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On Tuesday, I attended Protiviti’s panel discussion for their new report ‘When generations meet: What is the productivity potential of your multigeneration workforce?’ The talk focused specifically on the role of meetings and how they could be more productive between generations. They revealed that 35% of meetings were considered to be unproductive. Further proving their point, using a demonstration from the audience, asking us to raise our hands if we “would be willing to record the meetings that you attend regularly and put them on YouTube as an illustration of best practice.”
Not a single hand was raised.
Despite agreeing that meetings are foundational to working lives, it begged the question: How can we better harness our productivity in them?
The panellists spoke a lot about the term productivity and showed the difficulty of aligning on a working definition. They highlighted how it varied externally across academia and business metrics and also internally based on individual context including identity and personal history. For some, productivity may mean concrete results, while for others it could simply be being heard and included. What everyone agreed on was that a productive meeting reflects an inclusive culture, where contributions are encouraged and considered from people across all backgrounds. In a powerful quote from Antoinette Raymond:
“I go to meetings, and it tells me about the brain of the organization, the cognitive diversity that’s allowed in... Meetings? Tell me about the heart. Are we leading with curiosity or ego?”
This brought attention to how many social norms play a role in meetings. Cultural expectations and subtle (and also not subtle) social cues greatly affect open sharing. For instance, they discussed how as the workplace has evolved overtly sexist jokes are now more quickly and readily challenged, while the age-related ones still slip by seemingly unnoticed, which could play a part in reinforcing biases. The panel stressed that feeling and appearing confident was key for productive meetings, especially for Gen Z employees who are just starting their careers. They noted however that much like productivity expressions of confidence have varied definitions based on context, not the traditional expectations often favour the spontaneous extroverts, while introverts may be at a disadvantage. Let alone other dynamics experienced by marginalised groups whose negative stereotyping has hampered their ability to speak up or be heard for generations.
So what can be done?
The report stated that if meetings are set up with these 3 tenets in mind the incidence of unproductive meetings reduces from 35 to 15%:
Value each person’s contribution to ensure all voices are acknowledged.
Make the most of diverse perspectives to prevent groupthink.
Stay open to fresh ideas and diverse insights, fostering a culture of curiosity.
Leadership was essential to creating a meeting culture where people could thrive. Rather than leaving it up to individuals to push through productivity, facilitators can play a significant role in level setting; clarifying what productivity means in meetings and explicitly outlining expectations with a structured agenda. The panel also recommended cross-generational mentorship, pairing less experienced team members with mentors from a similar background to guide and reinforce the value of their contributions in meetings. This serves to ultimately create a greater sense of belonging and develop that all-important confidence.
Now, we’d love to hear from you: What are you doing to build confidence in meetings across generations?