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Meetings are absolutely unnecessary, because they suck away time and reinforces a culture of pacifism. They are a sign of many things that are wrong in a workplace. The solution is to get rid of them altogether, and find better ways to solve problems.
Meetings waste time, all the time
The reason why people attend meetings is because they’re obliged to, not because they’re keen to solve a problem. People adapt in social environments to get things done, and they can easily learn to do without meetings to get things done. So there’s no real reason why meetings should save anyone’s time, apart from really important news that someone wants to tell everyone - but what are emails for? It only seems to benefit those who set up meetings (for convenience), not to those who attend.
Things can’t get done during meetings
Only two things happen during meetings - talking and listening. Anyone caught doing anything else isn’t considered to be “part” of the meeting. Hence, since talking and listening isn’t really achieving anything, nothing gets done during that time. If I want to get something done, I speak directly with the people involved, get to the point about what I need, and track the tasks remotely. Constant meetings are a sign that people don’t understand how work gets done best, and it doesn’t appreciate the diverse ways in which people prefer to work. They’re also a sign of inadequate preparation, poor problem solving, and less-than-ideal working relationships - a few important factors required to get things done.
Meetings encourage pacifism
Studies have shown that people are willing to speak out more in smaller groups than larger ones. This is because channels of communication are multiplied with each new member in the group, which makes things more complicated and time-consuming. Hence, most people resort to silence. After awhile, it becomes a norm, and then a habit. This really destroys creative problem solving, and is the reason why I break down my groups into groups of three during brainstorming sessions.
Meetings are really social gatherings
People gather socially when they want to interact with each other on a group or personal level. This is why it’s easy to find small pockets of whispering, or a burst of laughter from a good joke. But you don’t need meetings to make that happen. It just happens anyway. This is another reason why you don’t need meetings, unless what you really want is a social gathering - then what you really ought to do is call it a social gathering, and manage the work in another way. Meetings are a sign of poor work-life balance. Better to have work done during work-time, and party after that.
Meetings are a poor way to lead
Good bosses understand people, and deal with them as individuals, not as large groups. Groups and teams only make a difference when individuals leverage on each other’s strengths, and not just the sum of common resources. Good managers deal with team members individually better than they do in groups, encouraging them to interact at peer level and create active discourse rather than a passive consensus.
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Comments
05.29.08
Your post brings up many interesting points, including how one might define meetings. To me, large, informational meetings are often a waste of time, as you say. But a small, purposeful meetings with the correct people can be very productive. As you imply, it's all about the execution.
05.29.08
Wow, I like your aggressive standpoint! I agree there can be meetings that you sit there, thinking, why on earth am i on this call, or sitting here? I used to think like that.
Certainly in my company, the culture is to always accept an invite. I now try to go against the grain. If I cant offer anythign to the meeting and dont need to know about the info on hand, I ask the organiser, am i really required before accepting.
Being forceful on a call with a bad organiser is not a bad thing - the PC term would be offering guidance. Have no hesitation in butting in and asking if there are any action items and follow-ups to conclude from the meeting.
Calling a meeting in order to stop a large String of emails that is slowing process down is valid. Some issues need clarity, and need team members to take ownership of problems. a good meeting organiser would use the meeting to sort this out.
All in all, i guess what i'm saying is you're being too severe: A bad organiser leads to a bad meeting. Action items and agendas with only the necessary resources brings success, fast. If they are not in place, take the lead and make it happen yourself.
05.30.08
If we really put the brakes to meetings, focus on solving problems, we could come up with really good ways to interact.
A lot of people in my office use IM, sometimes to host "virtual meetings". Even that gets pounded by chatter, but it beats getting up and going to the meeting room to solve a problem.
It's not just about organization that leads to bad meetings. It's a culture in itself - embedded in the way we conceive corporate life, that we find it hard to do without it.
I agree that some face to face time is crucial, but we tend end up in 'meeting' comfort zone.
05.30.08
It's interesting that the more senior the employee, the more meetings one sits in.
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