Effective Meetings
A business meeting is an event where three or more people gather with a view to interact and achieve a common agenda (Tropman, 2010, p12). Business meetings are characterised by purposeful exchange of views and ideas that culminates into agreeable solutions and common understanding. There are different forms of meetings depending on nature and scope. Some meetings initiate discussion on emerging issues while others brief members on an ongoing process (Tropman, 2010, p13). Meetings present a good or bad experience for participants depending on how they progress.
A good meeting should consider the feelings and suggestions of all participants. For instance, it is vital to consult among participants to determine the appropriate time and venue of the meeting. This ensures that all participants feel at ease while attending the meeting. Adequate preparation should precede a good meeting to ensure all participants are aware of relevant background information (Tropman, 2010, p19). A good meeting should adhere to procedure to ensure full participation by all attendants. For instance, a meeting should begin and end at the stipulated time to avoid inconveniencing participants. A good meeting should stick to the agenda and deal with matters that are relevant to the items of agenda. Any deviation leads to unnecessary delays and could cause omissions and alterations of the items of agenda (Tropman, 2010, p22). A good meeting should reach an agreeable position and yield positive outcomes. Meetings that fail to accomplish the above objectives result in poor outcomes. They often end up as bad meetings.
Communication technology can go a long way in improving the quality of a meeting. Organizers can seize the benefits of communication technology to ensure success of a meeting (Tropman, 2010, p27). For instance, email can help in sending notice of a meeting to all participants. The email may contain all necessary information about the meeting such as venue and time. Other tools such as fax can also improve the quality of a meeting (Tropman, 2010, p32).
Managing Conflicts
A conflict is a situation where opposing parties hold divergent views regarding a common issue of importance (Goldsmith, 2002, p8). Conflict occurs when people differ on an issue to an extent where there is little or no room for cooperation. Conflict emanates from a multiplicity of factors such as limited resources, misplaced values and priorities, abdication of duties, change in environment, and competition (Goldsmith, 2002, p9). Conflict can be either constructive or destructive. In destructive conflicts, conflicting parties deviate from real issues and engage in meaningless confrontations that do not add value to the process of resolving the conflict. Destructive conflicts rarely achieve positive results. In most cases, they lead to a vicious and bitter conflict (Goldsmith, 2002, p11).
Constructive conflicts achieve balance between the interests and concerns of both parties. Both parties engage in mature discourse in a bid to achieve an agreeable position on their areas of contention (Goldsmith, 2002, p13). Both parties seize opportunities that present a way out of the conflict. In constructive conflicts, both parties are willing to compromise for the sake of the resolution process. Positive conflict can serve as a tool for improved decision-making. For instance, organizations can benefit from a situation of conflict by learning from outcomes of a conflict. The organization can major on the positive outcomes of a conflict to ameliorate its decision-making procedures (Goldsmith, 2002, p18). Positive conflict can provide vital lessons for an organization to ensure that such a conflict does not recur.
References
Tropman, J. (2010). Effective Meetings: Improving Group Decision Making. London: SAGE.
Goldsmith, J. (2002). Conflicts. Newyork: Aspen Publishers.