Meetings are expensive. If you convene a two-hour meeting of 12 of your staff or direct reports once a month, it consumes about one-fifth of a full-time equivalent, assuming there is no travel time to get or return from the meeting. It begs the question: Why call a meeting?
To guide our thoughts, please think of a meeting recently that was exciting and useful. Then think of a meeting that was not. What were the differences between the two experiences? What was said? Who was present? What was accomplished or discussed? The differences people usually cite are the reasons for the meeting and the process that occurred.
There are three bad reasons to call a meeting:
- To force people to show up at the office.
- To get people all in one place and to agree or back a proposal or initiative.
- To save time by speaking to the entire group at one time.
These reasons can be classified as serving control issues, ego satisfaction of the manager or boss and forcing agreement. If that is why you are calling a meeting, save time and effort by issuing a memo/email.
There are five good reasons for calling a meeting:
- To openly discuss an issue or initiative and solicit different opinions.
- To engender pride in the organization by events or accomplishments discussed.
- To remind people of the purpose and shared vision of the unit’s work.
- To discuss and reach consensus (not necessarily unanimity) in decision-making.
- Open problem-solving.
These reasons all have one characteristic. They use the meeting to engage in open dialogue and exchange opinions. The meeting could result in a better decision, better approach to an initiative or problem, and the feeling that people are valued, belong and matter.
What about remote meetings?
Remote meetings save time. People don’t have to fly, drive or walk to and from the meetings. People can schedule other activities immediately before and after the meeting. They reduce stress on people because of this convenience. But they lack the benefit of full visual contact (i.e., seeing each person, observing their non-verbal expressions). In remote meetings, you see a portion of each person in a small box on your computer screen. You will miss some of the subtle information that transpires between and among people when face to face.
If the initiatives or problems to be addressed are clear and do not involve complex thinking, creativity or arousing a variety of emotions, then a remote meeting will suffice and serve the “good reasons” as described above. But if the issues or topics are complex and/or emotionally charged, then a face-to-face meeting is much more important. In such situations, a remote meeting can take on the process and tone serving the “bad” reasons described above for convening meetings.
Are meetings worth it? It depends on the reasons for calling the meeting and true process used in the meeting. One-way communication is far more efficient via email, letters, videos and such. Meetings are at their best when there is dialogue and a genuine collecting of people’s opinions and ideas. ●
Richard E. Boyatzis is Distinguished University Professor , Professor, Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management
