Collaborative Intelligence

Chapter 6Modes of Engagement

Thinking about Time and Space of Collaboration

Got ideas for a marketing campaign? Let's connect. Want a status update? Put something on my calendar.

Think about the last time you needed clarity on something—an upcoming project or a last‐minute assignment. You ask your boss, but they're too busy to answer right away, so they suggest putting some time on their calendar. You think nothing of it—this happens all the time.

That's because meetings are the “default” collaboration style for many organizations. According to some estimates, the average worker attends over 5 meetings per day, each averaging 55 minutes in length. Why so many meetings? Is all of that time really necessary, especially when it's often spent with a group just watching someone else give a presentation?

To be sure, some meetings are good. But bad‐meeting moments and behaviors are all too common, and the result is a poor use of people's time. One survey of senior managers found that they considered 70 % of meetings a waste of time, and 65 % said meetings keep them from completing their own work.¹

Meeting overload is the result of several factors, including team habit, perceived (or real) urgency, and leadership expectations. In an article on the psychology of meetings, the Harvard Business Review names “meeting FOMO” (fear of missing out) as a powerful motivator.² Rightly or wrongly, ...