The Morning Meeting
June 19th, 2006 by HalHarvard Business School has a free weekly newsletter called Working Knowledge. Each week they provide three book reviews, three hot topics and much more. In this week's issue is an article excerpted from Harvard Management Communication Letter, The Morning Meeting Ritual, by Marty Linsky.
(I)mbedded within (TMM) are norms and values that are critical for organizations that must deal with difficult issues and adapt nimbly to new situations.
The Morning Meeting (TMM) is described as a senior management process that includes the CEO and all others who report to that person. Linsky's description of TMM shows the power that can be exerted by such a group. Here are his (abbreviated) rules for conducting the meeting:
- Anyone can put anything on the table for discussion.
- These are decision meetings.
- Once an issue is fully vetted, the CEO determines the decision rule that will govern it.
- Changing one's mind, even in the middle of the conversation, is OK, even respected. Not having an opinion is not.
- There are no arguments about fact questions.
I can see TMM process working on complex projects and in PMO's. Good project management practice on construction projects includes an end-of-day meeting to have the foremen declare what work they completed and re-confirm their promises (or re-promise) for the coming day. TMM takes it a step further. As a beginning-of-the-day process it could help the project team stay out of trouble.
"On the surface, TMM is about communication, but imbedded within it are norms and values that are critical for organizations that must deal with difficult issues and adapt nimbly to new situations: an openness to considering multiple perspectives, a willingness to share responsibility for finding creative solutions, and the discipline to move consistently from strategy to execution."
Good project management places a premium on conversation. The Morning Meeting is one way to turn the premium into a habit.
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June 19th, 2006 at 11:08 pm
My favorite part of this essay was this passage;
“In contrast, two qualities characterize high-functioning leadership teams: (1) hard conversations happen—difficult issues move quickly from people’s heads to the conference table; (2) accountability is shared—individuals on the top team feel a responsibility to the organization as a whole, not just for their piece of the action.”
I would have loved the essay to talk about how you make those two things happen! It’s much more important than when/how/where you meet, which I felt was the essay’s focus.
June 20th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
The more important stuff almost never is discussed. But, if they read your stuff they’ll learn! See the Art of Project Management.
June 21st, 2006 at 10:52 am
Great post, Hal, and a terrific link. It gives further traction to this important principle.
I do wonder how much of the resistance cited in the article (”I’m too busy”) would go away if such a senior team met standing, not sitting. And, even better, not in a conference room, but in a central though public area. Further, with a simple chart of projects/metrics/promises to which they could refer. The Fear Of Long Boring Meetings is real…posture makes a difference.
Thanks, Hal.