If it is an ExCom by election and all members should actively be on a role (Chair, Treasurer etc), you would need to check the constitution on how to go over a resignation and attain a new appointment. This could be for a temporarily (ad interim)  co-opted member or  by a new election until the term-end.

If the committee is an ad hoc type and by administrative appointment, you as the Chair can talk to the authorities to request a revision and new appointment.

Dear Debra,

I suggest to give some type of sanction to the nonperforming members, as an amonestation for delays or to change them for other performed members.

Dear Debra, 

Please see the link that perhaps could help you.

Have a nice time

Helena

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-ViewPoints-43-July-2013-Effective-board-and-committee-leadership-CJ0231/$FILE/EY-ViewPoints-43-July-2013-Effective-board-and-committee-leadership-CJ0231.pdf

http://www.diycommitteeguide.org/download/dealing-conflict-what-to-do-when

I agree with the statement   of the Prof. Ivo Carneiro de Sousa and fruther the  rules and regulations framed by the University also very interesting and should be implemented in the academic Institutions to avoid unnecessary disturbaces. 

Such non-performing members of the committees are being removed and replaced according to the regulations.

Ms Ferdinand,

My experience gained from both industry and academia is that there will always be warm bodies, shirkers, drifters, stragglers, free-riders who like to be members of groups with perhaps the intention to add a line or two in their CV’s, without actually putting in the effort. Based on my experiences, I can offer this suggestion.

First, you have to be strategic and firm, and then you deploy a tactic that can help you weed out those who are not making contributions of any kind beyond claiming to be members of committees. For convenience, I shall number the steps.

1) You can start off by announcing that you want your meetings to be an active one in which everyone must contribute not by their names but by doing something that makes for an effective committee. You must also announce that within two days you will produce a Meetings report after every meeting.

2) You announce that you want a volunteer to record the minutes of the meeting, and further that role will be rotated amongst all committee members. You then announce that though you are the chair you will set an example by being the first person to take on the role of taking the minutes. Do make sure that you capture everything discussed, and do make note of all present.

3) You should also state that you expect all members to be present and if anyone is going to be absent (for good, valid reasons), you must be informed so that those attending will know that anyone absent is not absent without leave or permission.

4) During the meeting, you must mention who will take notes of the meeting the next time round. You should produce an action-list and allocate each item to a member with a date for completion. That action-list should appear in your “Committee Meetings report”.

5) Make sure you produce that Minutes report within two days so that people do not forget what they have each agreed or appointed to do. If there are items which could not be allocated to a person, include that item so that it does not disappear from view. At the next meeting, appoint someone to take on the task or action that has yet to begin.

6) The process is repeated. But in your report you would give a status report : Not started; On-going, Completed. If an action item is not completed, identify the “owner” of the action item and expected completion date. In this way both you and others know what is happening or not happening.

7) This is important. Create a mailing list which should include all members, your managers/directors and managers of all committee members. Make sure that everyone on that mailing list gets the report with a request for comments or questions. In this way, you will identify the black-sheep, the stragglers, the free-riders. Soon the managers will know how their reports (or subordinates) are performing. You can imagine that managers will not like to have their subordinates in the cold light of bad or unwelcome exposure. When comments/questions arise, do respond and if appropriate, indicate that a comment was raised by Manager X, and what your response was. So managers/directors also come under the spotlight. And do thank the manager/director for his/her comment which you value. That would help their ego’s.

8) Before you know managers/directors will be waiting expectantly for the next report.

If my experience of managing Europe-wide (12 to 14 countries) programme implementation is any guide, you will find that country managers ( and / or directors) would be very keen to know that their country representatives are doing a good job, and are not in any way the stragglers, the free-riders, the warm bodies doing very little work that matters.

I hasten to add that country cultures may affect how the above will be accepted or will work. If accepted, I am very sure that you will be successful.

I hope the above will be of some help. If you have any question, please do feel free to write to me directly and I shall try to help.

Best wishes!

• Outlining roles of member's - expected to play and the required level of performance.
• Willful omission or acts of destruction should be notified.

I  would agree with  comments made by Ms Jacono. That is certainly one way, in fact a very accommodating way. In industry, however, one is expected to perform and often exceeding expectations, and excuses cut no ice. In the Meetings report, the action list that I  mentioned above, clearly disclosing states of completion can concentrate the mind of those who took upon themselves to execute some actions, as also shirkers and no-showers.

In my experience, these activities have been one of the '4 pillars' that are evaluated in everyone's annual appraisal. If I am busy, I have a duty to decline sitting on such committees, but if I am a member, it would never be acceptable not to meet deadlines or fulfil tasks. If people are 'too busy', then the chair should be understanding, but ask them or their department lead to nominate a replacement. If a committee is important, then each department it serves should have an obligation to furnish a delegate. You can then govern attendance/performance on a department level & leave individual management to them.