In Chapter 2 the authors talk about structure and agenda. The authors say that organizational structures emerge from communication processes and may, in turn, replace future communication processes.
The authors mention that structure gives shape to our actions overtime. Setting a agenda for meetings is a very important part of communication. This keeps the meeting son track and the focus remains on the issues to be discussed.
Agenda becomes much more important when the meetings have audience from various countries and are over the phone and not face to face. When a meeting is between people from different cultures who are geographically separated and might not have meet each other in person the agenda acts a tool to keep the meeting following and in control.
We constantly have meeting with teams worldwide. Sometimes teams in some countries do bring up things that are not expected to be discussed, this sometimes catches people unprepared to answer those and sometimes wastes time as people in headquarters try to reply even though they do not have complete information. But for the same situation if there is an agenda set, the meeting organizer can say that they will come back to that after all the items on the agenda are discussed, this not only keeps the focus on the issues that were planned to be discusssed but also gives other people in the meeting a chance to think about how to respond to the issue or question raised.
Streaning Star Trek: Insurrection Full Movie
6 years ago
4 comments:
I think that in formal meetings having an agenda and a clear time structure is very important. If the meeting is about informing others in the room or on the phone or about making a final decision there should be time for discussion built into the agenda but often times discussion can go on forever and establishing a start and stop time for the discussion can help to keep the meeting on track. I think that in less formal meetings that are more about brainstorming there should be some guidelines about what needs to be covered but less of a time structure associated with those objectives. If a team is deep in the brainstorming or creative thinking process a formal stop time could hinder the outcome. I think that there is a time for bringing up off agenda items and that is typically in a less formal setting where discussion is welcome otherwise if a meeting has detailed time structure and if it is not during a Q&A period the off topic should be discussed offline.
I agree that an agenda is essential for a meeting. Having a list of items to be covered keeps attendees on track and prevents participants from going off on tangential issues. However, agendas can also prevent important ideas from being discussed and preventing any dissent from occurring. So an agenda must be flexible enough to allow for additional items/discussion, yet keep the group from wasting its time on trivial matters. The person or group who sets the agenda wields power, however subtle that may be.
At the suggestion of one of the faculty members, when I was acting chair I instituted agendas that included both the item to be discussed and the goal for the discussion. This slight change--adding the goal--made a tremendous difference in our meetings. Our conversations became more focused and more productive. The minutes reflected the item, discussion, and what we achieved. Faculty felt better about meeting when they could see what they'd accomplished in the previous one.
I agree with the author that structure shapes our actions overtime. As a participant on global meetings, I totally believe that without an agenda these global meetings would be somehow out of control. People tend to be very resistant to change the focus of the meetings without previous notice. However, what other participants might say – even when that specific topic is not on the agenda allow others to learn different aspects of an issue.
The beauty of structure is that it makes people feel comfortable and prepared for the topics they will cover. But as a dynamic process, meetings always have some unexpected element – which people need to learn how to deal with, without seeing it as a negative factor. Actually, this unpredictable element can teach people how to be flexible – important characteristic to survive in modern organizations.
These are all interesting comments. I, too, have conference calls with people from other countries and I agree that having an agenda is crucial for the effectiveness of the meeting.
Also, as the professor mentioned I also very recently started my meetings with specifying what the goal of the meeting was and I noticed the difference. People were indeed more focused. I wish more people would think about their goals when they schedule meetings.
Also, when I attend meetings where the goal was not communicated I ask about it before the meeting starts, so I am clear and other people on the phone and in the room are too.
Post a Comment