Some committees just don’t achieve their aims or the desired outcomes.
It does not matter if it is a workplace, a not-for-profit or a community
based committee.
The challenge that faces committee members is
just how they can best contribute their knowledge and skills to the
consultation process. The committee’s procedures and decision-making
processes may be challenging. At times participants may be unclear as to
how they can make sure their viewpoint is given reasonable
consideration, while keeping an open mind on the opinion and
perspectives of others.
IOH is often requested to customise
training to particular client needs. One recent request was for small
group workshops to assist existing committee members understand dynamics
of human communication both within and external to the committee, and
to recognise the group processes which impact on a committee’s
capacity to perform its tasks.
The workshops assisted
participants to identify their specific individual role in making a
contribution to the committee, in terms of their technical,
communication and team skills. The workshops used realistic scenarios
based on industrial settings to explore strategies for mapping problems
so that the perspectives of all stakeholders could be held in view
while the committee considered a range of workable solutions.
One
important theme which runs through the workshops is the benefit of
providing clear, timely feedback to employees and other stakeholders
outside the committee. This ensures they are informed about the way the
specific information they have provided has been utilised by the
committee in arriving at a recommendation or plan of action.
The
effective functioning of committees is critical to creating engagement
throughout your organisation, and to driving outcomes.
Sue Milne (Manager IOH Psychology Services 2010)
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