Making Committees More Effective (Enhanced DVD)

Making Committees More Effective (2010) makes the proposal that a culture of accountability should define the expectations of a working committee. Results oriented decisions begin with responsibility, and individual duty to a reasonable standard of care in obligation to the committee and its activities. If the Charter lays forth the aim, goals, and objectives of a committee’s strategic focus, future accountability will rest in the hands of the members and the organization it represents.

Committees are most often designed to address targeted policy concerns within an institutional or organizational agenda. What comes out of committee group dynamics is an ethics of “care”. Also a legal premise within tort law, the notion of care is tied to risk; and this has important effect on what and how members think. Accountability can be as little as committee member address at the beginning of a meeting, offering recent accomplishments associated with the group’s mission and goals.

While committee membership may be the result of official appointment or volunteerism, the fact is that joining the group establishes a formative responsibility to a political or financial agenda. Committee member leadership is a meaningful role. Having insight into the proper work that it will require to fulfill the original mandate has much to do with experience. A strong committee leadership will calibrate the process as it proceeds toward completion.  

Host Damien Smith, an attorney and governance specialist looks at the ethics and dynamics of committees. Pointing to the vital forces driving committee mandates, Smith looks at how policy analysts are mapping committee agendas in action. Education materials accompanying the video available online.

Making Committees More Effective

• DVD
• ISBN 978-1-62290-769-4
• Run Time (13 Minutes)
• Copyright 2010
• Closed Captioned (CC)