Some of the
guidelines to make committees effective are as follows:
Authority': A committee's authority should be spelled out so that the members
know whether their responsibility is to make decisions or recommendations or
-merely deliberate and give the chairperson some insights into the issue under
discussion.
Size: Of a committee is very important. The complexity of interrelationships
greatly increases with the size of the group. If the group is too large, there
may not be enough opportunities for adequate communication among its members.
On the other hand if the group is too small, say 3 people. There is a
possibility that two may form a coalition against the third member. As a
general rule, a committee should be large enough to promote deliberation and
include the breadth of expertise required for the job but not so large as to
waste time or foster indecision.
Membership: The members of a committee must be selected carefully. If the
committee is to be effective the members must be representative of the
interests they are expected to serve. They must also possess the required
authority and be able to perform well in a group. In addition, the members
should have the capacity to communicate well and reaching group decisions by
integrated group thinking than by inappropriate compromise
Subject Matter: Committee work should be limited to subject matter that can be
handled in group discussion. Certain kinds of subjects lend themselves to
committee action while others do not. Committees will be more effective if an
agenda and relevant information are circulated well in advance so that the
members can study the subject matter before the meeting.
Chairperson: Selection of the chairperson is crucial for an effective committee
meeting. Such a person can avoid the wastes and drawbacks of committees by
planning the meeting preparing the agenda, seeing that the results of research
are available to the members ahead of time, formulating definite proposals for discussion
or action, and conducting the meeting effectively. The chairperson sets the
tone of the meeting, integrates the ideas and keeps the discussion from.
Wandering.
Minutes: Effective communication in committees usually required circulating
minutes and checking conclusions. As times, individuals leave a meeting with
varying interpretations as to what agreements were reached. This can be avoided
by taking careful minutes of the meeting and circulating them in draft form for
correction or modification before the final copy is approved by the committee
Cost effectiveness: A committee must be worth its cost. It may be difficult to
count the benefits, especially intangible facts such as morale, enhanced status
of committee members and the committee's value as a training device to enhance
teamwork. But the committee can be justified only if the costs are offset by
tangible and intangible benefits.
guidelines to make committees effective are as follows:
Authority': A committee's authority should be spelled out so that the members
know whether their responsibility is to make decisions or recommendations or
-merely deliberate and give the chairperson some insights into the issue under
discussion.
Size: Of a committee is very important. The complexity of interrelationships
greatly increases with the size of the group. If the group is too large, there
may not be enough opportunities for adequate communication among its members.
On the other hand if the group is too small, say 3 people. There is a
possibility that two may form a coalition against the third member. As a
general rule, a committee should be large enough to promote deliberation and
include the breadth of expertise required for the job but not so large as to
waste time or foster indecision.
Membership: The members of a committee must be selected carefully. If the
committee is to be effective the members must be representative of the
interests they are expected to serve. They must also possess the required
authority and be able to perform well in a group. In addition, the members
should have the capacity to communicate well and reaching group decisions by
integrated group thinking than by inappropriate compromise
Subject Matter: Committee work should be limited to subject matter that can be
handled in group discussion. Certain kinds of subjects lend themselves to
committee action while others do not. Committees will be more effective if an
agenda and relevant information are circulated well in advance so that the
members can study the subject matter before the meeting.
Chairperson: Selection of the chairperson is crucial for an effective committee
meeting. Such a person can avoid the wastes and drawbacks of committees by
planning the meeting preparing the agenda, seeing that the results of research
are available to the members ahead of time, formulating definite proposals for discussion
or action, and conducting the meeting effectively. The chairperson sets the
tone of the meeting, integrates the ideas and keeps the discussion from.
Wandering.
Minutes: Effective communication in committees usually required circulating
minutes and checking conclusions. As times, individuals leave a meeting with
varying interpretations as to what agreements were reached. This can be avoided
by taking careful minutes of the meeting and circulating them in draft form for
correction or modification before the final copy is approved by the committee
Cost effectiveness: A committee must be worth its cost. It may be difficult to
count the benefits, especially intangible facts such as morale, enhanced status
of committee members and the committee's value as a training device to enhance
teamwork. But the committee can be justified only if the costs are offset by
tangible and intangible benefits.
