Executive Committee: Its Role and Function

Executive Committee: Its Role and Function

Summary of Self-Assessment

Harriet Wolfe

October 18, 2016

The current Executive Committee (ExCom) is clear about its role as defined by the APsaA bylaws: it functions on behalf of the Executive Council between Council meetings. It has the authority and responsibility to exercise any and all powers of the Executive Council unless otherwise limited by Council, and it does so in circumstances that require action before the next Executive Council meeting. An example is the approval of a position statement of immediate relevance like the recent one on violent political rhetoric during a presidential campaign. In the usual non-urgent case, it does not approve APsaA position statements for Council but rather reviews them to give input on quality or format before sending them on for Council’s consideration and potential approval at its next meeting.

We are aware there is a historical context that influences the perception of the ExComas over-reaching its authority. In light of the 2016 bylaw amendment giving Council final authorityover all aspects of the Association’s mission andactions, it seems important that the role and function of the ExCom as subordinate to the Executive Council be reaffirmed.

The current composition of the ExCom will change when the Board on Professional Standards (BOPS) sunsets in June 2017. The existing bylaws mandate that the ExCom is composed of the elected officers (President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer) and the Chair and Secretary of BOPS. Since 2008 the President has invited two Council guests to join the ExCom as non-voting members, or has asked Council to elect two guests. The voting members of the ExCom are the elected officers and any BOPS leader who is also a Councilor. In the last three years the group has operated mainly on the basis of consensus rather than votes because it needed to solve problems that concerned all the APsaA groups represented by the ExCom members. It is our hope that the retreat results in clarity regarding how the ExCom would best be constituted after the sunsetting of BOPS.

There aretwo characteristics of APsaA’s ExCom that we think are important to keep in mind going forward: composition and size. First, the composition of the ExComshould ensure a useful balance betweenCouncilors and elected officers. Secondly, the relatively small size of the ExCom permits in-depth discussion of complex issues that is difficult to achieve in a large group setting. The interaction between small and large groups(ExCom and Council)helps ensure responsible, thorough discussion of management issues and potential policy changes that Executive Council may decide to pursue.

Over the last three years the ExCom has functioned in a way that illustratesits role in APsaA governance. During this time period, the ExComfocused largelyon APsaA governance with the goal of finding ways to reduceinternal organizational conflict and achieve a more functional organizational structure. The process required the presence of an experienced facilitator, repeated in-person meetings, and weekly electronic meetings. This combinationenabled the members of the ExCom to move beyond historical animosities and become able to listen to each other in fresh and respectful ways.

The ExCom process may have seemed closed in its early phase because emotionally charged interactions were best explored and resolved with a sense of personal safety. The use of a facilitator and an emphasis on listening and respectful dialogue resulted in a model for the next and broader level of leadership, Executive Councilors and BOPS Fellows. Joint Meetings of Councilors and Fellows, using a facilitator, were introduced and continued at national meetings for two years. In those Joint Meetings, Councilors and Fellows found more common ground than many expected, and they ultimately discussed and endorsed the Six Point Plan originally formulated by the ExCom. The plan was then formally endorsed by Executive Council.

The process leading to the Six Point Plan is an example of how the ExCom serves the Executive Council and APsaA. When it recognizes an important problem, itconceives of a way to solve the problem. It brings its recommendations to Executive Council. The Council may endorse the plan or suggest changes in it. If the ExCom is authorized to conceptualize implementation of the final plan, it does so and follows the progress of implementation between Council meetings.

The ExCom is a governing body insofar as it acts on behalf of Executive Council between meetings and pending Council approval. It manages APsaA affairs insofar as it keeps Council informed of emerging issues, brings policy issues and recommendations to the attention of the Executive Council, and helps conceptualize ways of implementing change. Sometimes the ExCom itself implements change. Often implementation is delegated to appropriate work groups/committees within the Association. All sorts of work groups (the ExCom, task forces, committees of Council, committees of the Corporation) are accountable to the Executive Council for achievement of intended outcomes. The Executive Council has final authority over what recommendations are implemented or must be sent to the membership for a vote.

There are bylaw and parliamentarian (Roberts’ Rules) explications of the role and function of an executive committee. We will attach such information. When APsaA’s ExCom did its self-assessment in anticipation of the retreat, it came up with a couple metaphors for its role and function. One was that it minds the store for the owners and takes action if the owners are hard to access when a need occurs that requires rapid attention. Another metaphor suits our past history of rough waters. In our minds the ExCom can suggest ways to steer the ship called APsaA, but the Executive Council decides the ship’s course. While APsaA was navigating through stormy weather in recent years and images of the Titanic may have come to mind, APsaA is now rebuilding a more seaworthy model of our important ship so we can dock and deliver valuable goods to our members and the profession.

To emphasize an important aspect of thisseafaring metaphor: it is up to the Executive Council to decide where the ship wants to go. That is, how will our board of directors ensure that APsaA makes substantial contributions to the profession and offers benefits to its members? The ExCom, which is much smaller than the Council, can meet more often than the large board and can do preliminary work on issues that arise between Executive Council meetings. An important function of the ExCom is to keep the Executive Council informed of approaching storms as well as potential opportunities for discovery and advancement. It is the role of the Executive Council to establish APsaA’s course – to review, adapt and create the policies that govern the Association and guide its future.

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