The R.U.G.A. Consensus Model

What is a model?  

It is a kind of a prototype or an object used as an example to follow or used as a basis for imitation.

I view it as a form or pattern for doing something. It could also be taken as a “best practice” or an acceptable procedure for getting things done in a particular professional context. However, a best practice does not imply rigidity or inflexibility. A best practice should not suggest that it is the “only acceptable way" of doing something. A best practice, as its terminology implies tends to suggest that “this way or practice has been proven to be always effective or successful”.

However, in a fast-paced and dynamic social, environmental or commercial contexts, “best practices” or “models" should be reviewed for suitability with the current dynamics. Hence, the need for making mental adjustments, otherwise known as “paradigm shifts" from time to time.

Where do we derive “best practice models" from? Some are derived from the practices of “industry leaders”, others are derived from “breakthrough research discoveries” and others are derived from “highly successful individuals” who have the genius of making success in different fields of life.  

In adopting a particular “model" or “best practice”, the human mind must be impacted. Where I hail from, the Igbos have an established “framework” of business apprenticeship which is an informal way of transferring business practices or business acumen from one generation to another. So, though an Igbo business apprentice might not have an MBA from a formal university, he has acquired the knowledge, skills and experience to compete and even exceed his formally educated counterparts. Why? Because through actual practice, he has gained competence by learning “best practices" from his “master" or “mentor". So, his ability to sift through business challenges and opportunities by adjusting and “adapting" his mental models created his competitive advantage through the art of flexibility and agility.

For instance, in project management,employee performance management and personal development planning  , while setting goals or objectives, it is usually prescribed to employ the S.M.A.R.T where S stands for Specific, M is Measurable, A is Attainable or Achievable ,R is Relevant and T is Time-bound.

The reason SMART is considered a best practice model is because it has been proven to always achieve results. But a best practice model does not work if it is not established in the human mind or the “Artificial intelligence” mind. The reason it is a model is because it should guide the “behaviour” of all entities in the organisation. The reality of life is that each individual has acquired belief systems and idiosyncrasies that aligns with or counters any “best practice model" and this is the reason for “flexibility” in the adoption of best practice models. For instance, work ethic could be perceived differently by a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist or a Hindu. Each possess their foundational belief systems that “sifts" whatever model is presented or prescribed.

Over the years, I have seen multi-million dollar projects come to successful closure, others partially successful and yet other fail woefully. Usually, I perform a “post mortem” or post evaluation for projects that I participate in. For most projects that experience great difficulties due to lack of “goal alignment” amongst stakeholders or those that performed very well, it all had to do with “mental models" embedded in each stakeholder. These mental models either cooperated with or clashed with the overall vision or goal of the projects. Some professionals often possess the myth that being successful in project management had to do with acquiring some project management certificates like PMP, Prince2 or any other industry-recognized certification. But they become disillusioned, when they move into a different social context and wonder why their “PMP models" delivered failure instead of success. That's the reality of complex and multi-disciplinary projects. The key to success is to recognize the “diversity” in each stakeholder orientation as to “best practice”. How does each stakeholder esteem value? This is the essence for understanding “Hofstede Cultural Dimensions". Do you assume that the Chinese on your team perceives value in the same way as the American or British or the Indian or the Arab or the Jew?

I hereby introduce to you what I have coined as the “R.U.G.A" model. What is the RUGA model? Please do not panic, because I have no “Fulanization Agenda" so please stop the agitation right there! Any semblance with what you are currently thinking in your mind is simply a matter of coincidence. My “R.U.G.A model" is a mnemonic or acronym meaning R-reach, U- Unambiguous, G- Goal-Oriented and A- Actionable. It is not a model intended to compete with or override existing best practice models. This model is a model I prescribe for “collaboration” or For “Consensus Forming". It’s a model which should be embedded in the mind when you find yourself in diverse social contexts such as Nigeria (Africa), China (Asia) or the US (The West).

This model or framework should help you facilitate “consensus decision-making" that is a catalyst for very successful project executions. Your authority is not enough to guarantee “buy in" from stakeholders and achieve cohesion towards project success.

R – Reach. Make the commitment to reach Consensus.  Each member or stakeholder should be allowed to air their views as well as reservations about reasons or reservations about the project in terms of requirements, scope, resources, time, etc. Through active listening let everyone learn to understand the others point of view, biases or beliefs. However, overall success of the project should be paramount in each one.

U – Unambiguous. You need to check for agreement. Does everyone have a common understanding of the project goal, proposal or vision? If not, have you identified areas of disagreement, objections and reservations? Do we all have a common understanding of terminologies? If not, have you created the opportunity for every member to declare their viewpoints or standpoints?

G - Goal-Oriented. Establish that everyone has a Common Goal. Are there areas where “conflict of interest” opportunities exist? Have you created a conducive atmosphere where all can declare their potential or existing “conflicts of interest” without fear?

A – Actionable. Implement the consensus decision by assigning tasks and timelines.

A consensus decision-making model such as the “RUGA model" involves a lot of brainstorming but is very effective for multi-stakeholder, cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary complex projects because you are able to achieve 99.99% buy-in from all team members who will in turn reward you with commitment for project execution excellence.

Happy New Year in Advance!