Are meetings just a waste of time?

That's what researchers from Indiana University suggested in a recent study published on LiveScience.com. The researchers asked people to come up with ideas for new soft drinks, and found that groups came up with fewer ideas than individuals came up with on their own. Why? When a new idea is brought up in a group, "the inclination is to discuss it. The more times one option is said aloud, the harder it is for individuals to recall other options", according to an article on the study. Extrapolating, the researchers claimed that this meant that most meetings at work lead to counter-productive groupthink.

But the researchers are wrong. It's not meetings that make us dumber  it's poorly run meetings. The researchers simulated a typical "bad meeting," so the results they got were negative. But rather than assuming that all meetings are bad, we should look at how to have meetings that actually work  meetings where people generate great ideas and make informed decisions.

In order to lead a productive meeting, you need to manage information and manage interactions. To do this, try dividing your meeting intro three phases: brainstorming, checking for understanding, and making a decision.

Step one: Brainstorming
This is a time for anyone at the meeting to suggest any idea, no matter how far-flung. It's extremely important to write all the ideas down somewhere that everyone can see them, creating a group memory. Managing information this way allows people to suggest an idea, see that it's recorded, and move on quickly. You'll recall that the Indiana researchers' problem with meetings was that people fixated on whatever idea was mentioned most recently, prematurely halting the brainstorming process and limiting the number of ideas generated. People also tend to repeat their ideas so the ideas won't get lost in the conversation. Creating a shared list of ideas as they're generated prevents that from happening, averting groupthink.

Step two: Checking for understanding
Once you're done generating ideas, it's time to flesh them out and see if the group fully understands them. Remember, you're not making decisions yet. The meeting leader should simply manage the group's interaction to focus on clarifying the proposals that came out of the brainstorm. Do group members have any questions? Now is the time to address them.

Step three: Making a decision
By this point in the process, your group has the perspective to think critically about all the suggestions. You've already come up with more suggestions than you would have individually. You've also clarified and elaborated on those ideas. Now the leader can guide the group towards a consensus on the most workable solution.

The Indiana researchers showed how a poorly run meeting can lead to groupthink: Without proper process, groups can prematurely fixate on a misguided idea. But by following the steps above, you'll allow new ideas to flourish and help the group thoroughly analyze potential solutions. Remember, the best antidote to groupthink is thinking as a group.