A Selection Committee is a group of people tasked with reviewing and evaluating candidates for a specific position. They are expected to make unbiased decisions and select the best candidate for the role. The makeup of a selection committee should be varied to ensure a variety of perspectives are represented in the decision making process. This will help mitigate the likelihood of a bias occurring, whether intentional or unintentional. A good way to do this is to include members from different departments, such as marketing and sales, as well as employees from varying levels within the company.
Selection committees are often used in the hiring process to ensure a diverse workforce, but they can also be applied to many other types of projects and events. For example, a selection committee can be used to review applications for a grant, or to determine which student should receive a scholarship. The benefits of a Selection Committee are numerous, but it is important to understand how to make the most of this tool and minimize any issues that might arise.
Ideally, Selection Committees should have at least five members, but fewer than ten. This helps ensure that all opinions are considered and provides sufficient time for discussion of the topic at hand. Selection Committees should meet in person whenever possible, but if that is not possible, a teleconference or video conference should be arranged to allow all members to participate.
To prevent social loafing, committee members should never share their individual rankings and should only be shown cumulative rankings during the decision-making process. This prevents the tendency of committee members to simply follow the voting patterns of other committee members, and allows each member to influence the decision-making process in their own way.
In addition, Selection Committees should conduct rounds of discussions with brief structured exchanges in between to keep the pace moving and prevent any subgroup from having a greater ability to influence the committee’s decision. It is recommended that the chair of the Selection Committee serve as convener and facilitator and should not vote on any nominees, unless required as a tiebreaker.
The Selection Committee can be tasked with a wide range of tasks, from setting the Playoff field to selecting conference champions and determining which teams will receive home-field advantage. The committee has made a few hard calls, such as including Ohio State in the top four at the expense of Baylor and TCU in 2014 and leaving Florida State out in favor of Alabama in 2023.
Selection committees may have to use a large amount of paper, and they are likely to have to spend a lot of time discussing their options. In addition, they must be aware of the pitfalls that can happen when they make decisions too quickly or are not sufficiently informed. They may also be susceptible to unconscious bias, which can lead them to overlook or overrate a candidate. To avoid this, they should be aware of the pitfalls of unconscious bias and the steps that can be taken to overcome it.