The Surprising Science of Meetings

Description

A recent estimate suggests that employees endure a staggering 55 million meetings a day in the United States. This tremendous time investment yields only modest returns. No organization made up of human beings is immune from the all-too-common meeting gripes: those that fail to engage, those that inadvertently encourage participants to tune out, and those that blatantly disregard participants' time.

Most companies and leaders view poor meetings as an inevitable cost of doing business. But managers can take heart: researchers now have a clear understanding of the key drivers that make meetings successful. In The Surprising Science of Meetings, Steven G. Rogelberg, researcher and consultant to some of the world's most successful companies, draws from extensive research, analytics and data mining, and survey interviews with over 5,000 employees across a range of industries to share the proven practices and techniques that help managers and employees enhance the quality of their meetings. For those who lead and participate in meetings, Rogelberg provides immediate direction, guidance, and relief, offering a how-to guide to change your working life starting today.

About the Author

Steven G. Rogelberg holds the title of Chancellor's Professor at University of North Carolina, Charlotte, for distinguished national, international, and interdisciplinary contributions, and he is currently the elected Secretary General of the Alliance of Organizational Psychology. He has over 100 publications addressing issues such as meetings at work, team effectiveness, leadership, employee engagement, and organizational research methods; his research has been profiled in the Los Angeles Times, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, NPR, Guardian, National Geographic, and Scientific American Mind, among others. In addition to his research and teaching, he consults for small and large organizations, including IBM, TIAA, Procter & Gamble, VF Corporation, Family Dollar, Siemens, and others. He has been a visiting scholar and guest speaker at universities around the world and is the editor of the Journal of Business and Psychology and the Talent Management Essentials book series. Dr. Rogelberg founded and currently directs large outreach initiatives focusing on nonprofit organization health and effectiveness with over 250 nonprofits served. He has been awarded the Humanitarian Award and Distinguished Service Award from the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Psi Chi Professor of the Year Award, the Master Teacher Award from Bowling Green State University, and the Humboldt Award.

Reviews

"You know what might be more useful than sitting through an hourlong department meeting? Taking that hour to read a book about why most workplaces are doing meetings all wrong." - Business Insider

"Pointless, exhausting meetings are the bane of most employees' existence. But it does not have to be this way. In The Surprising Science of Meetings, Steven G. Rogelberg, a meetings science researcher with two decades of experience, draws from studies, corporate surveys and success stories to share how you can make meetings actually useful." - The Huffington Post

"If one of your New Year's resolutions is to spend less time sitting in or leading useless meetings, this book is for you." - Washington Post

"In workplaces around the world, meetings are where productivity and creativity go to die. Steven Rogelberg is the world's leading expert on how to fix them, and here he shares the best evidence on how we can stop wasting time and falling victim to groupthink." - Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg

"To achieve bigger impact in your work tomorrow, you can start by making simple changes today. By highlighting the ways that we waste our own and others' time without even thinking about it, and offering solutions for transforming our workdays, Steven Rogelberg shows you how. A game-changer for leaders, this book is unlike any other written about meetings. It is intriguing, highly informative, insightful, and fun to read." - Tasha Eurich, New York Times bestselling author of Insight and Bankable Leadership

"Finally! Evidence-based, actionable advice about improving the quality and impact of meetings. Rogelberg has written a tour de force. If you put his sage advice into action, your teams and organizations will accomplish more." - David G. Altman, Chief Operating Officer, Center for Creative Leadership

"Steven Rogelberg has done the nearly impossible: translated solid organization science into a well-organized, readable, and often humorous book filled with evidence-based actionable steps that individuals, managers and leaders alike can apply to improve their own lives, their meetings, and ultimately the effectiveness of their organizations." - Alexis Fink, Senior Director of Talent Management, Intel

"This book is a must read for anyone who wants to be more effective at work, especially leaders and managers. It offers practical advice on how to harness the power of meetings while avoiding many common pitfalls. I learned some very useful tactics that I will put into practice immediately." - Janine Waclawski, SVP of Human Resources and CHRO, Global Functions and Global Category Groups, PepsiCo

"Non-stop meetings can often be the bane of any corporate employee's existence. Steven Rogelberg's evidence-based book offers practical tips for turning these "necessary evils" into efficient and productive interactions that engage the hearts and minds of leaders, teams, and organizations. This book is a great resource." - Robin Cohen, Head of Human Resources, Global Finance, Johnson & Johnson

"One of the ten Leadership books to watch in 2019." - The Washington Post

"One of the top business books everybody will be reading in 2019. Business Insider"

Table of contents

Preface
SECTION I: Setting the Meeting Stage
Chapter 01: So Many Meetings and So Much Frustration
Chapter 02: Get Rid of Meetings? No, Solve Meetings Through Science
SECTION II: Evidence-Based Strategies for Leaders
Chapter 03: The Image in the Mirror is Likely Wrong
Chapter 04: Meet for 48 Minutes
Chapter 05: Agendas Are a Hollow Crutch
Chapter 06: The Bigger, The Badder
Chapter 07: Don't Get Too Comfortable in That Chair
Chapter 08: Deflate Negative Energy From the Start
Chapter 09: No More Talking!
Chapter 10: The Folly of the Remote Call-in Meeting
Chapter 11: Putting it All Together
Epilogue: Trying to Get Ahead of the Science—Using Science
Tool: Meeting Quality Self-Assessment
Tool: Sample Engagement Survey and 360 Feedback Questions on Meetings
Tool: Good Meeting Facilitation Checklist
Tool: Huddle Implementation Checklist
Tool: Agenda Template
Tool: Guide to Taking Good Meeting Minutes/Notes
Tool: Expectations Assessment
Acknowledgments
References
Index