1.5 - About University

11.2M EETINGS: PURPOSE AND F UNCTIONIN W ORKGROUPS AND T EAMSInspired by Antony Jay, M.M. Milstein, and Owen Edwards.“Meetings fulfill a deep human need. Man is a social species. In every organization and every human culture ofwhich we have record, people come together in small groups at regular and frequent intervals, and in larger tribalgatherings from time to time. If there were no meetings in places where people work, their attachment to theirwork would be less, and people would meet in societies, clubs, or pubs when work was over.”—Antony Jay, “HOW TO RUN A MEETING”Attending meetings is a fundamental and essential process for workgroups and teams. No matterhow well electronic and other communication methods are used, people are social beingsand need face-to-face contact. Meetings can be effective or they can be a waste of time; theycan be the best or the worst experience in a workgroup or a team. In addition, meetings arecostly: A meeting of a few people can easily cost from $600 to $1,200 per hour in salaries alone.For the benefits of a meeting to outweigh the costs, the meeting must be guided by basicrules of planning, leading, and follow-up.When meetings arewell-managed, people:➢ Come prepared.➢ Work hard.➢ Make important decisions.➢ Leave with a sense of accomplishment.➢ Produce results.When meetings are not well-managed,people complain that meetings are:➢ Too long➢ Called too often or not often enough➢ Poorly organized and poorly led➢ Unfocused, or not focused on the most importantissues➢ Easily diverted by members with other agendasThis tool will help you lead results-oriented meetings while also connecting with humanneeds for interacting and communicating. This table describes the range of purposes and functionsthat workgroup or team meetings serve when they are managed and led well.Typical purposes of workgroup and team meetings✔ sharing information and issues✔ defining priorities and direction✔ generating new options and making decisions✔ generating and gathering data, and sorting out complex situations✔ developing understanding and commitment to plans and action✔ reminding participants that they share a common purpose despite their individual jobs and roles✔ identifying participants to be accountable for and to perform certain tasksSECTION 11 TOOLS FOR LEADING MEETINGS 339