Organizational Meetings

Abstract

Managers spend a great deal of time in meetings and the results of those meetings (decisions, shared understandings, action plans) are critical to organizational success. Despite this investment, organizational meetings remain understudied in structure and function. The purpose of this study is to provide additional knowledge regarding how groups use information in the course of meetings employing differentforinats. Based on observations of meetings within 35 different organizations: (a)forum meetings represented the most common meeting format,followedby round-robin and announcements meetings, (b) the use offormal mechanisms for storing and distributing information (agendas, supporting documents) wasfound to vary by meeting format, and (c) the availability and use of meeting technologies was limited. Implications for systems development andfuture research are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baskin, O. W. , & Aronoff, C. E. (1980). Interpersonal communication in organizations. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear.

Delbecq, A. L. , Vande Ven, A. H. , & Gustafson, D. H. (1986). Group techniquesforprogram planning: A guide to nominal and delphi processes. Middleton, WI: Green Briar.

DeSanctis, G. , & Gallupe, R. B. (1987). A foundation for the study of group decision support systems. Management Science, 33(5), 589-609.

Doyle, M. , & Straus, D. (1976). How to make meetings work: The new interaction method. New York: Wyden.

Goffman, E. (1961). Encounters: Two studies in the sociology of interaction. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill.

Hackman, J. R. (1990). Groups that work (and those that don't): Creating conditions for effective teamwork. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hirokawa, R. Y. , & Gouran, D. S. (1989). Facilitation of group communication: A critique of prior research and an agenda for future research. Management Communication Quarterly, 3(1), 71-92.

Ives, B. , & Olson, M. H. (1981). Manager or technician? The nature of the information systems manager's job. MIS Quarterly, 5(4), 49-63.

Kieffer, G. D. (1988). The strategy of meetings. New York: Warner.

10.

Leifer, R. (1988). Matching computer-based information systems with organizational structures. MIS Quarterly, 12(1), 63-73.

11.

McGrath, J. E. (1984). Groups: Interaction and perfiormance. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

12.

McLeod, R., Jr. , & Jones, J. W. (1987). A framework for office automation. MIS Quarterly, 11(1), 86-104.

13.

Mintzberg, H. (1973). The nature of managerial work. New York: Harper & Row.

14.

Monge, P. R. , McSween, C. , & Wyer, J. (1989). A profile of meetings in corporate America: Results of the 3M meeting effectiveness study. Los Angeles: University of Southern California.

15.

Mosvick, R. , & Nelson, R. (1987). We've got to stop meeting like this! A guide to successful business meeting management. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.

16.

Napier, R. W. , & Gershenfeld, M. K. (1989). Groups: Theory and experience. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

17.

Rao, V. S. , & Jarvenpaa, S. L. (1991). Computer support for groups: Theory-based models for GDSS research. Management Science, 37(10), 1347-1362.

18.

Rice, R. E. , & Shook, D. E. (1990). Relationships ofjob categories and organizational levels to use of communication channels, including electronic mail: A meta-analysis and extension. Journal of Management Studies, 27(2), 195-229.

19.

Schwartzman, H. B. (1986). The meeting as aneglected social form in organizational studies. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (pp. 233-258). Greenwich, CN: JAI.

20.

Schwartzman, H. B. (1989). The meeting: Gatherings in organizations and communities. New York: Plenum.

21.

Shaw, M. E. (1981). Group dynamics: The psychology of small group behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill.

22.

The 3M Meeting Management Team (1987). How to run better business meetings: A reference guide for managers. New York: McGraw-Hill.

23.

Thomsett, M. C. (1989). The little black book of business meetings. New York: American Management Association.

24.

Tobia, P. M. , & Becker, M. C. (1990). Making the most of meeting time. Training and Development Journal, 44(8), 34-38.

25.

Volkema, R. J. (1988). Computer-assisted meeting management and recordkeeping. ARMA Quarterly, 22(4), 8-11.