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Unit 13: Motivation and Morale

13.7.1 Selecting Members for Committee Notes

In selecting committee members we have to remember the contribution that participating
members can make to the committee. The following guidelines may be followed in selecting
a committee member:
• He/She should be interested in the work to be done.
• He/She should honour the appointment and be committed to the job.
• The person should have special skills needed for the job.

• He/She should not be overloaded with conflicting commitments.
• He/She should be willing to contribute to the group.
• The chairman should consider him/her as useful and desirable for the committee.
• He/She should be compatible with other members and should cooperate with them.

13.7.2 Selecting the Chairman for the Committee
Utmost care is needed in selecting the chairman of the committee than in selecting its members.
The chairman has the primary responsibility to give leadership to the group and to stimulate
them to their higher productivity both individually and as members of the group. He/ She
should be able to organize the individual members into a working group.
It is always desirable to have a chairman who had previously served as a member of a committee
or has had similar experience. The chairman may also be chosen for his/ her ability to lead the
group. The one who proposes an idea or, alternatively, the committee may select the leader by
themselves.

13.8 Group Decision-Making

Major decisions in organizations are most often made by more than one person. Managers use
groups to make decisions for the following reasons:
Synergy: Synergy is a positive force in groups that occurs when group members stimulate new
solutions to problems through the process of mutual influence and encouragement in the
group.
Commitment: Another reason for using a group is to gain commitment to a decision.
Knowledge and Experience: Groups also bring more knowledge and experience to the problem-
solving situation.

13.8.1 Advantages of Group Decision-Making
Compared with individual decision-making, group decision-making has several advantages
and they are:
• More knowledge and information through the pooling of group member resources;
• Increased acceptance of, and commitment to, the decision, because the members had a
voice in it;
• Greater understanding of the decision, because members were involved in the various
stages of the decision process;
• An increased number of alternatives can be developed;
• Members develop knowledge and skills for future use.

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