Why meetings need a caffeine shot

SINGAPORE – A leading academic has given new importance to the coffee break during business meetings.

Informal discussions that take place during the coffee and lunch breaks, or in the taxi on the way to the airport after a business gathering, make face-to-face meetings a more effective form of business communication than other increasingly popular ‘virtual alternatives’, says the researcher.

The importance of sideline conversations enabled by face-to-face meetings was one of the findings in a new academic paper entitled Why Face-to-Face Business Meetings Matter published by Dr Richard Arvey PhD, head of the Department of Management and Organisation at National University of Singapore.

Commissioned by Hilton Hotels in Asia, the paper addresses the business and psychological values derived from face-to-face meetings.

Dr Arvey concludes that meetings definitely matter to the modern business and whilst companies are increasingly relying on ‘computer-mediated’ channels such as email or the Internet, they should be careful to ensure that they are still selecting the most appropriate medium for their business discussions.

Dr Arvey said, “It is my belief that eliminating face-to-face meetings would be a mistake for businesses because of the variety of positive psychological as well as general business outcomes that meetings can offer corporations.”

He also said that conference calls or emails are a good option when companies want to convey information but don’t really need a decision or response from the participants, or perhaps have a need to respond to an issue quickly.

Face-to-face meetings are considered more effective when wide consensus and persuasion is required, or when there is a range of complex tasks or decisions on the agenda.

Dr Arvey’s paper goes on to provide further psychological reasons as to why meetings, through human contact, enable transparency and trust, establish strong social and important exchange relationships and assist the ability for participants to evaluate and judge.

Dr Arvey also said there was a need to take a different approach to running successful meetings in countries across Asia Pacific.

While Singaporeans prefer to achieve closure and clear procedures through meeting, participants in China tend to place a higher value on traditions.

Australians respond better to meetings that emphasise individual responsibility.