This aroused the interest of many colleagues, as it is so different from the traditional way of decision-making, where harmony and connection are often sought.

According to Amir, the key to success lies in listening to the voice of the minority. This is the only way to get everyone on the same page. It is precisely that minority that can ultimately sabotage. This “line of sabotage” has several phases. The first phase is the mutual jokes of the minority about the decisions of the majority, the last phase is war between the minority and the majority. Amir explained that the majority can impose its will on the minority and silence them, but that this does not make the voice of the minority disappear. This voice disappears beneath the surface and that is precisely where it is given the space to grow further. And like most things that disappear into the water, those voices eventually surface again. It is important to recognize the conflicts and look for a solution in the conflict. The key word here is listening.

At Issuemakers we recognize this process. However, it is difficult to listen to all voices within the decision-making process. After all, is every opinion worth the same? What role does hierarchy play in this decision-making? Amir has given us tools to approach these issues differently in the future. The main point of this advice is that it is necessary to collect all angles, opinions and perspectives. Because the wisdom of the minority - even if it only comes from one person - can also be valuable. It is therefore important to include that wisdom in decision-making. The fact is that ultimately a decision has to be made and probably not everyone will agree with it. In that situation, on the one hand, it is important to emphasize that there is a majority that makes the decisions and on the other hand, it is essential to ask what the minority needs to go along with the chosen decision.

The core of this workshop was not to avoid conflicts, but to enter into them. This can create a collaboration that is ultimately more successful than a collaboration with dormant conflicts. This new perspective is relevant for us, but also for our clients, because it offers the opportunity to achieve sustainable cooperation with all stakeholders