Commitees inspire all the wrong things in people.

1. Complaining in a committee is easy, but no one takes responsibility or ownership.
2. Hiding is easy, because each person’s contributions aren’t really measured.
3. Decisions are nearly impossible, because you’re always striving for consensus.
4. Progress is always limited, because pleasing everyone means not striving for the best solution.
5. Personal objectives, politics and hidden agendas are practically the foundation for committees.

Simply put, committees are no way to get things done.

Teams on the other hand can be a much more successful way of working together. Nothing is perfect, but give me a team over a committee any day.

Put a team together for the right reasons and manage it properly and you can get results.

1. Teams hold each person accountable for their ideas, work and effort.
2. Measuring each person’s contributions in a team is easier. Set expectations quickly and track progress of each individual.
3. Teams want consensus but they don’t need it to be successful. Decisions are easier with good leaders.
4. Teams are meant to get things done, not talk about stuff endlessly. It’s not about making everyone happy, it’s about accomplishing something.
5. Teams are motivated by common goals.

Certainly, you can have a crappy team. Put the wrong person in charge, bring together the wrong mix of people, and suddenly you’ve got an ineffective team. Either they won’t work as a team or they’ll turn into a committee.

And, I suppose there’s a chance you can have a good committee, but I’ve never seen one.