Reviews and Meetings

Making them work

90% of Corporate Life…

So…

• Why are meetings so ineffective and even counter-productive?

Possible causes..

• Is it the way they are conducted?• Is it the attitude participants bring to them?– Do some people feel like uninvolved bystanders?– Do some people feel victimized and afraid to speak?– Too much polite ducking of issues?– Does it merely heighten conflict rather than resolve it?

• Is it the content?– Either inappropriate to the setting or too variable in

content?• Is it because of what happens (or doesn’t happen)

afterwards?

Or, more subtly..

• Different participants in different frames of mind, at any given time

• Different levels and modes of thinking get mixed up..

Anyway..

• How can we fix this problem?

Some thoughts..

• On Content

– And

• On Conduct

There isn’t only one kind of meeting

1. Status Review meetings 2. Problem-solving meetings3. Tactical discussions4. Strategic deliberations5. Vision exercises6. Energizing meetings7. Communication cascades

So there isn’t only one set of problems!

Each of these..

• Has its own value• Needs to be handled differently• In content, timing, setting, medium and length

(duration), and attitude/atmosphere

If we mix them up..

• If we do problem-solving in status meetings: uninvolved members get bored or (worse!) titillated, person involved gets exposed/humiliated in public, will take care to hide problems in future

• If we do tactical thinking in problem-solving meetings, problem won’t get solved, people needed may not be present

• If we do strategic thinking in tactical meetings, tenor and tone of discussion yo-yos from high level to detailed, immediate to long term: participants get confused, run out of time

So..

• Let’s look at each of these ‘meeting types’, both content and conduct

TAKING STOCK… STATUS REVIEWS

1. Status Meetings

• Aim: – bring everyone onto same page– Give preview, notice, of important events coming

up shortly– Sound early warning signals

1. Status Meetings: Content

• All participants share what they did, what they are going to do

1. Status Meetings: Conduct

• 15 minute ‘standing’ meeting every day – or

• 30 minute con-call every week• Quick round-robin, clarification questions only, no

probing/analysis• Atmosphere must be relaxed, businesslike• Follow up: keep me informed what happens, or: let’s

have a separate problem-solving meeting• Minutes can be brief and must be circulated

immediately (within 6 hours)

2: Problem Resolution meetings

• Content: to solve a specific problem • Can be triggered by– a status update meeting– A customer complaint– An MIS report– ………..

2: Problem Resolution MeetingsConduct

• Should NEVER be done with bystanders, only with those directly concerned with the problem

• Time: not fixed, whatever it takes to solve problem

• Attitude should be: here is the problem, we know what it is, don’t tell me the problem, tell me the root cause, tell me the solution.

• Atmosphere: intense, serious, probing, relentless.• Follow-up: a set of actions, with milestones and

metrics

Preparing for Battle.. Tactical Reviews

3:Tactical DiscussionsContent

• Not strategic• Goal: solve major and urgent problems facing

organization as a whole. • Choose max 2-3 topics of importance: how

shall we improve fulfillment rate, how to control expenses this month, how shall we win this deal

3: Tactical MeetingsConduct

• Participants: by role: such as management committee• Lead presenter should come prepared with presentation• Monthly• Date and time set in advance• Time: fixed within reason: 3 hours max.• Follow-up: a small set of projects (no programs) with

deliverables, milestones and metrics• Minutes must be detailed and circulated within 12 hours• 6 thinking hats can be used to focus discussion

6 Thinking Hats

• By de Bono• An excellent if artificial-looking device to

achieve ‘thinking together’.• Get everyone to ‘paint landscape together’,

not take positions, not hold each other to positions, look at whole picture together.

4: Strategic MeetingsContent

• Goal: to adjust strategy as required• Is Business Plan on track? What are

learnings from the market? Scenario analysis..

• What major processes are creaking under the strain and need rebuilding?

• What major accounts are not growing as they should?

STRATEGY

4. Strategic MeetingsConduct

• Once a quarter or As required (adhoc is also ok, strategy need not wait for strategic planning meeting!)

• Full day- as long as it takes. Setting time limits is counter-productive.• Chaired by CEO• All relevant participants, including but not restricted to, management

committee• Choose 2-3 major themes (1 is even better)• Considerable homework to be done in advance • Attitude should be: let’s focus on long-term issues, root cause analysis,

process thinking, program management (as distinct from projects)• Useful tools: theory of constraints, undesirable effects tree, conflict

cloud..• Follow up: a small number of programs (not projects), new processes.• Minutes can be brief and high-level, circulation restricted.

VISION

5:Vision Exercises

• Goal: – To re-examine Theory of Business– To set new direction if necessary– To give new life to old strategies– To build organization, shape values– To build the management team

5: Vision ExercisesConduct

• Must be off-site• Team building, feedback to each other, expectations

from each other – must be integral part• Out-of-box thinking, radical prescriptions, open

dialogue must be the norm• Undiscussables must be surfaced through dialogue

process (ref. Argyris)• Atmosphere of open-ness, no repercussions, no

hierarchy..• Minutes are not important, need not even be kept.

ENERGIZING…

6. Energizing Meetings

• Goal: to motivate the troops• Content: forward looking, simple and focused– What we have achieved, why we are great, why

the future is bright..

• Conduct: short, highly energetic presentations, music and entertainment

COMMUNICATION

7: Communication Cascade

• Goal: to communicate some important message about the company to all levels

• Content: very important, business or organization critical

• Conduct: to control transmission loss, ppt must be standardized, elaborate FAQs worked out, at least one senior person from outside the unit must co-lead

• Go back and check what people heard!• To be held whenever necessary, not more than once

or twice a year