Meetings as Culture, Part 1:

Meetings: a fundamental yet polarizing aspect of organizational life. We’ve all experienced the exhilaration of a productive meeting—one that sparks innovation, fosters alignment, and energizes the team. But we’ve also endured the frustration of meetings that seem endless, lacking clear direction and purpose. This contrast reveals a critical truth: many meetings aren’t living up to their potential.

Why does this happen? Often, it’s the ingrained habits and mindsets within an organization that perpetuate the cycle of ineffective meetings. Meetings, after all, are a microcosm of organizational culture. They reflect how people, time, and resources, are valued. When meetings lack clear agendas or run without purpose, they often signal deeper cultural or operational challenges.

As Gruenert & Whitaker wisely note, “the culture of any organization is shaped by the worst behavior the leader is willing to tolerate.” Leaders set the tone. Their commitment to preparing and leading effective meetings can transform the entire organization’s culture. By holding leaders accountable for the quality of meetings, we address a fundamental aspect of organizational health. When effective meetings become the standard, they create a ripple effect of positive change throughout the organization. Leaders, by embracing their responsibility, can turn meetings into catalysts for progress and innovation, aligning with and reinforcing the very culture they wish to cultivate.

At BTS, we have seen that companies that treat culture as an accelerator of their strategy reach their goals faster than those that treat it as an afterthought. Your culture is the set of deeply held organizational mindsets that shape who you are and how you do things. So, what do your meetings say about your culture and your leadership?

Leaders strive to plan and run effective meetings, but busy schedules can hinder even the best of intentions. Common meeting pitfalls like unclear objectives, poor communication, disengagement, weak collaboration, and lack of follow-up can make meetings feel inefficient or even like a waste of time. Holding a meeting just because “it’s how we’ve always done it,” or with minimal, half-hearted planning, has an impact long after employees leave the conference room or close their Zoom window.

The good news is that meetings can be transformed into efficient, productive, and even engaging experiences, greatly benefiting your company’s culture. Addressing meetings directly can start turning the tide on culture. In other words, you can use meetings as one of your first steps in intentionally evolving your organization’s culture to deliver lasting impact and accelerate your strategic direction.

Before holding a meeting, your core considerations should always be:

1. Decide if the meeting should be virtual, face-to-face, or hybrid based on goals and attendee needs, not habit.
   • Consider if the meeting aims for creative discussion or information sharing and adjust for group size.
2. Use tools to visually share ideas and track discussions.
   • Whiteboards for in-person, digital equivalents for virtual. This honors contributions and keeps focus.
   • Ensure adequate space for in-person meetings, especially longer ones.
   • Test technology before remote or hybrid meetings to prevent issues.
3. Start and end strong.
   • Begin with clarity. Reading the purpose and objectives aloud focuses the group and encourages effective participation.
   • End with action. Ensure everyone understands and agrees on their assigned tasks.
4. Check progress.
   • Invite the group to assess how well the meeting met its target and discuss what helped or hindered progress.

Understanding how meetings reflect and shape your organizational culture is crucial because they are a direct manifestation of your values and priorities. Well-structured meetings foster accountability, collaboration, and innovation, driving overall success.

In the next post of this series, we will explore the five most common meeting pitfalls and provide actionable solutions to transform meeting dynamics. By addressing these challenges, you can enhance your organizational culture and gain a competitive edge. Stay tuned to learn how to turn every meeting into a strategic tool for success.