Copy

ESSENTIALS

There are a multitude of reasons to collaborate: better decisions and alignment, learning and commitment, quicker action, and results. Interaction is easier today than ever before (phone, email, text, Zoom/Teams, Slack and an endless list of other apps) but is it value-added collaboration?

Meetings


Most organizations could not function without meetings - it is the primary format used to communicate and get things done. Most people dread meetings - they are often just hour-long displays of power and politics that distract people from ‘real’ work. A recent McKinsey study found 80% of executives are considering changes to their meeting structure and cadence due to changes in how/where people work after the pandemic. They, like the rest of us, find themselves spending too much time on pointless interactions.


Collaborative interactions (meetings) can be categorized into three general categories:


1) Decision-making - anywhere from complex, uncertain decisions to quarterly business reviews

2) Open-innovation - from new product brainstorming to daily coordination

3) Information - one-way sharing (email, video) to two-way sharing (Q&A, Town Halls)


See summary below:

In many cases, it is desirable to have only one decider. Don’t underestimate the difficulty in doing this - it often goes against our consensus-building and empowerment beliefs. Executing and sustaining such decision-rights will take courage and leadership.


References

● DeSmet, Aaron, Caitlin Hewes, Mengwei Luo, JR Maxwell and Patrick Simon. “If we’re all so busy, why isn’t anything getting done?” McKinsey & Company, January 10, 2022.

● Interaction Associates. The Complete Facilitator Training, 1987.

● Lencioni, Patrick. Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass, 2016.

● Taylor, Kris. “Make Meetings Work for You,” Transitions Blog, January 29, 2020.