How to get results from a committee you appoint
Committees are frequently criticised for their inability to accomplish a great deal, for being costly and time-consuming, for being unable to reach decisions, and for often producing mediocre decisions. A committee's success or failure can often be traced back to the experience of the manager who appoints it and the extent to which the following guidelines are adhered to...
1. Be sure you really need that committee.
Sometimes the use of a committee is not the best means of tackling a particular task you have isolated. It might be wise not to use a committee if…
- you already have a solution, have made a decision, or will be hesitant about accepting the committee's recommendation. Remember, people resent spending valuable energy and time producing the axiomatic.
- there is not enough time or expertise available for the committee to operate effectively.
- the matter cannot be handled by group discussion. For example, policy formulation, problem solving, and planning are appropriate activities for a committee; managerial functions or research may be inappropriate.
In such cases, you might consider an alternative process, such as a survey, delegation, consultancy, or a task force.
2. Define the assignment specifically.
A committee must clearly know its purpose, as defined in written terms of reference, which in turn must be translated into a set of tasks or goals for completion within a set timeframe. Unless the committee's parameters and authority are specified, the members may not know whether they are responsible for a decision, a recommendation, or merely inconclusive deliberation. To whom will the committee be reporting? By when? How will it report? What resources are available?
Try to resolve such matters before the first meeting is held.
3. Choose your chairperson carefully.
The chairperson is the key to avoiding many of the criticisms of committee work. An effective chair plans for meetings, prepares and distributes agendas and supporting material, presents proposals for discussion and action, conducts meetings efficiently, and guides the thinking of committee members. A committee's success is clearly linked to the skill of its chairperson.
