PeterEliasMD

Collaborative activity is a tremendous asset for a business or community and a wonderful thing to experience. Unfortunately, it becomes exponentially more challenging - and less common - as the number of participants rises above one.  Too many managers and C-level administrators settle for some lesser form of group activity, often proudly boasting of their collegial and collaborative approach, hoping no one will notice.

A meeting is an unnecessary gathering of the unwilling, led by the unknowing, doing the impossible for the ungrateful. (Slogan from a popular poster during the 1960s.) 

It is hard to find a well-adjusted adult who believes that meetings are intrinsically productive or enjoyable. Most describe them as an intermittent and inescapable nuisance to be avoided when possible, rather like root canals or IRS audits.  Unfortunately, many institutions and communities remain firmly rooted in the costly and inefficient meetings culture…