One of the first questions I ask when beginning a consulting engagement is deceptively simple: “Describe a typical week in your organisation.” The answers are remarkably consistent. Monday begins with an executive management meeting. Tuesday is occupied by departmental reviews. Wednesday is reserved for project meetings. Thursday brings steering committee sessions, while Friday closes with performance reviews and planning meetings. Somewhere between all these meetings, employees are expected to find time to do the work the meetings were meant to support.
This recurring pattern has led me to an uncomfortable conclusion. Many organisations are no longer managed by strategy, systems, or performance. They are managed by meetings.
Meetings are indispensable. Organisations need spaces where people exchange ideas, solve problems, make decisions, coordinate activities, and build relationships. Few significant organisational achievements occur without people coming together. Yet meetings are also among the most expensive activities any organisation undertakes. Every hour spent
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