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Meetings are a tool that allows you to cover all stages of the management cycle: planning, organization, motivation, control and communication between these stages.
However, as practical experience shows, in almost all organizations this tool must be built from scratch. And, even when tools and rules are introduced, they are ignored at levels below CEO-2. That is, at meetings with the general director, these rules are observed, but below that they begin to be ignored.
We examined this tool in detail in the article Effective meetings - a fad or a necessity? Therefore, we present a brief algorithm for working with meetings and a set of test questions.
Algorithm for holding meetings
1. Preparation
Before each meeting there should be an agenda and the answer “why is it there?” each participant
It is advisable to take an inventory of your meetings to eliminate overlap of topics when the same issue is discussed at different meetings
In addition, evaluate whether it is necessary at all, or whether it is possible to prepare an automatic report or the same Kanban board , where everything will be clear, and you can take more breaks between meetings.
The meeting should be held at a predetermined time, according to a predetermined structure
Each participant must clearly know what he must tell, what numbers to show, that is, each speaker must have a checklist for preparation. And even though the agenda will always be the same, a person may forget about something during preparation and operational routine.
If the meeting is a “one-time” meeting, then it is necessary to send out an agenda a few days in advance and collect feedback from people, what issues are they interested in, what is important to them?
2. Conducting a meeting
Stick to a predetermined agenda
Everyone should have the right to vote, one by one. That is, a person must clearly know that he will have the opportunity to express his opinion, and that he does not have to rush in and say something.
Use a moderator to guide the discussion
We recommend the following discussion structure:
Results of the previous stage/week/month, in general, of any reporting period. Reasons for failure to meet targets.
Plan for the stage/week, including what the key risks are, what is missing, what you will do preventively, and what if a negative event occurs.
Answers to questions, additional news or force majeure tasks.
Completion
3. After the meeting
There should always be a short summary of the meeting. It can be just a small reminder, or a full-fledged protocol. It must contain:
what you decided on each issue, what actions you are taking;
who is responsible;
in what time frame?
If this is a project meeting, then it is better for the manager to keep a diary of the meetings, which will describe what happened, what risks were realized, what new ones appeared, what were removed, what was done during the period, and what is planned for the next one.
Checklist for assessing the effectiveness of meetings
Were the meeting participants familiar with the meeting agenda?
Was the composition of the meeting participants selected correctly:
whether everyone was responsible and interested in the subject of discussion
were there people who were not needed
Was there a “hidden agenda” at the meeting that was not announced before preparation?
During the meeting, did spontaneous and poorly managed discussions of problems arise, without final results or solutions? How accurately were the meeting regulations followed?
Was the discussion constructive or was it chaotic, pointless, and incorrect? Did meeting participants experience conflicts between individual and group goals? Did any contradictions or conflicts arise between the meeting participants, and if so, what was the reason?
Was time spent searching for causes and culprits or searching for constructive solutions?
Were minutes of the meeting drawn up with the appointment of those responsible for resolving the issues on the agenda?
It is almost impossible to build high-quality communication without:
described organizational structure, indicating 4-6 functions and the final product of activity
described business processes
KPI or OKR systems, balanced scorecards
We examined these tools in detail in the articles Organizational structures , Business processes: notifications and modeling, what to choose? , OKR vs KPI , but let’s briefly summarize a few points:
the described organizational structure minimizes the risks of conflicts and shifting responsibility;
the described organizational structure simplifies communication, everyone knows who is responsible for what and can find the right person faster;
the described business processes detail responsibilities at each stage, which also minimizes the risks of conflicts and simplifies communication;
the described business processes reduce the volume of communications, since a person has all the information necessary for work;
the use of KPIs and OKRs simplifies downward communication with subordinates, creates a sense of fairness and also simplifies horizontal communication;
as a result, the described org. structure, business processes and metrics create conditions under which it is possible to reduce the amount of formal written communication (orders, instructions, etc..). Which ultimately allows you to focus on informal communication and saves time and resources.
Conflicts almost always arise in work or projects, this is a normal situation. Conflicts may arise as a result of:
the divergence of goals and the conflict of interests of different stakeholders;
changes in projects or processes;
barriers to communication, including due to the difference in psychotypes and chaos in the company's processes;
the occurrence of unforeseen problems / failures;
and sometimes it is a conscious tool for implementing changes.
Quite the opposite. We can say that if there are conflicts, then this is an alarming signal. So everyone is doing their own tasks, or you have assembled a team of the same people, which is also a very alarming signal. For success, people with different psychotypes of Adizes are needed, which provokes conflicts.
For example, the group dynamics model proposed by Bruce Tuckman describes the stages of team formation. And it is the stage of overcoming conflicts that is considered key. Then either a team is formed, or there is a breakup. The most advanced teams are able to resolve conflicts without creating problems out of them.
Wherein:
Successful conflict management leads to higher productivity and positive work relationships.
With proper management, the presence of different opinions on any issues is a positive factor that promotes creativity and making better decisions
If a conflict escalates, the project manager must facilitate an acceptable resolution.
If the conflict reaches a destructive stage, then formal procedures, including disciplinary measures, can be used to resolve it. Instructions for “punishment” can be found in the punishment algorithm
Problem solving
Before solving a problem or conflict, it is necessary to localize the problem and understand the reasons for its occurrence (after all, we do not want to step on the same rake in the future).
Here we return to the systems approach, namely, we look at lean manufacturing. It has a great tool - 7 steps of practical problem solving.
And it has 2 interesting approaches to manage communication:
5W1H
5 why
5W1H
5W1H is a method that helps to collect information, formulate a problem and localize it. The essence of the approach is to answer 6 questions:
Who encountered the problem (who)?
What happened (what)?
When?
Where?
Why did this have to be done (why)?
How did the problem arise, as a result of what actions (how)?
Each question narrows the focus of the problem so that at the end of the 5W1H process, the output is a clearly defined problem with its own boundaries. A clear and specific description of the problem allows you to speed up the solution to the problem and better conduct an analysis using the 5 why method
For example, if a person encounters a malfunction in the IT system, then formulating the problem in this way for technical support significantly speeds up the solution. And if people write: “Mail doesn’t work,” then the analysis of such a problem will be delayed. Now imagine that there is a flood of such messages, the company will need more people, and the list of problems will grow like a snowball.
Therefore, when contacting technical support, we recommend formulating the problem so that it states:
who encountered the problem (last name, first name, patronymic, position);
when it happened (date, approximate time);
where the problem occurred (coordinates of the object or office address, office) and in which IT system, with what equipment;
what exactly happened, what actions caused the problem?
"5 Whys" Method
“5 Whys” is a method of searching for the causes of inconsistencies that have arisen, which allows you to quickly build cause-and-effect relationships.
The point is, in communication, through moderation, ask the question why 5 times and get to the root causes. Problem: conflicts between husband and wife have become more frequent, quarrels have become more frequent, and relationships are tense.
Step 1. Why is this happening? Because the wife is offended by her husband because he pays little attention to the family.
Step 2. Why does he pay little attention to his family? Because he spends a lot of time at work and gets tired.
Step 3. Why does he spend a lot of time at work and get tired? Because there are a lot of orders and he has difficulty coping with them.
Step 4: Why is he having trouble coping with them? Because he works individually and has no assistants.
Step 5. Why are there no helpers? He didn't hire them.
The problem with this technique is that it is necessary to maintain criticality and it is easy to reach the wrong conclusions.
Decision Making Techniques for Solving Problems
To decide on a countermeasure to a problem, several approaches can be used.
Intuitive approach - decisions are made unconsciously, based on intuition. The emphasis is on experience. The most risky way. More often used to make minor decisions that take a few minutes.
The judgment approach is to copy previous successful experiences. There is logic in this approach, but the manager does not take into account changes in the market or industry, so he may make a mistake.
Rational approach - a problem is identified, 4-5 alternatives are developed and the best one is selected. The downside of the approach is the timing and complexity. This may require the use of complex approaches (analysis, brainstorming, etc.).
Conflict resolution methods
As a result, if the problem has turned into a conflict, then you need to choose the right approach to solving it. To do this, you need to evaluate what is more profitable here and now, what is more profitable strategically, what you have the resources for (the key thing is time).
Evasion/Avoidance
Ignoring an actual or potential conflict situation. As a rule, it comes down to postponing the solution to a problem to a later date in order to better prepare for its resolution or transfer its resolution to other persons.
Tactics are appropriate if the gain is not comparable with the damage or the current development of the situation does not promise a gain at all, when the clash is with an equal participant, and complications in the relationship are undesirable. Perhaps it is necessary to gain time or this conflict is now not relevant at all for one of the parties. For example, the conflict is minor and the project will be completed before it has a negative impact.
Smoothing/accommodation
Emphasizing common ground and positive aspects, common goals, instead of areas of contradiction. Comes down to giving up your position in favor of the needs of others in order to maintain harmony and relationships. That is, self-suppression. This tactic can be chosen when the relationship with a person is more important than the subject of disagreement, or the problem as a whole is not very significant for the parties to the conflict.
Compromise/settlement
Finding solutions that will satisfy all parties in order to temporarily or partially resolve the conflict. The result of this approach in some cases is a situation where there are no winners. It can also be described by the saying “choose the lesser of evils.”
Compromise allows you to save the relationship and not lose everything. May be a temporary solution when suppression or cooperation is not possible or does not produce the desired effect. The danger is that the agreement reached is unstable and could escalate into conflict again.
Coercion/directions
Promoting someone else's point by offering only one-win, all-lose solutions. Used, as a rule, by a senior manager.
The tactic is appropriate in the event of a “fire”, when urgent action is required and there is no time to negotiate or look for reasons. But the problem still needs to be localized, and after resolving and eliminating the conflict, figure it out and explain what happened.
Collaboration/Problem Resolution
Bringing together multiple points of view and different perspectives, a willingness to collaborate and open dialogue. Leads to consensus and support of the decision by all parties. The result of this approach can be a situation where both sides of the conflict win.
A very “expensive” strategy that is not always possible. An important condition for the implementation of such an approach will be approximately equal and voluntary desire, as well as the ability of each party to invest all resources in developing agreements.
Well, then through meetings, moderating discussions, working with emotions, we resolve our conflict.
Recommendations for managing conflict
The basis for resolving a conflict is mandatory diagnosis and search for causes.
Action is based on positive intention
Softly - to the person, firmly - to the problem
Focus on cooperation
First the form, then the essence
We choose the right method based on our resources (time, authority) and goals, as well as choose words based on the psychotype of the participants. For example, for employees with a dominant P and A, a cold tone and focus on the consequences of conflict (punishment by management for lack of result) with a ready-made action plan works well.
At the same time, any conflict can bring benefits
Reveals the problem
Relieves tension
Clarifies the balance of power
Creates new rules of the game
Unites rivals
When we communicate, we should remember that there is a simple proportion:
100% you said
People “heard” half of this and understood the meaning, that is, 50% remains
they perceived another half and understood what was meant, that leaves 25%
people remembered half of that.
As a result, we find that people remember and are ready to use only 12.5% of the information voiced. What does this lead to? Moreover, after 3-4 levels, information messages will be distorted beyond recognition.
Therefore, we do not bypass the balance of formal / informal communication and consolidation of agreements based on the results of communication.
Let’s add to this the fact that there are practically no ideal conditions for communication: either the boss is not in a good mood, or other colleagues also want to resolve their issue, and their interests may be diametrically opposed to yours. From experience, in almost 100% of cases you will have interference: conflicts of interest, operating system load, simply stress factors such as rush, noise, communication on the go.
Therefore, we recommend preparing for communication, including preparing a brief statement of the task/problem (30 seconds - 1 minute) taking into account the psychotype of the interlocutor, as well as its written presentation. And during communication, follow the rules from the previous articles, in particular:
remember 5 layers;
speak simply and without terminology;
monitor your emotional state and take into account the state of your interlocutor;
choose the appropriate communication channel;
choose those words and theses that are understandable to the interlocutor, taking into account his psychotype and level of maturity;
listen more and ask questions;
observe ethics and finalize agreements reached, supporting them with formal and/or written communication;
use the correct adjustment to the interlocutor.
It is also necessary to build a balance of formal / informal, horizontal / downward / upward communication in the organization, supported by the correct organization of meetings and regular management practices, organizational structure, description of business processes and the use of metrics. All this will eliminate barriers to communication and risks of conflict. Well, the introduction of digital technologies allows us to reduce the volume of communications.
As you can see, communication management is one of the most difficult tasks, for which we have allocated 4 articles. Communication is the connecting link of all the tools of the Systematic approach , and it is on this that we place our main emphasis. Unfortunately, it is impossible to achieve high-quality communication in a company simply by training; this is a rather lengthy process that requires support. If you are interested in this area, we will be happy to help you.
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