Advice firms ‘drowning’ in meetings hitting productivity

Global consulting firm McKinsey recently posed the question “have you ever asked why it is so difficult to get things done in business today – despite seemingly endless meetings and emails?” Apparently Zoom fatigue is a real thing and despite more time being ‘present’ with colleagues, productivity is leaving a lot to be desired.

A McKinsey survey suggested that some 80 per cent of CEOs were seeking to make changes to their meeting structures and calendar planning before the pandemic, something that has only accelerated since. In their view, ‘winning in the next normal requires much more focus on true collaboration”.

Having undertaken significant research into the many options available to firms of all sizes, they suggest a surprisingly simple approach which involves splitting each meeting into three categories. These are:

• Decision making meetings – during which complex and uncertain decisions are made such as investment calls
• Creative solutions and coordination – during which more innovative, thought-provoking discussions are held; and
• Information sharing – which is predominantly limited to one way communication

The aim of these categories is to improve collaborative interactions by adjusting the meeting style, structure and even the venue to the planned outcomes. For instance, when it comes to uncertain decisions requiring ‘quality debates’ this must be held in person, but more routine decisions can more easily be made online.

Innovation sessions and sprints clearly require people being in the same room together to truly collaborate, whilst one way information sharing is best removed from meetings altogether and delivered via podcast, chat rooms or old-fashioned email.

Expanding on the structure, the authors put forward three further methods through which to ensure productive meetings and the achievement of objectives. The first is to clearly determine decision rights within the meeting structure and hierarchy to ensure everyone knows what their role is and if they have the ability to veto. Gone are the days of ensuring everyone is ‘happy’ with a decision.

Open innovation highlights the opportunity in breaking every business down into smaller micro businesses, all with the same common goal, but empowering employees to drive their smaller unit forward. ‘Successful empowerment doesn’t mean leaving employees alone’ the report says, with oversight and coaches central to success.

Finally, they highlight recent successes within the likes of Netflix by simply capping the length of meetings at 30 minutes and turning information sessions into Q&A whereby attendees are already familiar with the content.

“Interacting is easier than ever, but true, productive, value-creating collaboration is not” the report concludes.

Drew Meredith

Drew is publisher of the Inside Network's mastheads and a principal adviser at Wattle Partners.