Quick Facts...
- There are at least three ways families can make decisions in their
family meetings—autocratically, democratically, and by consensus.
- Reaching consensus is useful with major family decisions. However,
it may be too time consuming to use with smaller decisions where an
autocratic or democratic decision-making strategy can suffice.
- When one person has all the power in decision-making others may feel
discounted or disenfranchised because their beliefs and values are not
considered.
- Intergenerational families that use a consensus decision-making strategy
show improved family functioning, family satisfaction, self-esteem,
and family coping levels.
Drought, like other natural disasters, costs individuals and families
an incredible amount of worry, concern, stress, and money. Some farm and
ranch families have to make agonizing decisions about selling prized cattle
that three or four generations of their families worked hard to develop
because they do not have the resources to feed them anymore. Economic
costs of a drought include loss in tax dollars and increased food costs.
Making Sound Decisions
A recent sociological study was conducted from 1995 to 1997 where 103
adults on 56 farms were interviewed in two Australian states.2 Because
Australia has the lowest rainfall of any continent, drought is a significant
public issue.3 Only 11 percent of Australia has rainfall levels suited
to agriculture.4 Coloradoans can learn a great deal from the Australian
experience.
Rural Australia still has a patriarchal system of land tenure5
that is similar to much of Colorado. Researchers found that couples who
shared the stresses and hardships of drought through mutual decision-making
strengthened and supported their partnership and reduced their overwhelming
personal response to the disaster.6
Researchers also found that the roles of many women changed in response
to the increasing loss of farm/ranch productivity. It helped couples when
family members and external support agencies (e.g., counseling) recognized
and supported these role changes. Some women producers found a source
of strength in their gardens—a place of water, serenity, and greenness—and
in their faith and spirituality. In 21 interviews, the majority of the
women did not perceive themselves as the dominant decision-maker of major
property decisions during drought.7 None of the women reported either
making the decision alone or taking a lead in the decision. Three even
said they were not involved in the decision-making process at all. Eighteen
women reported they were partly involved in the decision-making. Three
of the men reported making decisions alone; and nine reported taking the
lead in decision-making. None of the men reported not being involved in
any stage of the decision-making process. The more the women were involved
in mutual decision-making, the stronger the partnership and the less overwhelming
couples found the drought to be.
Decision-making Styles
There are at least three ways families can make decisions in their family
meetings8—autocratically, democratically, and by consensus.
Some individual and family decisions are best made autocratically.
(For example, a grandfather who has always made the decisions about when
to buy and sell bulls, cows, and calves.) If an autocratic decision-making
style works well with no particular problems or resentments from other
major stakeholders in the family, then that’s okay. However, sometimes
in an intergenerational family business, as the second generation reaches
adulthood, they want to become more involved in the decision-making process.
Learning valuable decision-making skills when family members are young
eventually pays off for the older generation too. The older generation
can feel confident that their younger family member’s decisions are
sound so when they decide to transfer labor, management, and land to the
next generation, the family operation will continue successfully. However,
it is risky to wait too long with bringing the next generation into the
decision-making process because younger family members may choose other
occupations including off-farm employment. If you indefinitely avoid training
the next generation to make good decisions, you can cause high stress
and strain levels and assure the death of the family farm or ranch business.
In a family of 10 adults, where there is an autocratic decision maker,
there is the potential for up to nine family members to be unhappy with
the decision. Later if the decision appears to have been a bad one, there
can be as many as nine “saboteurs.” Later one to nine family
members can bring it up in devious ways that they did not agree with the
autocratic decision maker’s decision. This can lead to serious family
conflict and discord.
Oftentimes an autocratic decision-making style works, but sometimes it
does not. Family members in farming, ranching, and other businesses where
family members work, live, and play side-by-side sometimes experience
serious stress, anger, or depression. When one person has all the power
in decision-making others may feel discounted or disenfranchised because
their beliefs and values are not considered.
Some family decisions are best made democratically where
majority rules. Some families hold periodic meetings for a variety of
reasons—to celebrate birthdays and holidays or make small and large
decisions. When these families make a decision, because they have a shared
ownership, they use a democratic decision-making strategy. For example,
let’s say a family has 10 major adult stakeholders—grandma and
grandpa, dad and mom, three sons and daughters and their spouses. As this
family decides whether or not to sell the herd of 1,000 because they do
not have enough feed, the 10 family members use a democratic decision-making
process and a problem-solving strategy.
In a democratic decision-making family of 10 there is the potential for
one to four adult family members who are unhappy with the decision to
be “saboteurs” later if the decision appears to have been a
bad one.
What is a problem-solving strategy? A problem-solving strategy is when
a family identifies and writes down the specific problem. ( For example,
“We don’t have enough feed, and it is not cost-effective to
buy enough hay and feed for our herd of 1,000.” ) The family asks
each family member, “What do each of us really need or want related
to this specific problem?” They brainstorm and write down possible
solutions from all the family members without evaluating them at this
point. (For example, “Sell the entire herd. Sell part of the herd.
Ship them to greener pastures and later ship them back home.” ) Eventually
they have no more ideas to write down. Then the family evaluates the positive
and negative aspects of each brainstormed solution to the problem. Eventually
they identify the best solution(s),9(For example, “We
will sell all but the best 33 mother cows and 78 heifers in order to maintain
the core bloodlines, because we can afford to feed, water, and keep that
many.”) Then they put their best solution to a vote where the majority
rules. If six or more vote “Yes,” then the decision is made
democratically.
Often a democratic family decision-making style works, especially when
the viewpoints, values, and beliefs of all major adult stakeholders are
listened to, understood, and included. But sometimes in farm, ranch, and
other family businesses when family members work, live, and play side-by-side
day after day, some family members who were in the minority, who voted
against the decision, get their feelings hurt, get angry, get quiet, or
pull out from the operation either by clamming up or by physically leaving
it altogether.
Therefore families might consider using a consensus decision-making
strategy. Intergenerational ranch families that use a consensus decision-making
strategy show improved family functioning, family satisfaction, self-esteem,
family coping levels and reduced family strains, stress, and depression.10
Consensus is the process of communicating, problem solving, and negotiating
major issues until no family member has any major objections to the decision.
All the major stakeholders agree that they will live with the decision
and not sabotage it.
Deciding by consensus means talking, listening, and problem solving in
regular family meetings long enough until everyone agrees to live with
the decision. The family meeting leader might say, “I want to check
whether we have reached consensus. Does anyone have any major objections
to selling our 640-acre north farm? Will all of us agree to live with
the decision and not sabotage it?” Reaching consensus is useful with
major family decisions that affect all major stakeholders. However, it
may be too time consuming to use with small decisions where an autocratic
or democratic decision making strategy will often suffice.
Ways to Cope with Drought
- Make wise management decisions by choosing the best way to decide—
autocratically, democratically, or by consensus.
- Draw strength from places of peace—a garden, your faith, spirituality.
- Express affection to your spouse. Remember that your partner can be
your best ally. Make your relationship a positive strength that you
can count on. The two of you plus your kids can all work together to
solve your problem responses to the drought11—it’s not just
dad’s or mom’s problem.
- Plan family fun times each week.
- Remember to spend weekly one-on-one time with each family member.
Show them that they can count on you and your strength and resilience.
- Involve all major stakeholders in the decision-making process to reduce
stress and strain and ease the burden of responsibility.
- Talk about, acknowledge, and support changing roles for women and
men in maintaining your properties. Husbands, notice the vital role
your wife is playing and tell her how much you appreciate what she is
doing in ways that she will hear you.
- Practice effective communication by listening to what others say and
how they feel and by summarizing both to the speaker's satisfaction.
“It sounds like you’re worried that this drought may lead
us to have to cancel your 4-H Club trip to Washington because of lack
of money— did I hear you correctly?”
- Listen well to everyone’s ideas about how to cope well with the
problems associated with the drought—even the children.
- Use your family meetings to reach a shared family vision for what
all of you want for the farm/ranch family business in three to five
years. Write it in one sentence so it is easy to remember every day.
One Colorado ranch family’s shared vision was: “We want our
family ranching to be harmonious, consensual, enjoyable, and profitable.”12
- Doing the same thing and expecting different results is unrealistic.
- Hold regular family meetings to recognize achievements and accomplishments,
solve problems, create a shared family vision, and make wise decisions.
- Reach out to family, friends, and the community to seek the support
you need.
- Ask for what you want from the people who are likely to give it—you
just might get it!
- Empathize with others and offer emotional support. Listen well and
show that you care. Let them know it is okay to feel what they are feeling—it’s
what we do with that anger, depression, etc. that can harm us or others.
- Strive to understand different viewpoints. Imagine walking in their
shoes.
- Be hopeful. All of us have experienced crises and survived. Families
are resilient. They are survivors who may need to be reminded of their
strengths. Even with significant losses, people still have families
and friends who can make a difference.
References
2Stehlik, D., Gray, I., & Lawrence, G. (2000, March). Gender
and drought: Experiences of Australian women in the drought of the 1990s.
Disasters, 24(1), pp. 38-53. Retrieved February 28, 2003 from http://bll.epnet.com/...
3Gray, I., Stehlik, D., Lawrence, G., & Bulis, H. (1998).
Community, communion, and drought in rural Australia. Journal of the
Community Development Society, 29(1), 23-37.
4Lester, I. (1994). Australia’s food and nutrition.
Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
5See Poiner, G. (1990). The good old rule: Gender and other
power relationships in a rural community. Sydney: Sydney University
Press.
6Stehlik, Gray, & Lawrence, 2000.
7Stehlik, Gray, & Lawrence, 2000.
8For a 10-step, research-based fact sheet on how families can
host effective family meetings, ask your local county agent for, or download
from www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10249.html a copy of Manage
Anger Through Family Meetings (F.S. no. 10.249).
9For more problem-solving and conflict management steps, ask
your local county agent for, or download from www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10238.html
a copy of Dealing with Couples’ Anger (F.S. no. 10.238).
10Fetsch, R. J., & Zimmerman, T. S. (1999). Marriage and
family consultation with ranch and farm families: An empirical family case
study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 485-501. Zimmerman,
T. S., & Fetsch, R. J. (1994). Family ranching and farming: A consensus
management model to improve family functioning and decrease work stress.
Family Relations, 43, 125-131.
11For a copy of 24 steps that couples can use to strengthen their
relationships, ask your local county agent for, or download from www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10238.html
a copy of Dealing with Couples’ Anger (F.S. no. 10.238).
12Fetsch & Zimmerman, 1999, p. 489.
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