Definition

A formal group of people appointed to accomplish a specific task, investigate an issue, or make decisions, typically through the most inefficient process possible. These organizational constructs are where action items go to die and meetings multiply like rabbits, operating under the principle that no one person should be held accountable when a group can share the blame. The corporate world's favorite way to look busy while avoiding actual decisions.

Example Usage

The steering committee formed a subcommittee to explore forming another committee to eventually address the issue, estimated completion date: never.

Source: Organizational terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

cascade communication

A top-down information flow where messages trickle from executives through management layers to front-line employees, losing clarity and gaining confusion at each level like a game of corporate telephone.

💼 Corporate / Business
Advanced

Gator in the Lake

Corporate email jargon for that completely irrelevant, company-wide message that somehow makes it to everyone's inbox, insulting the collective intelligence of all recipients. It's the digital equivalent of calling an all-hands meeting to announce someone found gum under a desk. Usually sent by someone who thinks their random observation deserves C-suite visibility.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

Socialize

To share an idea informally before making it official, essentially pre-selling your proposal through hallway conversations and coffee chats. Politics disguised as collaboration.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

business as usual

Normal operations continuing despite chaos, crisis, or the fact that nothing about the current situation is remotely usual.

💼 Corporate / Business
Intermediate

Deep Dive

An unnecessarily dramatic term for actually reading the document you were supposed to read before the meeting. Suggests scuba gear and ocean exploration when all you're doing is opening a spreadsheet.

💼 Corporate / Business
Beginner

brainstorming

A group creativity session where everyone throws ideas at the wall to see what sticks, usually involving whiteboards and someone saying 'there are no bad ideas' right before judging all the ideas. It's the corporate world's favorite way to democratize innovation while often producing committee-designed camels. When it works, it's brilliant; when it doesn't, it's just a really expensive meeting.

💼 Corporate / Business

Translate This Term

See “committee” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on XShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Advanced

gamma

The rate of change in an option's delta relative to the underlying asset's price movement. It's the derivative of a deri...