Good Relationships Within The Committee & Staff

The source of many disagreements is inadequate communication. To avoid this Management committee members should ensure that they are receiving sufficient information from management and other stakeholders to make informed decisions.

The Chair and Chief Officer should communicate regularly, both formally and informally and respect the boundaries of their roles.

• The Chair, who is often in a privileged position with regard to acquisition of information, should take care not to be unjustifiably selective in what s/he shares with fellow Management Committee members.
• There should be clear terms of reference for subcommittees to avoid confusion over what is expected of committee members.
• Efficient mechanisms for reporting back from the staff and from committees to the Management Committee should be established.
• Treasurers and finance officers should present financial details in a comprehensible manner.
• Communication procedures, and organisational priorities, should be reviewed regularly.

Some charities run into difficulties when they discover that their governing document does not contain the means by which it can remove members whose behaviour is damaging the organisation. The absence of a process for the removal of Management Committee members can lead to valuable time which should be directed toward meeting the organisation’s purpose, being taken up by dealing with disruptive members.

Some suggested solutions/tools/approaches:

• Dominant personalities – emphasis by Chair on need for all to participate actively and be given opportunity to do so.
• Sub-committees or working groups – help ensure that smaller groups of individuals have to take the initiative.
• Team-building activities – encourage sense of working together for common purpose.
• Grievance/complaints mechanism – for addressing serious dispute/conflict.

Good relationships with staff members

Some suggested solutions/tools/approaches:

• Clarity regarding respective roles and responsibilities.
• Ensure effective communication and establish regular reporting systems.
• Provide effective support and supervision for the Chief Officer.
• Ensure effective management structures and procedures exist within the organisation.
• Create mechanisms for airing grievances.
• Ensure Management Committee is informed, trained and empowered to carry out its
• Role confidently and effectively