Maximising value from committees in business strategy

Committees often get a bad rap—endless meetings with little to show.

But when structured and managed effectively, they become vital instruments in shaping and executing business strategy.

Discover how StratNavApp.com transforms committee work from tedious to transformative.

Why are committees important in business strategy?

Talk of committees can elicit a groan of protest. We've all sat through our share of long and boring committee meetings which seem to drag on forever without achieving anything!

However, well-run committees play an important role in business strategy development and execution.

• Committees allow you to bring together people with diverse perspectives, knowledge and experience to weigh in on a topic.
• This can improve decision-making:
  • mitigating the risk of getting a decision wrong, and
  • creating suitable checks and balances.
• Committees can also help to improve communication of and buy-in to decisions and strategies.
• Committees provide accountability and oversight. They ensure that strategy processes and strategies:
  • are well-formed and
  • are adjusted as and when required.

However, it is also important to ensure the committees don't introduce unnecessary bureaucracy or suffer from 'groupthink'. A clear mandate, strong leadership and diverse membership are required to prevent these.

StratNavApp.com can help you identify and manage your committees to this end.

Different types of committees

Committees can have:

• legal standing:

  • Board of Directors: Legal oversight and governance.
    
    See also: What is the board's role regarding strategy?
    
    

  • Audit Committee: Financial compliance and risk management.
    
    See also: What is an audit committee?
    
    

• a more internal focus:

  • Executive Committee (ExCo): Day-to-day operational decisions.
    
    See also: What is the role of an Executive Committee?
    
    

  • Strategic Planning Committee: Long-term vision and goal setting.
    
    See also: What is a strategic planning committee?
    
    

• a less formal, more transitory nature:
  
  
  • Working Groups: Temporary teams addressing specific projects or issues.

How to create a committee in StratNavApp.com

To create a committee in StratNavApp.com:

1. Sign In or Sign Up to StratNavApp.com
2. Create or select the project you want to work with.
3. Click Governance on the main menu.
4. Click Stakeholders on the drop-down menu.
5. Select Groups in the selector at the top of the page.
6. Click the + button to add a new Group.
7. Enter a Title for the committee.
8. Set the Type to Committee.
9. Enter a Description for the committee. This could be the committee's Terms of Reference.
10. Select "Add people who belong to this generic group".
11. Either:
    1. add existing stakeholders: start typing their names and select them from the drop-down list, or
    2. create and add new stakeholders: type their names and press Enter.
12. You can also describe individual members' roles on the committee.

What can you do with committees in StratNavApp.com

Invite them to a meeting

The most important thing you can do with committees in StratNavApp.com is to invite them to well-planned, properly run and well-minuted meetings.

You can invite a whole committee to a meeting.

On the meeting screen, simply start typing the name of the committee, rather than the names of the individual members, when adding attendees to a meeting.

Send an email to a committee

You can also easily send an email to all the members of a committee. Simply click on the email icon at the top of the list of members on the Committee details screen.

Take control of your committees now

Want to see how StratNavApp.com can help you set up high-performing strategic committees?

👉 Sign up for your free account or

👉 Schedule a free demo now