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The RateYourBoss Quick Guide to: Team Meetings

Meetings of the intact team are an important vehicle for communicating the work being undertaken allowing the manager to oversee the integration of the members. Without meetings, individuals feel less connected to the work being performed. Connection to the objectives of the team is an important physiological condition that can be set up by regular running of meetings.

The manager has the opportunity to use these meetings to demonstrate managerial leadership in the workplace through discussing work tasks and making progress on plans or solving problems. The manager may clearly state a situation, allowing everyone to contribute to identify issues and possible actions or options.

Team meetings are also an ideal opportunity for the manager to introduce impending changes, integrating and implementation such changes into current work practices.

Some of the other benefits of team meetings, as a vehicle to demonstrate managerial leadership, include:

  • Allows each individual in the team to obtain context for the work they do
  • Reinforces the values of the team, within the organisation
  • Allows the team to share ideas and improve the understanding of the business issues affecting others in the team
  • Allows you, the manager, to obtain a high level understanding and commitment on actions as undertaken by the team

It is vital that meetings are effectively run, giving time for all members to contribute and importantly to raise team issues to be solved collectively. Meetings that are well run build trust between the manager and team members, and amongst the team members themselves. The science has shown that these meetings should be run weekly, or at most fortnightly, for best results.

As an additional note, the manager should not just run team meetings, but set up one-on-one meetings with all immediate team members. This could take two types: formal and ongoing review meetings, and those that are task or project related. In these meetings, the manager has the opportunity to monitor progress of the work being undertaken. He/she can provide ongoing feedback and coach to add value to the role of the subordinate. Importantly it will work to build and maintain an individual two-way working relationship.

 

The RateYourBoss Quick Guide to: Team Meetings