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April 01, 2008
Why We Really Do Like Meetings
As much as we like to bash meetings and complain about how much time they suck out of our workday, most of us actually don’t mind them.
That’s what Steven Rogelberg, director professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, discovered during a recent survey of some 800 US workers.
In fact, a whopping two-thirds of respondents said their ideal day would include at least one meeting.
Are you buying it?
In an interview on the NPR morning show The Bryant Park Project last month, journalist Jared Sandberg says there are four real reasons why meetings happen:
- They feed our social nature.
- They’re “company-sanctioned prattle” sessions -- essentially, an excuse to get together on company time for chit-chat.
- They serve as show of power for the organizer(s).
- They just might include free food.
So, depending on your work style and the size of your ego, at least one of those elements probably appeals to you and makes meetings not nearly as bad as we all proclaim them to be.
After all, attending a meeting or two each day has to be better than staying chained to your cubicle, right?
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Posted by Bryan on April 1, 2008 at 12:37 PM in The Daily Grind | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)
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I've found meetings to be rarely beneficial and largely time wasters. As pointed out, there are few reasons for meetings. Of those listed in your post, ego-stroking is often the most common - and most abused - reason.
In lieu of having regular (read as "frequent") meetings, I prefer the "walk and talk" approach for discussions. This reduces the wasted words and wasted time of traditional meetings. Documents can be placed on the shared drive for consumption without wasting money on copies. And finally, wiki applications foster collaboration.
With any luck, these techniques will end meetings as we know them.
Posted by: Mike Thomas | Apr 1, 2008 10:14:03 PM
Give me the 10 minute in the hall or 5 minutes over the table in the break room meeting any day, over the formal table and conference room meeting. Yesterday one of my colleagues defined meetings as a place where we go to get more work, while the work we already have sits on our desks because we are in meetings. Pretty to the point!
Posted by: TheLoneTrainer | Apr 2, 2008 11:10:05 AM
Yes I am one who complains about meetings. I'm a college student but I do work in an office. I don't go to meetings very often but when I do I complain. But the reasons stated of why meetings aren't so bad makes a lot of sence. I guess I don't know everyone yet in the office to sit and chit chat but I do like getting paid to sit and hear what others have to say. And there is always some kind of free food.
Posted by: Kayla | Apr 7, 2008 1:56:30 PM
Yes I am one who complains about meetings. I'm a college student but I do work in an office. I don't go to meetings very often but when I do I complain. But the reasons stated of why meetings aren't so bad makes a lot of sence. I guess I don't know everyone yet in the office to sit and chit chat but I do like getting paid to sit and hear what others have to say. And there is always some kind of free food.
Posted by: Kayla | Apr 7, 2008 1:57:30 PM
I agree wholeheartedly with this article. I was thinking the whole time while reading this and having it verified at the bottom, that people do need a change and variety in their day to day work. A meeting gives them a chance to socialize further with co-workers one probably doesn't commonly get to with (although it's usually strictly on a business intellectual level). If it's a matter of getting work done, these meetings are supposed to update everyone and everyone therefore "suffers" (if that's how it's seen).
Posted by: Ethan | Apr 7, 2008 2:09:53 PM
I just started working somewhere where we have daily and weekly meetings. The daily meetings are a status review of all the projects our department has going on at the moment, and the weekly meetings are regarding specific issues (database, etc.). At first it seemed easy to make all the normal complaints about these meetings- but they have become extremely valuable to me. Even though I don't need to be in the daily status meeting, as a newbie I've learned so much about how our department works. Also, getting the whole department together every day fosters a sense of community that probably wouldn't have happened so quickly for me without the meetings. People I wouldn't have approached on my own have come up to me because they saw me at the meeting and wanted to say hi- and for me, socializing is about much more than just a pleasant workplace, but having the freedom to ask a coworker a question I might not have approached them with otherwise.
Also, the targeted weekly meetings have really forced me to step back and take a look at the larger picture. I'm doing data entry, but also assessing and improving their database. If it weren't for the weekly database progress meetings, it would be easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day data entry and put off the larger picture database concerns. The weekly meeting forces me at least once a week to collect my thoughts, organize them, report back all the things I've learned and improved upon in the past week, and figure out how to proceed going forward. It would be easy to blow off that part of my job and just keep chugging along.
So I think meetings are good for team-building and getting big picture stuff done, as long as they are focused, short, and to the point (always the challenge of meetings!). It helps if there's a clear agenda ahead of time, and someone acting as taskmaster to make sure the discussion doesn't stray too far off track.
Posted by: JRae | Apr 8, 2008 9:31:47 PM
Production is down around here, and we'll keep havin' meetings 'til we find out why!
Posted by: Becky | Apr 8, 2008 11:41:54 PM
The best meetings I have ever had were production meetings for theatrical productions in college. During the month of production, we would meet twice weekly, once with the whole staff, and once with the director and designers only. At each meeting, we would spend half an hour going around and stating what each of us had accomplished since the last meeting and the concerns and questions we had for other staff members. After that, we would break off into smaller meetings that would work out the problems. It was a great way to keep everyone in the loop and make sure things went smoothly.
I have also been in meetings where people talk too much about personal matters and don't know when to stop kicking a dead issue. Meetings that drag on because there is no structure and no task-master are not good.
Posted by: Christie | Apr 9, 2008 11:55:29 AM
Meetings are a waste of time. I do not work to make friends at work becasue lets face facts most people get to familiar with you and find it easy to tel you their opinion of you and your work ability (as they stand there wasting time talking and smoking and being on the internet.)
If you need to know what i am doing daily come ask me I will give you a list. I'll even show what I do. When I am in the zone and working on a project I don't need to hear the boss talk about how good were all doing and yet tell us to do more for less. America has sold it self down the river to foreign investors and Stock holders who do nothing but give some money and want way to much money back.
I don't want free food and I don't need my ego stroked.
If I do a good job put it in my employee folder and do my review on time and give me more than 2-3%
Posted by: Jo-bob | Apr 9, 2008 5:30:51 PM
Properly done, meetings provide the opportunity to effectively communicate project information, or any relevant information to team members who need to know. Meetings facilitate the opportunity build teamwork. They do need to be quick and with a specific agenda. Quick hallway discussions are effective for one on one communications, but when 'teams' all need to be be involved, quick meetings can be an effective method. Lack of communication generally creates the biggest time waster by not getting the job done correctly.
Posted by: Robert Bales | Apr 10, 2008 8:35:32 AM
I only consider meetings important if it targets to resolve issues and problems encountered during the week or day. Then again, this could aslo post a problem if the attendess do not share the result of the meeting to their group (that again is another meeting). Other than these reson, I do agree with the discussed category of reasons.
Big EGO personnels use this not really to arrive at a common solution but to push what they want to happen.
For gossipers, this is a venue to share news of the people around them and talk about nothing really pertinent to company benifit and get paid during that time.
Glutons take this time to push for food or drinks from the organizer and again talk or even sleep while getting paid by the company.
Posted by: Joseph Gatdula | Apr 11, 2008 1:08:03 AM
I think it's beneficial if you get something out of the meeting. I like being informed about what is going on in the department so I feel in the loop. This is also a good time to mention any last minute updates to announce to the group. Sometimes meetings do seem like it's for the upper management and they don't pertain to you. Then I can see it being a waste of time. When you can be at your desk being productive.
Posted by: Small Business Strategy Expert | Apr 18, 2008 6:56:20 PM
Warning!
Meeting In Progress
Job Tip: There ought to be a sign posted on every closed office and conference room door that reads: Warning! Meeting In Progress! May Be Hazardous To Your Career.
Because most meetings burn up a lot of resources that could be spent on useful purposes. These sessions are either not necessary, or they are so poorly organized and conducted that they achieve only a fraction of their purpose.
You’d think any thing that dangerous would be drastically reduced if not eradicated. Not so, the number of meetings appears to be proliferating.
How Much Are Meetings Costing Your Company?
How much of a problem are meetings for you and your employer?
Is the time spent in meetings causing you to be late in turning out your work? Are you going in at night and on weekends to make up for time spent at meetings?
Are meetings worth what they are costing your company?
Are meetings eating up time you could be spending advancing progress on your career path?
One company mounted a large digital meter in its conference room. The total cost per hour for each person (salary and benefits) attending a meeting was fed into a computer, which in turn, divided the sum into cost per minute. The device was activated when more than one person arrived for the meeting and was shut off when the last person left the room. The total cost of the meeting was shown on a screen for all to see. The number and length of meetings were soon sharply reduced.
You can make the same calculation for your firm with a scratch pad and pencil. I guarantee you will be surprised at the cost.
The Reasons Meetings Fall Short
Meetings fail or fall short of their objective for a variety of reasons.
The most frequent cause is that no one – not even the chairman – is in charge. This usually means a clear purpose for the meeting has not been established. An agenda has not been drawn up. Participants can’t prepare in advance. So there is a lot of wandering around.
The door is left wide open for discussion of any and everything, other than the matter at hand. This condition also allows the showboats to get their time on stage.
Some people may even prolong a meeting because they have nothing better to do. Meetings are often called to achieve something a meeting cannot accomplish, such as drafting a statement. Meeting may flop because participants have not done their homework.
HOW TO CONTROL THE MEETING BEAST
What can you do to control the meeting beasts and make them yield better results for your organization?
First, don't hold a meeting unless it is absolutely necessary. It has been estimated that as much as one-third of the subject matter taken up at meetings is not appropriate for that venue and could have been handled by other means – the telephone, e-mail or a stand-up discussion in the hallway.
Second, if a meeting is necessary, the chances for success are enhanced greatly by a good chairman, one who will be fair, yet relentlessly firm and fully in control of the proceedings. Contrary to popular belief, good meetings are not freewheeling exercises in utopian democracy. The best ones are run by benevolent dictators.
JOB TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL
CHAIRING A MEETING
The truly effective chairman will take five steps to expedite the conference.
1. Clearly state the purpose of the meeting and set a time limit; provide an agenda and clearly state the issue(s) to be discussed. This will be done in writing. In advance.
2. Be sure all points of view are given a respectful hearing, but firmly cut off discussions that stray from the purpose of the meeting or are out of sequence.
3. Ensure there is only one discussion going on at a time.
4. Make certain the meeting comes to some recognized conclusion, with "next steps" understood and agreed upon.
5. Send out minutes of the meeting within 24 hours. These minutes will record decisions made and assign follow-up duties.
It is a tall order to bring the meeting beast under control. It has been around and growing forever. But it is worth the effort in terms of cutting back on frayed nerves and energy taken away from more productive pursuits.
Posted by: Ramon Greenwood | May 21, 2008 12:15:43 PM
