The losers are generally not committed to carrying out the decision. You may have made a great decision, but because all members are not on board, implementation may be shaky at best. When you need commitment, ownership, and smooth implementation, use the consensus process. It's time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, but in the long run it's well worth the effort. Let's take a look at the consensus decision-making process.
Many people misunderstand it.
For starters, if you have unanimous agreement you obviously have consensus, but unanimous agreement is not necessary for consensus. I take it a step further. In other words, team members may disagree with the decision, but if they agree to give it their full support, you have reached consensus. Both the majority and the minority share responsibility for building support for the final decision. The majority must make a concerted effort to understand the concerns of the minority.