Newsletters: Fewer meetings, more collaboration: Not just possible but better all around

Fewer meetings, more collaboration: Not just possible but better all around

The news

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Collaboration overload. The time spent on collaborative activities has skyrocketed in the past decade: 42% of an average knowledge worker’s time is spent working with and helping colleagues. “Collaborative overload” is also on the rise, with less-tenured colleagues leaning on long-tenured colleagues more, resulting in the former getting stuck waiting for inputs and sign-offs while the latter are pulled away from their own work. It’s all leaving workers feeling burnt out, exhausted, and even searching for different jobs. [Fast Company]

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#ThisCouldHaveBeenAnEmail. Even before the pandemic, most people weren’t too enamored with meetings—which became even more frequent and exhausting once the pandemic hit, and workers spent copious portions of their days on seemingly endless video calls. But bailing on these calls isn’t necessarily an option for many for fear of being left out or disconnected. It is possible, however, to have fewer meetings and to make those you do attend better—for example, by inviting fewer people for better engagement. [WSJ]

Most executives say they frequently find themselves spending way too much time on pointless interactions that drain their energy and produce information overload.

Our insights

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Interacting is easier than ever before. In our hyperconnected world, it would seem that there’s little reason not to collaborate—thanks to the plethora of videoconferencing and direct-messaging apps that can connect us with our colleagues any time of day (or night). But while interacting has become simple enough, authentic and productive collaboration has not. Our research shows that when engagement does occur, little of it is high quality. Employees are spending time and resources on interactions that provide little value—instead of on vital and creative activities.

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But collaboration requires more. Shifting from meaningless interactions that drain energy and produce information overload into focused, high-quality interactions can not only improve productivity and innovation within organizations but also help drive better performance. We’ve identified three types of critical interactions—decision making, creative solutions and coordination, and information sharing—and describe what’s needed to improve each. We also share various tools leaders can use to discern problems as they’re happening and correct them in real time.

— Edited by Justine Jablonska

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Fewer meetings, more collaboration: Not just possible but better all around

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