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Successful Task Forces Deal Effectively with Underperforming Members

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) No matter how carefully individual members are selected, it’s inevitable that from time to time, task forces and committees will be forced to confront members who are not carrying their weight. How these situations are handled will speak volumes to what kind of end result these groups will be able to achieve. Establishing clear expectations and holding members accountable for their performance is the only way to achieve results that are worthy of the members’ commitment. And addressing the underperformance in responsible and timely ways will only serve […]

Effective Task Forces Don’t Let Politics Unduly Influence the Work

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) There is no way to eliminate the reality of institutional politics, but their impact can be mitigated. The best place to start is to follow the previous five keys to committee and task force effectiveness. This is because: Committees without clear purpose are much more likely to be unduly influenced by those with hidden agendas. If the quality of the individual members is not worthy of the purpose of the task force, they may succumb to peer influence. If information about the task force’s work isn’t widely and […]

Effective Task Forces Manage the Process, Not Just the Task

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) The second biggest challenge for task forces identified in our survey was ineffective group process. If the committee doesn’t pay enough attention to the group dynamics and process, it won’t be successful, no matter how smart the individual members. Successful task forces: Build relational capital, provide a safe space for brainstorming, and encourage risk taking Establish an intentional plan for communicating with committee members Communicate clearly and regularly with the rest of the campus community Outline a clear process for decision making Creating a Safe Space Special attention […]

Effective Task Forces Put the Right People in the Right Seats

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) As Jim Collins famously discussed in his book Good to Great, the most important decisions that organizations make are personnel decisions. In the case of committees and task forces, the credibility of the task force members will make or break their work. This is especially true of the chair or co-chairs for the task force. These individuals must be chosen for their integrity, reputation, and work ethic. The chair or co-chairs can’t be an official appointment made just because someone happens to have a certain title or position. […]

Effective Task Forces Need Adequate Resources to Do Their Work

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) Best Practice No. 3: Effective Task Forces Need Adequate Resources to Do Their Work To produce work that is worthy of the institution, the task force and committee will need adequate time to invest. How much time participants are expected to commit should be stated up front. Equally important, campus leadership must help participants secure this time. Depending on the nature of the task force, this may include release from other campus responsibilities—at the very least, from other committees. Remember that 35% of the respondents to our survey […]

Effective Task Forces Follow a Clear Purpose

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) Best Practice No. 2: Effective Task Forces Follow a Clear Purpose To complete their work effectively, task forces and committees need to be set up for success. As we’ll discuss in the next few sections of this paper, positioning task forces and committees for success requires multiple steps. The first step is to have a charter that clearly states the purpose and scope of the work. Without a clear purpose, the committee’s work is bound to wander and lead to few real outcomes. What does a clear purpose […]

Effective Task Forces Can Answer YES to: “Do We Even Need a Committee For This?”

<- back to the main page of this report THIS IS ONE CHAPTER IN A FULL REPORT ON TASK FORCES IN HIGHER ED Academic Impressions has conducted a survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, and what we learned about task forces and committees in higher education was both revealing and powerful: On July 9, we shared an executive summary with you From July 10 – July 23, we are sharing practical strategies for improving your task forces to ensure they provide the outcomes you need. See the end of this article for a complete list. We hope you find this report useful and share it with your colleagues! by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) Best Practice No. 1: Effective Task Forces Can Answer YES to: “Do We Even Need a Committee For This?” The first question that campus leadership has to answer is whether a committee or task force is even appropriate or required for the task at hand. Given the time invested in these groups, this decision should be carefully weighed against the opportunity cost of redeploying these resources elsewhere. If the critical decision has already been made or if the campus leadership already has a clear […]

8 Keys to Improving Task Forces and Committees in Higher Education

by Amit Mrig, Patrick Sanaghan

Time is the most precious resource on campus, and it is one we can control and influence. But how closely do we manage people’s time across our institutions? What are the biggest opportunities to increase the value from someone’s time? And how do we actually derive more value? These are the questions that led us to our most recent project: examining committees and task forces. We invite you to explore what we found through this project. In this unique report, you will be a able to: Read the full report here. ___________________________________ See Upcoming Leadership Workshops

Executive Summary: What We’ve Learned About Task Forces and Committees in Higher Education

<- back to the main page of this report by Amit Mrig (Academic Impressions) and Patrick Sanaghan (The Sanaghan Group) The Scope of the Opportunity Committees and task forces are ubiquitous in higher education, yet, very limited attention is invested to help asses or improve their effectiveness. Whether mandated through shared governance structures or because of noble intentions for participative decision making, task forces and committees abound. In fact, in our survey of 300 higher-ed professionals, approximately 35% of respondents currently serve on 5 committees or more. If the average committee work consumes one hour a week (which is a low estimate when you consider the pre-work, research/preparatory work, meeting time, communication, off-line meetings, etc.), then, easily, more than 10% of our time is being invested here. If we’re spending more than 10% of our time, the work must be important. And indeed most of it is—at least in theory. Some of the institution’s most critical needs—from student retention to strategic planning to hiring—are managed via committees and task forces. Despite noble intentions and charters that are mission-critical, big questions remain as to how effective these groups are. In our same survey, respondents gave an overall effectiveness score of 6.72 […]

Beyond “The Ivory Tower”: Success Stories for Higher Ed

by Daniel Fusch (Academic Impressions) Last night I saw The Ivory Tower with my colleagues. I was interested to see a wide-ranging take on the higher-ed industry, but was struck by the movie’s focus on extreme examples — and by the fact that it shared few success stories. In the years ahead, higher-ed leaders will face some bold decisions, but that can be an opportunity as easily as it can be a threat. We are an industry of learning. When we network at seminars and workshops and learn from the successes of our peers, when we try and test new initiatives with care, when we listen to the needs of our students, donors, and other stakeholders and respond vigorously, we have it in our power to change things … without waiting on changes in policy or state/federal funding. The thing I love most about working at Academic Impressions is that every day, I get to interact with and learn from some of the leading innovators in academia, as well as practitioners who are on the ground making a real impact at their institutions. I hear stories of effective one-stop shop student centers, academic coaching programs, learning games that engage students, successful giving […]