A committee is a group of people chosen to do a particular job, make decisions etc. They abound practically in every type of organization. They constitute an important part of the operation of every public sector organization, and are almost as particular in the private sector. But what characterizes a committee? The first thing that can be said about them is that they are formal groups with a chairman, an agenda and rules of conduct. Committees invariably have a specific task or set of tasks to achieve. These tasks are frequently, although not always, associated with decision-making. In fact, many committees are expressly forbidden from reaching decisions, for example joint consultative committees and advisory committees. Some committees meet regularly, for example monthly senior officers' committee in a public authority or a quarterly planning committee in a manufacturing company. Others meet for ad hoc purposes only, for example committees of enquiry set up by Parliament or steering committees set up to monitor short-term projects.
The following features characterize a committee more clearly:
—A chairman or chairperson, who is responsible for ensuring (a) that the committee is conducted in accordance with the rules, and (b) that it is supplied with the necessary resources, particularly with the written information it requires to carry out its work effectively.
—A secretary, who is responsible for taking the minutes of meetings, sending out the agenda and other papers, and generally acting as the administrative link with the members.
—An agenda, which sets out the agreed subject-matter of the meeting. Part of the chairman's job before the meeting is to approve the agenda, over which he or she usually has the final word. The agenda enables committee members to know what is to be discussed, and in what order, and this enables them in turn to prepare adequately before the meeting.
—The minutes of the meeting, which are the official record of what has taken place. They serve to remind members of important issues or decisions that were debated at the time. Since they have to be agreed by the members as a true and correct record, they are a reliable source of information both to members and outsiders alike. In local authority committees and joint union-management committees, for instance, the minutes are made public for the benefit of ratepayers or union members, as the case may be.
—Committee Papers and Reports, which provide the committee with the quality of information, which will enable it to make well-informed decisions or proposals. Reports, for example, may be purely factual, or both factual and analytical. Yet others may be innovative and imaginative. Whatever their contents and presentation, their aim is the same, that is to provide relevant information, ideas and suggestions as the focal points for the discussion of agenda items.
—Rules of procedure, which are designed to promote the smooth-running of a committee and to ensure that consistency and fair-play are maintained. Such rules include procedures for speaking in a debate, proposing motions, voting, adding emergency items to the agenda, and other issues relating to the operation of the committee as a communication medium.
These rules enable both sides in an argument to state their case, they help to minimise the effect of bullying tactics, and they ensure that a proper record of the proceedings is kept.
In the light of all this formal view of a committee, what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Advantages of committees
—Precisely because they are organized groups, committees can undertake a larger volume of work than individuals or very small groups working in isolation.
—Decisions or proposals are based on a group assessment of facts and ideas, and not just on one powerful individual's preferences.
—Committees can encourage the pooling of special know-how and talents possessed by individual members.
—Committees are very useful for achieving coordination and collaboration between work groups.
—Committees act as a useful focal point for information and action within organizations.
These advantages are particularly important in two aspects. Firstly, the sheer size and complexity of modern organizations make it increasingly impossible for isolated individuals or small groups to meet the decision-demands of their organizations. Secondly, the growing pressures from all sections of the workforce for a greater say in the decision-making processes of their organizations are creating expectations that decision-making will become more open and democratic. Committees are likely to be even more in demand as a result of these two factors.
However, it would be unrealistic to gloss over the disadvantages of committees as communication media. The main disadvantages are as follows:
The following features characterize a committee more clearly:
—A chairman or chairperson, who is responsible for ensuring (a) that the committee is conducted in accordance with the rules, and (b) that it is supplied with the necessary resources, particularly with the written information it requires to carry out its work effectively.
—A secretary, who is responsible for taking the minutes of meetings, sending out the agenda and other papers, and generally acting as the administrative link with the members.
—An agenda, which sets out the agreed subject-matter of the meeting. Part of the chairman's job before the meeting is to approve the agenda, over which he or she usually has the final word. The agenda enables committee members to know what is to be discussed, and in what order, and this enables them in turn to prepare adequately before the meeting.
—The minutes of the meeting, which are the official record of what has taken place. They serve to remind members of important issues or decisions that were debated at the time. Since they have to be agreed by the members as a true and correct record, they are a reliable source of information both to members and outsiders alike. In local authority committees and joint union-management committees, for instance, the minutes are made public for the benefit of ratepayers or union members, as the case may be.
—Committee Papers and Reports, which provide the committee with the quality of information, which will enable it to make well-informed decisions or proposals. Reports, for example, may be purely factual, or both factual and analytical. Yet others may be innovative and imaginative. Whatever their contents and presentation, their aim is the same, that is to provide relevant information, ideas and suggestions as the focal points for the discussion of agenda items.
—Rules of procedure, which are designed to promote the smooth-running of a committee and to ensure that consistency and fair-play are maintained. Such rules include procedures for speaking in a debate, proposing motions, voting, adding emergency items to the agenda, and other issues relating to the operation of the committee as a communication medium.
These rules enable both sides in an argument to state their case, they help to minimise the effect of bullying tactics, and they ensure that a proper record of the proceedings is kept.
In the light of all this formal view of a committee, what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Advantages of committees
—Precisely because they are organized groups, committees can undertake a larger volume of work than individuals or very small groups working in isolation.
—Decisions or proposals are based on a group assessment of facts and ideas, and not just on one powerful individual's preferences.
—Committees can encourage the pooling of special know-how and talents possessed by individual members.
—Committees are very useful for achieving coordination and collaboration between work groups.
—Committees act as a useful focal point for information and action within organizations.
These advantages are particularly important in two aspects. Firstly, the sheer size and complexity of modern organizations make it increasingly impossible for isolated individuals or small groups to meet the decision-demands of their organizations. Secondly, the growing pressures from all sections of the workforce for a greater say in the decision-making processes of their organizations are creating expectations that decision-making will become more open and democratic. Committees are likely to be even more in demand as a result of these two factors.
However, it would be unrealistic to gloss over the disadvantages of committees as communication media. The main disadvantages are as follows:
Disadvantages of Committees
—Decision-making is an altogether slower process when dominated by committees. It is also true that committee decisions may often represent compromise solutions rather than optimum solutions.
—Managers may be tempted to hide behind committee decisions, where these have proved unpopular, and thus abdicate their personal responsibility.
—Committees sometimes have a tendency to get bogged down in procedural matters, which reduces the time available for the discussion of substantive issues.
—Committee work demand certain skills. Members who are unsure of themselves or unskilled in committee practice tend to leave the initiative to the good committee members.
—Committees do not exist between meetings, and thus cannot act quickly and flexibly to meet sudden changes in a situation.
On balance, committees are probably best suited to large-scale bureaucracies and organizations which have a high degree of public accountability. Smaller-scale enterprises, on the other hand, would probably benefit more from the greater flexibility obtainable from less formal processes of decision-making, such as informal management meetings and temporary project groups.
