The nature of project/programme purpose meetings is changing. Conventional face-to-face meetings are part project/programme purpose and part social. They involve a system of group dynamics that we are all familiar with. However, the new technology that is bringing us “distance” or electronic meetings is changing the way we have meetings, the way we relate to the people we are meeting with, and the way we have to present ourselves.
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3.
Do You Know Your Group?
A consultant and former executive with a number of major Australian organizations, Barbara Woodward says that women and men do act differently at meetings, and advises people to figure out those differences for themselves. Her technique is also a good way for getting a better understanding of the people with whom you regularly meet, regardless of their gender.
In an online article at
www.monster.com/au,
she suggests keeping notes of the way people behave at the project/programme purpose meetings you attend
over the next few weeks; but focus on just three or four specific behaviors at a time.
Those behaviors could be how they:
It is important to note whether a specific person’s behavior changes depending upon the size of the group, the breakdown of the group in terms of men and women, and if any specific person is in the group. Does the person you are observing behave differently if the CEO is in the room, or an immediate superior, or someone in competition for the same promotion?
You have to be aware that your behavior in a meeting can sometimes affect the behavior of others. If you normally play a dominant role in the meeting, switching to a passive role can affect the way the others act and react. If you think you can afford to do this for a meeting, or at least for part of a meeting, without interfering with getting your tasks completed, try it. You will definitely learn something about your group, and maybe even about yourself.
Barbara Woodward says she normally makes her notes immediately after a meeting, but she can jot a few brief ones during the meeting. You have to make sure that you focus on what is happening at the meeting, and be part of it. After all, it is part of your job. However, you can spend some time making more detailed notes after the meeting, while the observations are still fresh in your mind.
She also suggests making notes as bullet points. Under “assertiveness” for example, you might note what someone does specifically while making a point, or reacting to a point made by someone else. Under nonverbal cues, you might note who makes eye contact with the people they are either agreeing or disagreeing with, or what sort of body language they adopt in different situations.
“You may make brief notes next to the bullet points. Remember you are observing effective differences, so your own subjectivity will influence the data you collect. But, if you are guided by the bullet points and not the individual personalities being observed, your data will be of value.”
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5.
Meeting Up Close… And Far Away
According to one 1998 survey of top executives, the average senior executive makes
four plane trips a month in order to attend meetings. The same group also said that 86
percent of them were under pressure to reduce their travel expenses. More and more
organizations are doing this by switching from personal to “distance meetings.” When this happens, however, the dynamics and
style of the meetings can change.
Before we look at what changes, let’s look at the alternatives to
face-to-face meetings. Keep in mind, this list is limited only by current technology—it
could change tomorrow:
·
Audioconferencing: telephone conference calls. You can hear
but not see one another.
·
Videoconferencing:
TV-screen-to-TV-screen; with participants looking at one screen at one person at a time,
or at a “split screen” showing either some or everyone at the meeting, or at a
collection of screens showing some or everyone.
·
Internet Conferencing: PC-to-PC for
charts, graphics, video clips, or data, either accompanied by an e-mail “chat room”
conference or audioconferencing.
What changes in an electronic conference is the simple fact that you are not face-to-face. It’s the difference between talking to a spouse, child, or good friend over the phone and in person. No matter what the “techies” may try to tell us, we all know that it just is not the same. You cannot read body language as easily, catch the subtle changes in tone or inflection, or really look at someone’s eyes. You cannot touch anyone, or even shake hands. There is no warmth, no sense of closeness, no energy.
Can you still lead a meeting that is not face-to-face? Are there still group dynamics at play? Yes.
You will have to learn how to read, understand, and predict those dynamics, how to effectively lead a meeting, all over again.
So much of our own individualistic and stylistic meeting behavior is learned from simply attending meetings. We unconsciously remember what we have done that has worked, what has given us the results we were after. We remember how we did it. And we keep doing it. We also remember what doesn’t work; what not to wear, say, or do.
This is how we develop our meeting technique; the way we dress, our posture, demeanor, tone of voice, speaking style, body language… all the elements that convey what we want to say about our personalities—who we are and what we stand for—to the rest of the group.
It is a lot like actors who say that they have had to learn different techniques in order to effectively act on stage in live theater, in movies that will be seen on the big screen, and for the small screen of television.
Do not expect to get the same reaction in an electronic conference as you normally do when meeting people face-to-face.
Treat your first distance meeting the same way you did your very first face-to-face project/programme purpose meetings. Expect to get some thing right, and some thing wrong. Pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and learn from these points, the same way you have learned from your face-to-face meetings.
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These are just some of the issues that you need to take into account
regarding distance meetings. Just as you
are aware of the dynamics of face-to-face meetings, become attuned to the dynamics of
distance meetings so that you can make such meetings as productive as possible.
Guideline 11 common concerns that can affect the group dynamics of people “attending” distance meetings
9.
Case Study: organizational Resistance To Change
According to a study by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer
Sciences at the
It showed that despite the policies it was publicly supporting, the organization was actually intrinsically opposed to shared effort, cooperation, and collaboration. It went against its long-standing organizational culture of competitiveness, individualism, and hierarchical rigidity. Top and middle management had no real incentive to change.
When it came to collaboration and improving communication and decision-making through new technology, it said all the right words but didn’t mean them.
“Organizations looking to implement collaborative technologies must be prepared to reevaluate themselves from top to bottom,” the study said. “They must pay particular attention to the culture, reward systems (both implicit and explicit), and reporting structure of the organization and take the necessary steps to realign the organization with its new objectives. The organization must follow up these changes with comprehensive communication and training plans.”
Sometimes, then, the problem with distance meetings has nothing to do with the technology or even the paucity of nonverbal cues inherent in such meetings, but rather, the attitudes of the participants – based on the organizational culture – which would be the same as in face-to-face meetings.
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10.
You and Your Group
Whether you gather face-to-face, over the Internet, via telephone lines or satellite hook-ups, you are one of a group of individuals, and each one of you brings something unique to the mix. The problem is that not everything that people bring to a group is really needed or even wanted. A team manager’s or team leader’s job is to learn how to deal with the different people they have on their team and their attitudes. There are three basic types of people, and they are often referred to as the “3 Hs.”
1. Helpful. Eagerness and enthusiasm are good, but some people carry it to extremes. Managers have to temper their enthusiasm without killing it. They must show they appreciate the contributions the person is making, but make sure that others on the team also get their chance to speak and participate.
2. Hostile. They might not like the project, you, other team members, or being part of the team. Whatever the reason, they can destroy the team before it has a chance to form. The manager’s job is to make sure everyone knows why they are there, and that being there is part of their job. It is what they are paid to do. Whatever you do, do not get into an argument. Instead, let these people express their views and explain their problems with the situation, and then let other team members react and respond to it.
3. Ho-Hum. These people fill chairs. Period. If they don’t contribute to the meeting, call upon them by name. Ask them open-ended questions that require them to explain what they think or mean. Get them involved with the team, and make them feel part of it.
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