Committees can truly be the life blood of an organization. They allow peoples’ voices to be heard in unique ways and can more efficiently move the organization forward. In our last blog, we talked about categorizing committees as the first step of a good process.
The second step is establishing a workflow for committee formation and sunsetting that is transparent and takes into account the needs of the organization.
Committee Formation: In creating a committee you want to vet the proposed work with other committees throughout the organization so that you maximize efficiency and minimize redundancy. In deciding if a committee will help move the organization forward you can consider the following questions:
Does this committee provide a unique way to contribute to the organization’s work?
Do current committees have the capacity to handle this topic?
If so, how is the new idea incorporated into the existing committee work?
If not, how is the new committee formed and effectively coordinated with existing committees?
A process that vets new ideas and gets the right people in touch maximizes the effectiveness of a committee structure. It allows people’s ideas to be heard and develops a mechanism that helps people understand that their ideas have to be woven into the existing fabric of the organization. Efficient formation enables everyone to be more intentional in the work and develops sound practices that result in streamlined and efficient committees.
Sunsetting Committees: The other part of a healthy committee structure is determining when a committee should be disbanded or sunsetted. Sunsetting is a process of determining that the work of the committee is complete and the committee no longer needs to continue. This allows energy and resources to be diverted elsewhere.
There are many reasons a committee might consider sunsetting including:
Goals and objectives are achieved and no additional work is required
Changes in the organization make the committee no longer necessary
Departure of key participants impact the functioning of the committee
Sunsetting is a strategic decision that requires transparency and planning. The way it is done reflects company culture. In a healthy culture, time and consideration is taken to be sure that ending a committee's work aligns with the goals of the organization.
Here are some questions that can be used to evaluate if a committee is at the sunsetting stage of development.
Do the goals of the committee still address a relevant issue?
Have the goals and objectives of the committee been achieved?
What would the organization lose if this committee disbanded?
Are there other committees or departments that can fill that need?
What role could sunsetting play in moving our organization forward?
After reflecting on these questions, it may become clear that sunsetting is not the route that will best serve the organization. If the ultimate decision is to keep the committee intact, these questions help members reset their purpose, goals and objectives.
A cohesive, step by step process that builds committees and evaluates their continued effectiveness allows organizations to grow and thrive. It provides opportunities for employees to have an impact on company operations resulting in a more connected and invested workforce.
In collaboration with Vinicius "amnx" Amano
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