Starting a new project with a very diverse team, the project manager chooses consensus building so the team will agree on and engage with the execution approach. How should the project manager proceed?

Consensus building, in the context of project management, aims for general agreement among team members, not necessarily unanimity, but a state where everyone can support the decision and commit to it. This is best achieved through open discussion where different perspectives are heard, understood, and integrated to form a mutually acceptable solution. Majority vote (A) is a decision-making technique but does not guarantee consensus, as a significant minority might still disagree and not commit. Brainstorming sessions (C) are excellent for idea generation but are not a direct method for reaching consensus on an execution approach. Stream-of-consciousness contributions (D) might lead to a wide range of ideas but lack the structured discussion needed to converge on a shared agreement.