Unproductive Meeting Syndrome
Part of the cause seems to be heavier workloads, downsizing, and sometimes the
lack of management training. (People are expected to do the work of three
employees, or they become supervisors too soon, or there isn’t enough clear and
direct communication between workers.) You would think with such heavy workloads
that companies and managers would insist meetings be highly efficient and
effective—but the opposite seems to be true. I can’t tell you how many meetings
I’ve attended lately where there is no agenda, no facilitator, too many people
attending the meeting, and no indicated outcome is ever stated. We often seem
to meet for meeting’s sake.
And I think maybe I know why.
With so much work, no breaks for coffee or lunch, and little or no time
to collaborate with co-workers, employees see meetings as a venue for
socializing and taking a mental break from their personal workload. So often
the meetings I attend end up being a free-for-all, with employees trying to
figure out what the hell everyone else is working on and how their work fits
into the bigger picture. Or during the meeting they are jockeying for face time
with owners and managers they don’t have enough contact with. And sometimes
everyone just needs to yak.
Fortunately there’s a simple cure for UMS. During the 90s, the dot.coms
had a big influence on business structure; some good and some maybe not so
good. But one standout practice I appreciated when working with the likes of
Hewlett-Packard and Intel was the well-run meeting. These companies had strict
rules about how meetings were to be conducted (with those rules actually posted
on the wall in the meeting room). They understood that meetings are about
solving problems, interdepartmental communication, planning, and moving
projects (and the organization) forward.
· Prepare and Share an Agenda—either
created by one person if they have a specific problem to solve/goal to achieve,
or attendees submit agenda items ahead of time.
· State the Desired Outcome—e.g., to solve
a problem, determine next steps for moving a project forward, hold a post
mortem to review results of a project or program, draft a plan.
· Always Have a Meeting Facilitator—someone
to run the meeting, stick to the agenda and the time allotted, keep people on
task and on topic (and tell people when their discussion needs to be handled
outside the meeting), and remind people of the desired outcome to make sure it
is achieved.
· Set a Timeframe—40 minutes is a good
meeting length. If you can’t do it in under an hour there’s a problem.
· Recap the Meeting—designate someone to
make a note of all actions agreed upon, noting the person(s) responsible and
corresponding deadlines—then make sure everyone gets a copy after the meeting.
(Intel calls these “Action Required,” and to this day I still write AR next to
any action item when I take notes.)
· Follow-up & Achievements—People like
to make a difference, to feel they’ve accomplished something and moved forward.
The person in charge needs to follow up on all Actions Required to make sure
they are completed—and they need to say “thanks” and “good job” when tasks are
accomplished effectively and on time.
You can help your business avoid Unproductive Meeting Syndrome by
following this prescription list at your next meeting. You’ll be amazed at how
much more effective your meetings can be—whether it’s a meeting between 2
people or 20 people. And employees, co-workers, and consultants like me will be
happier knowing exactly what is expected of them and also that their time is
valued.
