Collegiality

The concept of collegiality is used in almost all spheres of state structures ( legislative power , judicial power , executive power ), in commercial organizations , political parties and non-profit organizations .
It means a joint discussion for decision-making, taking into account different opinions and suggestions.
There is collegiality in the form of a meeting at which officials jointly discuss a decision. Based on the proposed options and opinions expressed, a single decision is developed and made.
The council of officials making such decisions is called a collegial body or a board .
Depending on the charter (for political parties, for commercial or non-profit organizations), or regulatory legal acts (for state structures), the final decision is made either by voting members of the board (the decisive form of collegiality ) or by sole decision of the official who heads the board ( deliberative form collegiality ) ^[2] .

Historically collegiality was introduced into the system of state power due to the following factors:

• the need for legislative bodies ;
• the need for judicial authorities ;
• the need to curb arbitrariness and arbitrariness on the part of representatives of the executive branch ;
• exclusion of randomness and various mistakes in decisions made by all branches of government;
• taking into account the interests of all stakeholders of society;
• introduction of experience and advanced knowledge.

In essence, collegiality is used primarily as a counterbalance to unity of command , as a mechanism of protection from the human factor , which the official (dignitary) could manifest.
The institute of magistrates in the Roman Empire, which emerged in the IV century BC, can be attributed to one of the first historical legislatively approved collegial bodies . er . Under the magistrates, decemvirs ( lat. Decem viri “ten men”), a collegiate body of ten people that served as the legislative power, were established by law . This institution of power arose as a compromise taking into account the interests of all classes, primarily solving the conflict of interests of plebeians and patricians ^[3] .
In the policy of the CPSU, the principle of collegiality was associated with the principle of sole responsibility .
V.I. Lenin argued that collegiality , combined with sole responsibility, was the guarantor of using the knowledge and experience of many party members, preventing an erroneous subjective approach and depersonalization of decision-makers and participating in their execution.
In the opinion of V.I. Lenin, collegiality should clearly stipulate the responsibility of all persons participating in the execution of the discussed decision ^[4] :

... Collective discussion and resolution of all management issues in Soviet institutions must be accompanied by the establishment of the most accurate responsibility of each person in any Soviet position for the performance of certain clearly defined and unequivocally outlined tasks and practical work ...

- Complete Works, 5th ed., Volume 37, p. 365

Legislature

In the legislative branch, depending on the state, the following collegial bodies may be:

• Senate
• Parliament
• National Assembly - Analogue of Parliament in Some States

Judicial power

• Council of Judges (Supreme Judicial Council) - depending on membership in the state
• Higher Qualification Board of Judges

Executive power

The executive branch has the following collegiate bodies :

• Cabinet of Ministers - the highest collegiate executive body
• Council of Ministers - analogue of the Cabinet of Ministers in the USSR
• The Council of the Ministry is a collegiate body under the Ministry. For example, the Medical Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Empire
• Municipal Council - a collegial local government body

International collegiate bodies

In the sphere of foreign policy relations and military-political associations, for example, there are the following collegial bodies:

• CIS Council of Foreign Ministers
• North Atlantic Council - NATO's collegiate governing body ^[5]

For some areas collegiality does not always manifest itself in the presence of a constantly existing collegial body . In such cases, collegiality is expressed in a working meeting, which is organized according to the need to solve any problems.

Education System

• The Pedagogical Council is a permanent collegial management body or a meeting of teachers of an educational institution who decide on the organization of training and the functioning of an institution.
• Scientific and Technical Council - a permanent collegial governing body of the university or scientific and technical association or a meeting of specialists and scientists ^[6]

Health System

• Consilium - a meeting of doctors who decide the issues of diagnosis and treatment of a single patient

Religious Administration

• The Conclave is a collegial body in the Catholic Church , which is a collection of cardinals who decide the question of the candidacy of the Pope of Rome.
• The Council of Ulema - in Islamic countries, the collegial body of the clergy , which is a collection of ulamas , which solves both theosophical issues and the functioning of the clergy, and the functions of the legislative power of the state (for example in Saudi Arabia ) ^[7]

Business Area

• The Board of Directors is a collegial management body in large industrial enterprises, commercial enterprises, banks, corporations, concerns, etc., which controls the functioning of the organization and solves the issues of modernization, financing, selling and buying stocks, etc.

Sports

• Referee board (Referee team) is a collegial body that evaluates the performance of athletes in many sports ^[8] .

In the armed forces (depending on state affiliation) the following collegial bodies can be found:

• The Military Council is the historical name of the collegial bodies of the armed forces in some states;
• The Officer Honors Court is a collegial body for the protection of the corporate honor of officers and the dignity of officers.

At the level of subunits , military units and formations - collegiality is represented by a working meeting at the headquarters , at which the current situation, incoming combat orders are discussed and the opinions of the commanders of divisions and heads of services are heard.
In the Armed Forces of almost all states, the principle of control is legislatively based on the unity of command .

In this regard, collegiality is manifested exclusively in a deliberative manner and is advisory in nature.
The head (commander) holds a meeting at which important issues and orders received from above are discussed and listens to the opinions of deputies and officials responsible for executing orders. After that, it makes a sole decision, for which it bears full responsibility.
There are exceptions when the unity of command of the commander (superior) may be limited by the position of the collegial body . For example, the decision of the court officer's honor . The formation commander cannot influence their decision, but can only appeal against it.

• Senate
• Parliament
• Military council
• Council of Elders
• Cabinet of Ministers
• Deemviry
• Conclave
• Officer Honor Court
• Jury trial

• Dementieva V.V. The emergence of the collegiality of the Roman magistrates // Issedon - ΙΣΣΕΔΩΝ: Almanac of ancient history and culture. - Ekaterinburg: Publishing house Ural. state University, 2003. - T. 2. - p. 72-90. (Checked March 24, 2014)