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Braydon McCormick
Braydon McCormick
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Meeting fatigue vs. productivity and commitment

Braydon McCormick

Fatigue, productivity and meetings

We’re all hearing a lot about “Quiet Quitting” these days. It’s rampant. And - it appears to be in large part a product of fatigue in how we work. Maybe the 
fatigue from working remotely
⁠
 and having endless Teams/Zoom gatherings, or maybe the realizing that going back to the office isn’t always so fantastic (particularly fot non-white staff).
Academic research 
continues
⁠
to theorize as to what causes fatigue, or even if it's real - and have even come up with a 
measurement scale
⁠
 that you can 
try out for yourself
⁠
.  But, real or not, for stakeholders, there is an impact on productivity - and easily visible in larger meetings, conferences, or even ad boards: numerous cancellations or reschedules with a "let's wait and see" view to meetings; surveys that just say "no interest"; a lack of enthusiastic participation; and a fear to try to force staff or clients to engage. Fundamentally, there is a negative correlation between fatigue and productivity.
Maybe a bit at odds, or at least obliquely related to meeting fatigue, Microsoft has 
found
⁠
 that within knowledge-working based companies, sustained, broad-based remote work has led to surprising outcomes:  stronger relationships in silos, but weaker cross-silo relationships.  I have not seen much research on the impact of remote meetings on client interactions - other than in Pharma - where HCP meetings - and particularly payor sales meetings have plummeted.
What I find interesting about the Microsoft research as it relates to complex, cross-functional meetings, is that I suspect, by reducing the number or sophistication of those meetings, it's actually contributing to the further siloization of larger organizations. Not to mention the further distancing of staff from the core of a company's mission. 
This finding, I believe, points back to the need to continue to drive forward for business momentum, and a sharper need to answer the question of overcoming fatigue. And, knowing the current state of affairs - we have to be extra thoughtful about our staff clients.  Maybe you're gaining buy-in or feedback on a new initiative, or launching a new product, or maybe you're running an awards ceremony or educating patients or HCPs.  Whatever it is, now more than ever, being sensitive to what helps them feel delighted and motivated is paramount. 
Getting to commitment in a digital setting, it turns out, is really quite easy, you only need to co-develop something that is contextually useful, and uses excessive transparency in communication and process.  
Over 2021 and 2022, I read many articles on "how to overcome meeting fatigue" or "create engagement", or any version of those flavors - and most are not terribly helpful.  They tend to focus on basic meeting and work hygiene that people should do anyway: 1. Create a clear agenda, 2. Make meetings shorter (or fewer) 3. Add engagements like polling 4. Turn on the camera. More recently Stanford had 
a few recommendations
⁠
 - which are more of the same - if in slight opposition to number 4. 

The idea of creating commitment and engagement through co-development. 

I'd like to posit an entirely different approach to meetings and indeed - work productivity, an approach we've developed born out of research on business 
commitments
⁠
, the 
importance of transparency and collaboration in digital spaces
⁠
, and 
co-creation as trust development
⁠
.
Simply put, commitment in a business setting is when individuals decide and then marshal their personal or organizational resources to complete a given set of work. Whether that is to develop tactics for a strategy, purchase a service or product, or complete a project,  for any of those kinds of things to happen, there must be a business commitment.  In sales, commitment leads to deals, in marketing, commitment leads to loyalty, in organizational planning, commitment leads to productivity.  The question then, is how to get to commitment, and how does that relate to meetings?
Getting to commitment in a digital setting, it turns out, is really quite easy, you only need to co-develop something that is contextually useful, and uses excessive transparency in communication and process.  
What does co-development really mean though?  It’s the kind of work where two or more people work together on a work product - where they both contribute in different and meaningful ways. There may be a digital document at the end of that process - be it a slide deck, article, workspace, or workflow, diagram, design, work plan, or data integration.  Through a combination of active commenting, editing, and sharing, co-development leads to shared commitment. 

How to approach commitment and co-development - it’s super easy

As you prepare for your next meeting, add a litmus test of commitment building:  At the conclusion of this meeting, what did we create that a non-attendee can understand without explanation?  
Fatigue, productivity and meetings
The idea of creating commitment and engagement through co-development. 
How to approach commitment and co-development - it’s super easy
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