I remember 2011 well. Indonesia was chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and I was serving as deputy foreign minister for Asean cooperation. I learned a great deal, although if I had to summarise the experience in one word, I would say: meetings. Asean members meet. They talk. They disagree. They issue statements. Then, quite remarkably, they meet again. We meet in conference rooms, coffee shops and restaurants. We speak by telephone and online. And when matters become…
A very good article that I agree with wholeheartedly. Too many impatient people who ask, “What is the purpose of this meeting? Is this meeting worth my time?”, when meeting has a value all its own. Of course, organizations should do their best to make meetings productive when they can - but a useless meeting where nothing gets done is better than not meeting at all or, even worse, a meeting where harmful consensuses are made.