MEET-OCRACY

Wherever you sit in your career, pros and cons of that position abound.

As consultants and entrepreneurs, we talk about such intangibles as flexibility and availability, in general, and relish our freedom from corporate doings like meetings and mandated forms et al.  [Though, trust us, meetings are de rigueur for many of our long-time clients, especially on short-term initiatives.]

So we were intrigued by a to-be-published book that, in part, took a new bead on meetings and corporate governance, in general.  Based on the notion that organizations are best governed by a constitution and roles (not titles), Holacracy is, for sure, an idea that some will find eminently practical.  And some, not.

Ahem:  About the meeting section, to ‘triage’ issues (author Brian Robertson calls them ‘tensions’).  There are three practices we particularly admire:

  • The check-in and closing rounds.  One person at a time shares her/his present mindset, distractions included.  Upfront.  With no interruptions.  Similarly, the meeting’s end allows each individual to reflect on the time just spent.
  • Agenda building – together.  Why not ask participants to tee up one issue apiece – during the meeting?  It forces everyone to mull over those problems that are most immediate, most important.
  • The ask – what do you need?  Haven’t we all been taught about the WIIFMs … in terms of communicating, promoting, advertising, and so on?  This gets right to the heart of the issue, and helps all feel accomplished and motivated by the meeting’s outcomes. 

There’s more, obviously.  After all, re-arranging your meeting might be easier to implement than asking leaders to be guided by a new organizational constitution. 

HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DAY?

It’s been the subject of many SNL skits as well as Second City-like improvs.

Universal groans are heard when the topic comes up.

Parodies and typologies published in The Wall Street Journal and BloombergBusinessweek (among others) take the different personalities of meeting participants to task, whether their aim is sabotageor boredom relief.

It’s clear:  Nobody, but nobody likes a work meeting.  Ask researchers from the London School of Economics to Epson; most respondents have voted with their clicker:  At least 50 percent of all business get-togethers are wasted.

But we’re like John Wanamaker, head of the late eponymous Philadelphia department store, who cried about his advertising:  “I just don’t know which half works.”

Solutions are many, both serious and fun.  “Set a clear agenda” usually tops the list.  Another:  “Schedule a start and an end time – and stick to it.”  Others use a combination of carrot and stick to keep meetings on track, on time, on goal.

There are three remedies that, truth be told, work harder than any other tactic to drive results at group gatherings:

  1. Use a VERY loud alarm clock, set to stop disruptions and to end meetings.
  2. Don’t use chairs.  [You’ll be surprised how efficient your meetings become when folks are forced to stand.]
  3. Finally, track the number of meeting hours against individual, group, and business priorities.  See how well you can connect outcomes to time. 

Watch what happens when you start to measure:    We’ll bet you and your colleagues will be spending your work time just a bit differently.