TY - JOUR
T1 - Employees' feelings about more meetings
T2 - An overt analysis and recommendations for improving meetings
AU - Allen, Joseph A.
AU - Sands, Stephanie J.
AU - Mueller, Stephanie L.
AU - Frear, Katherine A.
AU - Mudd, Mara
AU - Rogelberg, Steven G.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2012/4
Y1 - 2012/4
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify how employees feel about having more meetings and what can be done to improve employees' feelings about their work meetings. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from three samples of working adults. The first was a convenience sample recruited by undergraduate students (n=120), the second was a stratified random sample from a metropolitan area in the southern USA (n=126), and the third was an internet-based panel sample (n=402). Constant comparative analysis of responses to open-ended questions was used to investigate the overarching research questions. Findings: It is found that employees enjoy meetings when they have a clear objective, and when important relevant information is shared. Consistent with conservation of resources theory, most employees are unhappy with meetings when they reduce their work-related resources (e.g. meetings constrain their time, lack structure and are unproductive). Practical implications: The data suggest that meetings appear to be both resource-draining and resource-supplying activities in the workplace. Researchers and managers should consider overtly asking about how people feel about meetings, as a means of identifying areas for future research inquiry and targets for improvement in the workplace generally. Originality/value: The paper describes one of the few studies on meetings that ask the participants overtly what their feelings are regarding their workplace meetings. Additionally, the paper illustrates the usefulness of qualitative data analysis as a means for further understanding workplace activities viewing respondents as informants.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify how employees feel about having more meetings and what can be done to improve employees' feelings about their work meetings. Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from three samples of working adults. The first was a convenience sample recruited by undergraduate students (n=120), the second was a stratified random sample from a metropolitan area in the southern USA (n=126), and the third was an internet-based panel sample (n=402). Constant comparative analysis of responses to open-ended questions was used to investigate the overarching research questions. Findings: It is found that employees enjoy meetings when they have a clear objective, and when important relevant information is shared. Consistent with conservation of resources theory, most employees are unhappy with meetings when they reduce their work-related resources (e.g. meetings constrain their time, lack structure and are unproductive). Practical implications: The data suggest that meetings appear to be both resource-draining and resource-supplying activities in the workplace. Researchers and managers should consider overtly asking about how people feel about meetings, as a means of identifying areas for future research inquiry and targets for improvement in the workplace generally. Originality/value: The paper describes one of the few studies on meetings that ask the participants overtly what their feelings are regarding their workplace meetings. Additionally, the paper illustrates the usefulness of qualitative data analysis as a means for further understanding workplace activities viewing respondents as informants.
KW - Employees attitudes
KW - Employees behaviour
KW - Employees participation
KW - Meeting demands
KW - Meetings
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Thematic analysis
KW - United States of America
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U2 - 10.1108/01409171211222331
DO - 10.1108/01409171211222331
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84859904438
VL - 35
SP - 405
EP - 418
JO - Management Research Review
JF - Management Research Review
SN - 2040-8269
IS - 5
ER -