Meeting: "for" and "against"

The fact that the meeting - it's a waste of time, has written a great many books and articles. And each new author tries to find as many disadvantages and to prove that all of this - a waste of time and therefore money. Because if the hour employee costs, for example, $ 100, during the next two-hour meeting of the company has thrown down the drain $ 200. Zing! And if there are 10 of these workers? Zing! Zing! Zing !!!

But, perhaps, the meeting is arranged not quite right? Maybe not all meetings are purely evil and productivity killer? Maybe there are those who, on the contrary, increase productivity and contribute to the birth of really good ideas and products?

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Today I came across two articles on the same topic, but with a completely opposite characters! As you know, the articles were on the usefulness and necessity of meetings. As in the first and in the second article, quoted very reasonable arguments, backed by facts and figures. And I decided to combine all the "pros" and "cons" in one article.

And I'll start, perhaps, from the standard views of the majority and the options for reducing the negative effects.

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According to the data of Labor Statistics in the United States meeting cost the country about $ 37 billion. An impressive figure, right? And all that money (or almost all) have been thrown to the wind. When employees are in a meeting, they do not do their job.

Nobody likes to go to the meeting. So it is not just a waste of money, it is also a waste of human resources and our nerve cells. Although, some people manage to use this time to their advantage, having had time to take a nap, check my emails or read something interesting, but absolutely do not concerning the work.

How to reduce the waste of time? All the many items can be grouped into a few general.

1. Limited time and clear agenda. This applies not only to the reduction of the time of the meeting, but also the number of meetings. meeting program should be clearly painted on items diverting their discussion of a limited amount of time. So that your employees do not have time to sleep, bored, distracted or start quietly hate you.

2. Limited number of participants. The same applies to the list of those who should attend. It is not necessary to waste other people's time on something that is not related to their work. Or concerns, but they do not have enough power to influence what is happening. Although some companies with a "horizontal structure" satisfied with the meeting, inviting them all, from the system administrator and ending with the head of the marketing department. Because of the company appreciated the voice and opinion of every employee, even if the cleaner aunt Klava. And that such meetings provide the greatest confusion and spend most of the time.

3. Conference Call. Another option could be meeting the full or partial virtaulizatsiya them. That is, you do not tear all up and not wait for latecomers. You just do not get up because of his desktop and discussing work issues in a familiar setting. Or those who may be present, are going to the meeting, and those who are at the moment for some reason was unable to attend, participate virtually. To do this, now there are a lot of different services and programs.

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David Burkus, Professor of management at Oral Roberts University, offers a look at the meeting with the other hand. He believes that properly organized meetings promote creativity and the generation of really interesting ideas and challenges. In this case, it refers to a series of studies conducted by psychologist Kevnom Dunbar, who has studied the work of four microbiological laboratories. And even in such seemingly dry and purely scientific work was a place joint creativity, which proved to be much more effective than working alone.

That is, if the people who work in the same company, one area or on a common project, will come together and will share their ideas and developments, the chances that together they will find a better solution than individually, increase in times. And it does not depend on whether you are working on a new drug, or on a new computer program.

These meetings must be correct and the people have to go to them not as hard labor. A good example of such meetings are an Australian company Atlassian and Google. Atlassian regularly holds its employees is something like free days when they can 24 hours a day to work on their projects. After that, it arranged an informal meeting at which all share their achievements. And the meeting is held not at the table with a strict work address of code. Not. It is rather reminiscent of corporate parties with buffet. In this atmosphere, employees feel more at ease and willing to share their ideas. The company reported an increase after these free days and the number of meetings is really successful and high-quality products as well as new technological improvements.

IN Google We have done a little differently. The company has introduced for its employees free meals program. In some place where the working of the campus was not an employee, he can always get a delicious and exquisite dinner. But it's not just that such food increases loyalty (who does not love free cookies?). The fact that this program does so that people go from their working offices and laboratories, and meet with their colleagues from other departments and delicious lunch. There they share their latest ideas, or work projects. Thus, without any boring and forced assembly in the company takes place circulation of ideas and projects between departments.

I have vast experience of visiting meetings and inventing excuses from them. But after reading I realized that I was just as in the first and in the second situation.

When I started to work in a telecommunications company, the head of our department decided to spend half a day meeting. In the morning he summoned all to report about the tasks for the day to come and hear our opinion. And in the evening we were going to talk about the work done, successes and ideas on improving workflow. As a result, after two weeks of these meetings is one of the most respected and valued employees evening suggested a proposal that was supported by all, except the director. He offered to stop wasting precious time employees and let them work in peace, convening working meetings as necessary. If the leadership very much wants to know what goes billable time, they can fill in weekly reports. Once all left alone, work department was adjusted.

On the other work I had better luck. We had no boring meetings with dry reports and graphs of sales growth. We're just going after a rather busy day (what can only be the day before the New Year in gift shop) for a delicious tea and scones either in the office kitchen or, weather permitting, on the veranda in the garden behind house. And discuss their work, share ideas and thoughts on how to be accelerated and at the same time not lose the quality of our work. And so in a relaxed, informal atmosphere gives rise to new interesting ideas, work on which began with the very next day. For us, it was something like a pleasant ritual. We loved it. And even now, despite the fact that it's been 6 years old, I do not have here is just such meetings "in the case and just."

That is, we can turn the meeting into an unpleasant coercion, which will not only waste valuable work time, but also spoil the mood of colleagues. And this is exactly the mood is not conducive to a productive way and generate new ideas.

Or we can make this unobtrusive and even pleasant event, which the staff will be glad to look for to share ideas, to hear something new from their colleagues and discuss it together with everyone in the search for the optimal solutions.

And how are your meetings? Would you like to change something in their conduct? And if you have a different configuration Meeting of dreams?