a method to avoid getting work done
As in “getting a consensus” at a meeting. Instead of somebody just taking responsibility and making a decision, they group will try (fruitlessly) for the course of either a dozen meetings or a dozen weeks (whichever is longer) to reach a consensus that isn’t possible.
Eventually, the group will replace membership enough that the only remaining individual from the original group will be declared a leader and will have their suggestions followed. This is because all the new people will assume the original group acheived a consensus.