The Committee That Never Approves

"A committee is where good ideas go to die slowly."

You have a solid proposal. It solves a real problem. But before it can become reality, it has to pass through... the Committee. That monthly meeting where 12 people with no day-to-day context vote on something you have researched for weeks.

The result? Delay. Dilution. Or a quiet death.

Why committees stall progress

1. Diffusion of responsibility

When everyone has to approve, nobody is truly accountable. Saying "no" or asking for another study feels safer than taking a calculated risk.

2. Information asymmetry

The person presenting understands the problem far better than the people judging it. Decisions end up driven by personal bias or politics rather than merit.

3. Calendar vs. Urgency

Committees run on fixed schedules. Operational problems do not. Waiting three weeks to approve something that was needed yesterday is organizational dysfunction.

Alternatives that actually work

1. Distributed authority

Define clearly who can approve what within their domain. Not everything needs to escalate. Not everything requires consensus.

2. Reversible vs. Irreversible decisions

Reversible decisions (testing a feature, trialing a tool) should move fast at the edge. Irreversible decisions (layoffs, signing a five-year enterprise contract) deserve deeper scrutiny.

3. Asynchronous review

Instead of waiting for a live meeting, circulate a written RFC or decision document with a clear deadline for objections. Silence means approval.

4. Clear RACI

Who is Responsible? Who is Accountable? Who needs to be Consulted? Who just needs to be Informed? Put fewer people in the decision seat.

The agility test

If it takes longer to approve a change than to implement it, your process is broken. Revisit your governance model. Protect what truly carries high risk, and get out of the way everywhere else.