Meetings have long been a cornerstone of working life, but all too often they remain ineffective and frustrating experiences for many employees.
Mats Alvesson highlights in a recently published article in the magazine Affärsvärlden the unsustainable situation with meeting culture where productivity can be lost in a jungle of administrative tasks.
He writes: Meetings, meetings and more meetings – a less successful part of working life. Meetings are common, but it is rare for people to say something truly thought-provoking. “Excuse me, but what are we really doing?” should be asked more often, according to Mats Alvesson.
I agree with Mats Alvesson. It is high time for companies to review their meeting culture and dare to question how effective it is today and what steps need to be taken to make meetings more meaningful and productive.
Meetings play an important role in the company's development. It is here that ideas are born, decisions are made, and relationships are built. But far too often these meetings are ineffective, and the goal is missed.
For a large part of the meetings, it is easy to improve quality. They are all informative meetings. The knowledge that needs to be conveyed does not come through because many lack the methods to communicate it. A large part of the solution is to support people who are going to present, as this is where it often fails most.
A World in Rapid Change
PwC conducts a global study, Global CEO Survey, each year to capture the challenges that business leaders see coming. The 2023 study includes responses from 4,720 business leaders.
Almost half (45%) of the respondents who answered the survey question whether their business will survive in 10 years with the challenges posed by generative AI solutions. This is despite their belief that the global market for their businesses will grow.
What is needed to avoid falling behind is considered to be that companies must develop new business models and become more effective in what they do.
Business leaders experience enormous inefficiencies within many of the company's activities, from decision-making meetings to email communication, and they estimate that 40% of the time spent on this is ineffective.
The Key to Good and Effective Meetings
The fact that managers spend a large part of their time in meetings means that they seldom have the opportunity to actually lead, develop, and strengthen the company's human capital, thus building a more dynamic organization, which is becoming increasingly important in today's fast-changing business environment.
Instead, meetings become a place where administrative issues dominate and where it is difficult to utilize the collective competence in the room.
Over all the years I have worked to help and educate people to conduct meaningful meetings, I have identified four success factors that might seem quite obvious.
1. To formulate the goal of the meeting & create meaning for those who will listen
2. Time to rhetorically prepare the meeting
3. Method and tools that support the speaker
4. Time to practice and refine
My conviction is that one must focus on developing the human aspects of communication – to listen, understand, and engage. It is about creating an environment where people feel safe to express themselves and where their contributions are clearly appreciated and respected.
I am completely convinced that companies can create an effective meeting culture through methodology and technical support, where everyone's voices are heard, and where ideas and opinions are welcomed.
But change requires courage and commitment from business leaders and decision-makers. It requires one to dare to question the existing meeting culture and be prepared to invest in new methods and tools to change it. It is about daring to think differently and being open to change.
I know that the benefits are not only significantly better meeting quality. On a personal level, those who conduct meetings will experience that they become less nervous, and it becomes more enjoyable, and above all, more rewarding in the meeting with the listeners.
Mats Alvesson points out that meetings are often characterized by conformity and shallowness, where it is difficult to say what one really thinks and feels.
Mats writes: Meeting ritualism – predictable, standardized, role-defined meetings – where one confirms oneself and others and does not complicate matters with clear deviations from functional stupidity (being obedient, group-oriented, and thinking within what is socially acceptable) is common. Existence is facilitated but is not so good for effectiveness. Meetings where people say something truly thought-provoking are rare. “Excuse me, but what are we really doing?” would often be a relevant but generally unwelcome statement.
Well-Prepared Meetings Can Move Mountains
To meet ever-accelerating change, it is high time for companies and organizations to take the step towards a better meeting culture. By providing employees support to express themselves clearly and engagingly. By promoting an open and respectful communication culture, we can create a more engaging, productive, and dynamic work environment that contributes to creating meetings where all participants feel that the meeting was well spent working time.
Erik Dahlkvist - CEO Convey Group AB and founder of Hilma - Human Communication Empowering Platform