Bored to tears
Dear Corporate Shrink,
We are overworked and understaffed. Why do we have to keep having meetings that are a total waste of time? My boss seems to love them. Anything I can do during these meetings besides daydream?
Dear Bored to tears,
Organizations spend as much as 15% of employees’ work time on formal meetings. This does not include preparation time, conferences, or travel time to and from. Meetings by the water cooler are not included either. A large company with a $300 million personnel budget can be spending $45 million a year on meetings! Are they getting a good return on that investment? Not usually.
I categorize meetings into two types: operational and strategic. Operational meetings deal with WHAT needs to be done? WHO is going to do it? And WHEN is it going to be done? These meetings should uncover the resistances and obstacles to getting the job done. Is the problem with the individual(s) involved (poor motivation, opposition, lack of skills, etc.); or with the system (poor training, excessive expectations, poor resources, etc.)? Sometimes the situation may necessitate other meetings to deal with these problems but an answer needs to be reached and brought back to the original meeting in order to maintain momentum, morale, and purpose.
While operational meetings are focused and structured, strategic meetings are looser and more relaxed. The meeting revolves around a primary theme or area that relates to the overall mission of the team or department - and in turn to the company’s overall vision. This meeting needs to take place in a physically and emotionally comfortable environment that stimulates the creative juices. All ideas are welcomed, respected, and played with. The strategic meeting (usually not just one meeting but a series of them or a full day retreat) generates ideas that are converted into projects with accountability and that are followed in the operational meetings.
Now, let’s return to your specific question. You can attempt to improve the overall meeting by becoming a cooperative and productive member and modeling such behavior to others. You do this by asking the WHAT/WHO/WHEN questions; by being accountable and dependable; by appropriately raising the issue of a lack of resources and helping to explore how this may affect the accomplishment of the task; by respecting others’ input - suspending judgment - and listening without being distracted by the preparation of your counterargument. I know, all this is easier said than done. Play scientist - experiment and observe.