Effective and efficient committee work: A Systematic overview of multidisciplinary literatures

Abstract

An era of financial constraints calls for effective and efficient committee work when making collective decisions. A systematic search identified research literatures in business administration, health research and service development, and social psychology addressing decision making about highly technical issues by mixed groups of people. Existing empirical and theoretical syntheses were drawn together to identify learning about the structure, processes and environment of committees and the characteristics of effective chairing. Committee performance depends upon the individuals involved, their attributes and relationships; and the time available for a committee to explore their knowledge to make choices or solve problems. In general, groups with six to twelve members tend to perform better than those in either smaller or larger groups, especially when relying on virtual communication. Diverse groups take account of a range of opinions and enhance credibility and widespread acceptance and implementation of decisions but may be more difficult to convene and manage appropriately. However, where chairs manage conflict constructively, more varied membership leads to better performance and more reliable judgements. These small-scale interactions reflect the larger scale institutional relationships, hierarchies and cultures which act as a backdrop to committee activities. These findings suggest that effective committee performance is enhanced by: appointing members from all key stakeholder groups who between them bring the appropriate range in educational and functional background, while keeping the group size close to 6-12; appointing committee chairs for their facilitation skills and generalist background rather than specialist knowledge; allowing sufficient time to allow all relevant knowledge to be shared and evaluated through discussion, especially when judgements need to be made by committees with members who vary in status; applying formal consensus development processes; and, particularly when working virtually, considering the challenges of developing trust and cohesion, and integrating divergent perspectives. Collective deliberation and decision-making processes involving people with differing backgrounds are central to most policy and governance decisions. Making collective decisions commonly involves convening and managing small decision-making groups such as committees or boards for the task. These include advisory bodies, groups and committees in the public, commercial and charitable sectors. Although decision-making groups vary in their terms of reference and their terminology, the generic terms 'committee' and 'board' share similar meanings: a committee being a body of people 'appointed or elected (by a

Reporting guideline for priority setting of health research (REPRISE)

“…We acknowledge that there may be other potentially relevant items that could warrant further discussion, consideration, and evidence to support their inclusion in subsequent revisions of this framework. The items addressing diversity and hierarchies amongst group members and the networks they represent, the criteria and degree of formality in decision making processes, and the medium of communication for sharing information and making decisions are all factors affecting good group decision making [53]. .…”

Reporting guideline for priority setting of health research (REPRISE)

“…A systematic review has found evidence for some of the items influencing decision-making about technical issues by mixed groups of people, and evidence for other factors that we have not seen specifically in the literature addressing decision making about research priorities [46]. The items addressing diversity and hierarchies amongst group members and the networks they represent, the criteria and degree of formality in decision making processes, and the medium of communication for…”

Reporting guideline for priority setting of health research (REPRISE)

“…We acknowledge that there may be other potentially relevant items that could warrant further discussion, consideration, and evidence to support their inclusion in subsequent revisions of this framework. The items addressing diversity and hierarchies amongst group members and the networks they represent, the criteria and degree of formality in decision making processes, and the medium of communication for sharing information and making decisions are all factors affecting good group decision making [52].. Additional factors, not addressed by the priority setting literature, are the size of a group making decisions, the time available for them to explore their knowledge to make choices or solve problems and the facilitation skills for managing constructive conflict. We seek further feedback from researchers, end-users and other stakeholders, to inform future efforts to refine and revise the guideline as needed.…”