Science suggests bosses should speak less in meetings
New research on meetings indicates that reducing the speaking time of leaders can improve meeting effectiveness and employee engagement.
Globally, nearly one billion meetings occur daily, and their effectiveness has long been a subject of scientific inquiry. The recent acceleration in "meeting science," bolstered by archived virtual meetings, offers new insights into workplace behaviors.
According to research highlighted by Ars Technica, meetings constitute a significant portion of the workday, particularly for executives. Leaders spend close to three-quarters of their workdays in meetings, with planning and leading these sessions consuming a substantial amount of managerial time.
Within the field of meeting science, organizational and social psychologists have begun systematically analyzing meeting dynamics. Liana Kreamer, an organizational psychologist at Florida Institute of Technology and co-author of a review on the subject, defines meetings as gatherings with a specific goal or structure.
The core finding suggests that meetings should be more structured and less one-sided. When the meeting leader or boss speaks less, employee participation and idea sharing tend to increase, potentially enhancing meeting productivity and innovation.