Too much time wasted in meetings.
Why?
A Microsoft Division Case Study
Phillip Endicott, Simona Lazar, Tristan Ford
IMT 580, iSchool
Introduction “Know Thy Time.” (Peter Drucker)
In previous research, people complained they never have time for what they want to accomplish.
Top ranking reason? Too much time spent in meetings.
Stats and Surveys “Meetings rank among the most inefficient
exercises American perform.” (Seattle PI)
Typical weekly staff meeting: 50 minutes (16 could be saved if inefficiencies are eliminated)
Lack of output: 59% of surveyed people don't take minutes in meetings 56% said action items are never/rarely documented 68% said input from discussions is used only
sometimes/rarely when implementing action items
Source: PI article: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1315AP_Watercooler.html
Case Study: Overview of MS division Sudden awareness of big problem! Too much time
spent in meetings
Most affected: Lower-level managers Number of meetings per week = 12-14 Hours spent in meetings per week = 20-24
Meetings are the ONLY effective tool available for: downward communication AND lateral communication (between feature teams)
BUT meetings take time from production =>low productivity
Meetings: Still a Necessary Evil Meetings are sometime
unproductive.
However… decision-making discussions often demand face-to-face interaction
Solutions? NOT: cut meeting time NOT: have more meetings HOT: make meetings more
effective. How?
Framework: Meeting Traps
Adapted from Steven R Rayner, “Team Traps: What They Are, How To Avoid Them”. National Productivity Review (1986-1998). New York: Summer 1996. Vol. 15, Iss. 3; p. 101.
1. Lack of an Agenda2. Inadequate Reporting3. Poor Planning
1. Disruptive behavior2. Delayed decision-making3. Lack of clear objectives
1. Lack of knowledge in conducting meetings2. Meetings held without key people in attendance3. Participants come unprepared
Leadership
Capabilities Focus
Leadership Problems
Lack of an Agenda Inadequate Reporting Poor Planning
Possible Solutions Plan, plan, plan! Create and Use an Agenda Assign Roles
Leadership: Plan, plan, plan! Questions to Ask When Planning a Meeting
Is another medium of communication more suitable?
Is there a planned agenda? Is there actually a need to meet?
Zyry, Patrice. “Effective meetings – to meet or not to meet: That is the question.” Nephrology Nursing Journal. 27.1 (2000): 76.
Leadership: Using Agendas Why Use an Agenda?
Agendas help determine if a meeting is truly necessary
Agendas ensure progress Agendas are the pathway to meeting team
objectives
Hagerty, Patricia J. “Effective Meetings.” Journal of Reading. 33.5 (1990): 384.
Leadership: Creating an Agenda The “To Do” List When Creating An
Agenda
Decide on the purpose and outcomes of the meeting.
Decide who needs to attend. Decide where to hold the meeting. Decide which roles will be filled and who will fill
them before the meeting.
Leadership: Assigning Roles The 3 Key Roles and Responsibilities
The Moderator (or chairperson) Directs and ‘controls’ the meeting
The Recorder Documents and publishes decisions, commitments,
and action plans The Participants
Responsible for participating, not just attending
Jessup, Harlan. “A quantum formula for improving meetings.” The Journal for Quality and Participation. 17.3 (1994): 80-82.
Capabilities: Overview Problems
Lack of knowledge in conducting meetings Meetings held without key people in
attendance Participants come unprepared
Possible Solutions Provide training on how to conduct meetings Right mix of composition and information Provide motivation in meetings
Capabilities: Composition Composition/Data and Information
Employee knowledge of meeting topic Employee skills Relevant information and research data
Capabilities: Training Training/Tacit Skill
Cross-training for core competencies Motivation Organization Interpersonal relations
Capabilities: Motivation Motivation in meetings
Seen as useful Organized Participation Appropriate for project Results
Focus: Overview Problems
Disruptive behavior Delayed decision making Lack of clear objectives
Possible Solutions Have the “experts” of the subject in the
meeting Assign clear ownership Have people commit
Focus: Meeting Disrupters Disruptive behavior
Source: Managing Meeting Disrupters. Osburn, Denise. Manage Dayton:May 1991. Vol. 42, Iss. 4, p. 8 (3 pp.)
Focus: Meeting Disrupters: Case study Non-stop talkers want to impress
Outspoken people derail the meeting
Shy people never get to talk
Intergroup competition is fierce
Source:
Focus: Delayed Decision-Making
First Law of Meetings (Lovelace, Herbert) T=k *P2 , where T = time; P = number of
people in the meeting; and k is a constant that varies with the company culture
10-minute conversation between 2 people takes 1-1/2 hours with 6 people in the meeting
Second Law of Meetings All important decision-making occurs no later
than two-thirds into the meeting.
Focus: Delayed Decision-Making
Decisions are delayed Decisions are not relevant to topic 3M Meeting Management Institute study
shows that people sometimes leave meetings unclear about: decisions reached actions to be taken
Source: Group Decision Making. Johnson, Virginia. Successful Meetings New York: Jun 1991. Vol. 40, Iss. 7, p. 76.
Focus: Delayed Decision-Making
Same study shows that group bases decision-making in meetings on: The "expert" rule (most often): people who
have the most knowledge about an issue
Commitment: decision based on the views of people who showed greatest care for or investment in proposal
Focus: Decision-Making: Case Study The "expert" rule: people who have the
most knowledge about a meeting issue/topic or who “own” the issue are not always present in the meeting
Ownership of the issue is not always clear
Commitment: people are committed to their work, but lose interest in meetings
Analysis and Recommendations Transfer of information
Problem-solving meetings Quality meetings Transitional meetings Motivational meetings Status meetings
Face-to-face meetings Forum for technical explanations Dialogue Human interaction Creative sandbox
Analysis and Recommendations
Meeting Traits at Microsoft Division
Pressure from unfinished work Lack of goals Boredom Burnout Lack of enthusiasm/motivation Failure to reach decisions Dominance by one or two people Conflict Lack of constructive disagreement
Analysis and Recommendations Leadership: Planning, agenda, assigned roles
Capability: People to come better prepared
Capability: Competent people to discuss agenda
Focus: Clear objectives
Focus: Revamp the design/requirements process: make it clear; structure it eliminate ambiguity: use modeling tools
Leadership: Formal reporting back to team
ALSO: Benchmarking knowledge repository for meeting output better feature integration tools and processes
Analysis and Recommendations
Recap: Effective Face-to-Face Meetings
Goal/Outcomes/Agenda Moderator Recorder Participants
Define Meeting Type: problem solving, info sharing, data gathering, decision-making.
Define discussion, decisions, and action items
Discussion: We’ve got 5 minutes… share those deep thoughts!
Some things to think about:
What solutions do you think will have the most influence?
Can ‘fixes’ like using formal agendas and having clear objectives counter-act a culture where unproductive meetings are the norm?
Our team limited the scope of our analysis to meetings of a MS division. In reality this is a much bigger problem of which unproductive meetings are but a symptom. From the information you’ve been provided let’s extrapolate about the high-level communication issues that may exist?
ReferencesBodwell, Donald J. “High Performance Team Essential Elements”
http://rampagesonramp.net/~bodwell/hpt_eelm.htm (1996, 1999):.Decker, Philip, J. “Characteristics of an Effective Team.” (PowerPoint Presentation)
http://www.cl.uh.edu/bpa/hadm/HADM_5731/ppt_presentations/29teams/sld006.htm (1996):.
Hagerty, Patricia J. “Effective Meetings.” Journal of Reading. 33.5 (1990): 384.Jessup, Harlan. “A quantum formula for improving meetings.” The Journal for Quality and
Participation. 17.3 (1994): 80-82.Johnson, Virginia. “Group Decision Making.” Successful Meetings 40.7 (1991): 76. Lovelace, Herbert W. “No decision before its time.” Information Week 607 (1996): 136. Osburn, Denise. “Managing Meeting Disrupters.” Manage. 42.4 (1991): 8.Tobia, Peter M., Becker, Martin C.. “Making the Most of Meeting Time.” Training and
Development Journal. 44.8 (1990): 34.Tuckman, B.W. “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups.” Psychological Bulletin. 63.
(1965): 384-399. Zyry, Patrice. “Effective meetings – to meet or not to meet: That is the question.”
Nephrology Nursing Journal. 27.1 (2000): 76.