Chinese School - How managers can avoid the meeting meltdown

BIZCHINA / Biz Life

How managers can avoid the meeting meltdown

By Wang Yunqi (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-04-12 14:47

A Chinese saying describes managers as being buried under a mountain of
documents and awash in an ocean of meetings. And for many bosses, this is
true.

Meetings are a means for managers to fulfill their duties and are a key
factor in a company's organization.

Although meetings are an important part of work, many managers regard
them as solutions to all problems, calling staff together whenever
something happens. This consumes energy and time for both managers and
employees and can be ineffective.

There are many reasons to call for meetings, including information
sharing and supervision of employees, finding solutions, developing new
ideas, encouraging the team, or building leadership. But many people find
the results of meetings unsatisfactory.

In many organizations, people either debate for hours to reach a
consensus or identify unrealistic solutions. Often half the time spent in
meetings is wasted.

Poor preparation, inadequate agendas and ignorance of discussion topics
see many companies lose 30 working days a year.

But the main causes for low efficiency in meetings are: lack of focus;
little preparation in advance; participants who are not time-conscious;
repetitive speeches; failure to reach results; and lack of reporting
skills.

To achieve high efficiency, meetings should only be considered when: an
issue cannot be resolved with routine procedures; the team's wisdom is
required; immediate decisions are needed; significant changes are being
made or new measures adopted; or if inspiration or training is needed.

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