Committees get a bad rap. They’re derided as anathema to creativity, timewasters and “blanders.” The old joke is that a camel is a horse designed by committee. But after years of work in higher education where committees reign, I’ve seen remarkable results from the work of a team focused on achieving a goal.

 I’ll admit it: I’ve also seen some superior ideas and concepts get slaughtered by a group; I’ve watched committees overthink a strategy to its untimely death; and I’ve listened in on lifeless discussion. I’ve even seen the worst of politics at play as committee members jockey for position and power. Of course, none of these things happen in your institution. I’m talking about other places where I’ve seen bad behavior.

 Yet I’m not willing to dismiss committees altogether. Committees can generate excellent outcomes:

1.     They uncover blind spots. A well-intentioned director devises a plan that wholly solves a problem she is experiencing in her department. But when it comes up in committee, other members show how that very idea may create complications for another department. When committees reflect solid representation, the group can help keep someone from stepping into a pothole.

2.    They augment creative thinking. A good committee that knows its function and comprises smart colleagues can expand ideas to make them better. By vetting solutions before a group, a director can benefit from seeing other perspectives, other applications and other opportunities that may not yet have been imagined.

3.    They build ownership. As more players at your institution or organization hear your idea, you can create a wider sense of buy-in for your brilliant solution. By sharing your rationale, you can win the confidence of others who will think of your suggestion as their own.

4.    They create a larger network. With broad ownership comes the positive side benefit of having your idea disseminated more rapidly and widely than you can expect on your own. Getting people engaged with your thoughts will have a viral influence, assuming you share them with enthusiasm and energy.

Granted, committee meetings can suck the life out of your schedule. But there are strategies to make committee meetings more productive. You may wish to check out Patrick Lencioni’s book, Death by Meeting, for some solid instruction on how to manage committee meetings. He offers good strategies for various types of meetings that can help you be a great committee leader and member. 

 -Rick Bailey is the principal and founder of Richard Harrison Bailey/The Agency and author of Coherence: How Telling the Truth Will Advance Your Cause (and Save the World). Follow him on Twitter @RichardHBailey.