Encouraging participation

Parkinson’s law of triviality argues that meeting participants invariably give disproportionate weight to trivial issues.

In explaining his ‘other’ law, Cyril Northcote Parkinson gives the example of a fictional committee whose job is to approve the plans for a nuclear power plant.

He suggests they will spend the majority of their time on discussions about relatively minor but easy-to-grasp issues, such as what materials to use for the staff bike shed.

This will be time spent at the expense of discussing the proposed design of the plant itself, which is far more critical, complicated, and complex task.

Getting the most out of meeting participants therefore requires skillful facilitation from the meeting’s chair. 

Extending the principles of active listening, this may involve either gentle, persuasive, or directive interventions.

Gentle intervention

Gentle interventions might include:

• not rushing to fill silences (giving others a chance to speak)
• repeating or rephrasing another’s words to demonstrate understanding and encourage further contributions, and 
• asking questions to clarify points.

Gentle interventions are appropriate when:

• An issue is complex or challenging
• There is ample time for consideration, or
• A person is having difficulty articulating their point

Persuasive intervention

Persuasive intervention is used to challenge or advance arguments, and can involve:

• Asking questions to change
  • ‘What’s missing in your proposal?’
• Asking questions to move on
  • ‘Can we spend 10 more minutes on this and move on?’
• Suggesting choices
  • ‘Can we focus on these two proposals?’
• Suggesting process
  • ‘Let’s brainstorm solutions to this problem.’
• Sharing ideas
  • ‘In my experience, this usually works best.’

Directive intervention

Directive intervention is used to force decisions and might include:

• Guidance
  • ‘My recommendation is …’
• Choosing for the group
  • ‘The majority are in favor of Option B, so we will adopt it.’
• Directing
  • ‘Group 1, you are to prepare a full analysis of Option C.

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You should be wary of the psychological phenomenon known as groupthink.

This occurs within a group when the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.

In other words, group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus without critically evaluating alternative viewpoints.

They do this by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints and by isolating themselves from outside influences.

This often occurs when groups fall victim to cascade effects, as group members follow the statements and actions of those who spoke or acted first. 

Groups can also tend to focus on what everybody already knows, without taking into account critical information that only one or a few people (often outside the group) may have.

At the other extreme, groups can become polarised, taking up positions more extreme than those they held before deliberations, as tensions rise and conflict escalates. 

Look to any recent political debate for an example of this!

The meeting chairperson is responsible for being alert to and managing groupthink, using their wit, charm, and the interventions described here.

Preventing groupthink

• Expect groupthink!
• Beware “Yes, Boss” syndrome
• Engage diverse groups
• Engage outsiders/experts
• Explicitly define group values and behaviors
• Encourage healthy debate
• Facilitate structured brainstorming, regularly shuffling groups
• Temporarily exclude senior management from the room!
• Allow enough time to make important decisions

Managing groupthink

• Don’t shoot the messenger!
• Consider alternatives
• Challenge assumptions
• Manage conflict
• Appoint a devil’s advocate
• Speak last
  • Junior-most person goes first
  • Encourage all to contribute
• Take a tactical pause if necessary to allow more considered reflection
• Test decisions outside the group