As more work has become either hybrid or fully remote since the pandemic, virtual meetings are a regular feature of working life. How to perform them effectively has therefore become a pressing concern.
The actual meeting itself may only be part of the equation, however. Research from Harvard Business School highlights the important role post-meeting discussions play.
Chewing the fat
In offline meetings, such discussions are the norm as people filter back to their desks or coalesce around the coffee machine. While the norm in virtual meetings is for everyone to depart once the meeting has ended, the researchers explain that many participants remain in the room to keep talking.
Just as with offline conversations of this nature, these conversations play a big role in underpinning team dynamics. The researchers liken the actual meeting itself as the performance in a theater, with after-meeting discussions serving as the backstage. These backstage musings often show that people interpret what happened during the meeting very differently, which can have significant consequences if not addressed.
The findings emerged from an analysis of a global tech company based in the US. They focused in on the workings of two pairs of teams that were considered among the highest performers in the company. The teams had similarities in terms of geographic spread, time zones, size, and so on.
Team workings
In the global teams, the researchers got to see what happened when the American subteams took charge suddenly. Each US subteam became the owner of the software they were working on during the study. This change affected both Chinese subteams negatively. However, what came next for each team was quite different.
The researchers found a significant level of variation in how people behaved once the meetings ended. For instance, in one of the teams, the American subteam took ownership over the code at the start of the study, which caused the Chinese subteam to grumble among themselves offline (and unbeknownst to the Americans).
For instance, the researchers observed that the leader of the Chinese team would frequently vent their frustrations once the meetings had ended, with their team members generally concurring. Indeed, the frustrations of the leader festered so significantly that they ultimately went from a loyal member of the team to one who ultimately left the business.
Growing resentment
As well as the growing resentment between the two groups, the researchers also noticed a deterioration in basic functionality too. For instance, the Chinese team began to withhold information from the American team due to the resentment that was forming.
Indeed, the researchers noted a shift in the collective energy of the Chinese team, from fear and frustration to anger. The American team was largely oblivious to this change, and this confusion resulted in them being frustrated too. In the end, both groups restricted the information they shared with one another, leading to a heightened state of dysfunction.
Interestingly, another team within the company managed to navigate these challenges more effectively. Despite this team also experiencing initial negativity from the Chinese team, the American team was this time more open to any suggestions the Chinese team made, which made for a much more collaborative environment.
Making things work
The researchers provide a number of tips to help managers ensure that their own virtual meetings don’t suffer from backstage problems. The first of these is to acknowledge that there is a backstage. It’s easy to assume that when meetings finish that people drift off to their desks and don’t continue the conversation, but this isn’t always the case.
What’s more, the presence of a backstage in itself highlights how participants can have very different perspectives on a meeting. Being aware that this is the case is a crucial first step.
It’s also important to ensure that there is sufficient space for any backstage conversations to take place. It’s easy to assume we know what everyone thinks, and that assumption is likely to be wrong. When people are encouraged to speak up about their concerns, it shifts potential problems from behind-the-scenes meetings to the forefront. This way, issues can be addressed constructively.
Similarly, managers must try to catch problems as early as possible so that they can be effectively tackled. When problems are identified at this stage they can be managed, and one way to do this is to have an effective bridge between the teams. For instance, in the study, such a bridge was an individual who could speak both languages to span the two groups. This allowed for more constructive conversations between the groups.
The study provides a timely reminder that when it comes to successful virtual meetings, it’s important not just to focus on what happens during the meetings, but after them too.
