MGMT 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Groupthink, Learning Technology Partners, Problem Solving
1. Explain the interplay of structure and power in meetings
2. Explain the use of formal meeting procedures
3. Explain the role of chairperson and secretary
4. Identify strategies that improve communication in virtual meetings and discuss barriers to
communication common to both face to face and virtual meetings
5. Explain the impact of the venue and seating arrangements on the dynamics of a meeting
Meetings:
• Are common
• Are costly
• Are not always productive
• Contribute to organisations culture
Types of meetings:
• Information sharing
• Problem solving or decision making
• Ritual activities
Characteristics of effective meetings:
Five basic considerations before organising or holding a meeting
1. The characteristics of meetings
2. Whether or not to have a meeting
3. The determinants of success
4. The role of chairperson
5. The need for an agenda
Planning for a meeting:
When to hold a meeting
• Task is beyond one persons capacity: information, time
• Interdependent tasks
• More than one decision/solution
• Likely to have misunderstandings or reservations
Setting an agenda
• Topics covered in meeting
• Questions to ask
• Tasks in meeting
• Important conversations
• Information needed to begin
• Agenda items
• Time, length, location
• Participants
• Background information
• Items and goals: result-oriented, specific, realistic
• Pre-meeting work
Roles at a meeting:
• People within the group may accept an executive role or membership role.
• In any role at a meeting, members have two main responsibilities:
• To prepare for the meeting
• To participate in the meeting
Duties of a chairperson:
An effective chairperson is able to maintain focus throughout a meeting. Key ways to ensure this are:
• Agenda integrity: only discuss items that are on the agenda
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• Temporal integrity: begin and end on time
• The rule of halves (agenda halfway between meetings)
• The rule of thirds (tropman's agenda bell)
The chairperson:
• Checks that meeting has a quorum (min number of people required to make meeting forcible)
• Opens meeting and presents the agenda
• Sets a cut off time
• Calls on individuals to introduce/lead discussion points on the agenda
• Ensures that none dominates discussion
• Summarises the discussion
• Gets agreement on the decision
• Ensures that everyone takes part in the discussions and decision making
• Ensures date/time for the next meeting is set
• Ruling on points of order
• When correct procedures are not being followed
• Raised by a member and rules on by the chairperson
• Following procedures
• Allocate sufficient time for discussion of each item
• Ensure discussion is completed within time limits
• Following basic principals for maintaining order
• Courtesy and justice
• Consider one thing at a time
• The minority must be heard
• The majority must prevail
Conducting your meeting:
Beginning
• Identify goals
• Provide background
• Show how group can help
• Preview meeting
• Identify time constraints
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Meetings: are common, are costly, are not always productive, contribute to organisations culture. Information sharing: problem solving or decision making, ritual activities. Five basic considerations before organising or holding a meeting: the characteristics of meetings, whether or not to have a meeting, the determinants of success, the role of chairperson, the need for an agenda. Interdependent tasks: task is beyond one persons capacity: information, time, more than one decision/solution, likely to have misunderstandings or reservations. Setting an agenda: topics covered in meeting, questions to ask, tasks in meeting. Information needed to begin: agenda items, time, length, location, participants, background information. Items and goals: result-oriented, specific, realistic: pre-meeting work. Roles at a meeting: people within the group may accept an executive role or membership role. In any role at a meeting, members have two main responsibilities: to prepare for the meeting, to participate in the meeting. An effective chairperson is able to maintain focus throughout a meeting.
