Committee Chair Basics

Committee chairs have two basic responsibilities:

General Guidelines for Chairing Committees

Two guidelines might be helpful:

• Develop group procedures, tasks, and outcomes including:
  • Norms or expectations for committee members
  • Expectations about meetings and how members should participate
  • How to make decisions
  • How to mentor new members
  • How to handle problem such as members not completing assignments on time or being disruptive in meetings
• If possible, get the members to develop specific procedures and policies for handling group activities and potential problems
  • For professionals like faculty, this type of involvement tends to have some useful benefits including:
    • Increased understanding of the group task
    • Greater ownership of the group and its work.
    • Better decisions and results

Helping the Committee Be Effective

Certain things seem very important in ensuring that committees and teams work effectively. The following gives you a quick overview of some key challenges in each area. Click on the specific links for more detailed information.

Managing Tasks

• What is the charge of the committee?
• What are the expected outputs or deliverables and when are they due? How do you know when you've done well?
• How should the tasks be divided? What goals and subgoals should be set?

Managing Members

• Which members should be assigned to which tasks?
• How can you help members stay motivated?
• How can you encourage constructive behavior and minimize destructive behavior?

Managing How Members Work Together

• What are the committee ground rules?
• What decision process will the committee use?
• How should conflict be handled?
• What norms should be established?
• How can we celebrate successes?

Managing Meetings

• What do I need to do to prepare for the meeting?
• How can the meeting be effectively and efficiently conducted?
• What needs to be done after the meeting?

Managing the Context and Relationships

• What resources does the committee need to get its work done? Who obtains them for the committee?
• Who needs to be kept informed about the committee's progress?
• Who might be interested in the committee's work? How should they be informed?
• How should the members communicate with their home colleges about the committee's work?