I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say, "I can't wait to have another meeting!" That's because so many meetings drag on too long, have no real focus, and accomplish little of substance. Part of the problem is that many groups don't work together efficiently.
A recent study shows that teams tend to spend most of their time in meetings rehashing information that the group already knows, instead of bringing new points forward. Teams that meet more often aren't always sharing much of value, which leads to longer and less productive meetings. Of course, you have to bring everyone to a common level of understanding; but for many teams, that process takes too much time.
The study also found that meetings are more productive when participants engage in so-called "intellective tasks," meaning they attempt to solve a problem for which a correct answer exists--as opposed to seeking a consensus opinion or judgment.
Meetings are a fact of business life. To boost the success of your next meeting, resolve to do three things: Use a structured method for imparting shared information quickly; focus the group's energy on solving specific problems; and remember that more talking rarely means better results.
This study is reported in "Information Sharing and Team Performance: A Meta-Analysis," by Jessica Mesmer-Magnus and Leslie DeChurch, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol 94(2), March 2009, pgs. 535-546.
Comments