The induction of any new committee of management member is often overlooked or not done properly. Irrespective of how large or small your organisation is the induction process is very important and it shouldn’t be assumed that the new member will know or get to know about the organisation. It should also be done right at the very start and not after a few weeks or even months.

Another benefit of the induction process is that it can show that your organisation, existing members of the committee of management and staff genuinely value their involvement and commitment to support the organisation. While the induction process may differ for each organisation there are some basic issues that should be covered. These include:

  • Provide a package of key documents of the organisation and have another committee of management member, preferable the President or Chair, go through these documents. These should include:
    •  Constitution
    •  Committee of Management Charter
    •  Policy and Procedure Manual
    •  Roles and Responsibilities of Committee of Management members
    •  Annual Report
    •  Strategic Plan
    •  Budget documents
  • Provide information on the committee of management and sub committees that should include who is on them, how often they meet and where they meet.
  • Contact details of committee of management members and also for key staff.
  • Show them around the premises the organisation operates from and if the organisation has more than one location go on a tour of all the premises. This also provides a great opportunity to meet key staff as well.
  • Depending on the complexity of the organisation consider arranging for key staff to provide an overview of the programs and services provided by the organisation as well as details of any events that may be occurring in the near future.
  • During the recruitment process it may have been identified that some training could be undertaken. If this is the case then provide details.
  • If the committee of management undergoes an evaluation process then relevant documents should be provided that provides an overview of the process.
  • If relevant, provide a name badge and make sure the spelling is correct. 

Also, at the end of the induction process ask the new committee of management member for their comments and feedback so improvements can be made if required.

An induction process done well at the start not only makes the new committee of management member feel part of the team but they are able to get up to speed on the organisation and be able to make a contribution sooner than later.

Does your committee of management have an induction process in place?