Years ago, I was finishing up some work at an aerospace company when a group of managers invited me to sit in on a meeting they were having with some union members.
It wasn’t a contractual meeting or anything particularly tense. It was simply a group of people getting together to work through some issues.
The room was fairly small. There were maybe 15 or 20 seats, and some of the managers were leaning against the windows so everyone else could sit.
Off to the side was a table with snacks, soft drinks, and coffee left over from an earlier meeting.
The meeting lasted just under an hour.
People were polite. They covered what they needed to cover. Everything seemed to go just fine.
Then, as the meeting was wrapping up, the person chairing it pointed to the leftover food.
Rather than let it go to waste, he invited anyone who wanted to stay to have lunch with them.
A few people stayed.
Then a few more joined them.
And something interesting happened.
When the agenda disappeared
People started talking about many of the same things they’d just discussed in the meeting.
Except now there was no agenda.
Nobody was waiting for their turn to speak. Nobody was trying to get through the next item. There weren’t any slides to finish.
They were simply talking.
People built on each other’s ideas. One conversation led naturally to another. There was room to ask questions and explore things a little further.
Eventually, they had to clear the room for the next meeting.
As the managers were cleaning up, they looked at each other and essentially said:
That was better than the meeting.
They felt they’d gotten more done — and learned more — in that informal conversation than they had during the official meeting.
I’ve never forgotten that.
Making space for informal conversations at work
I’m not suggesting we get rid of meetings.
There are times when we need a clear agenda, a structured discussion, and decisions made within a certain amount of time.
But structure does something else, too.
It shapes the way people interact.
Sometimes that helps us get the work done. Sometimes it leaves less room for the conversation underneath the work.
I’ve seen another company experiment with this in a very simple way.
They normally offered refreshments before meetings, which encouraged people to arrive a little early and talk.
Then someone wondered: What if we put the refreshments out afterward instead?
They made a commitment to stay after the meeting and talk with people — with one important condition.
They wouldn’t use the time as an extension of the meeting.
The meeting was over.
This was simply a chance to talk.
Someone might ask a question they hadn’t wanted to raise in front of the entire group. Two or three people might continue exploring an idea. Someone might voice a concern that didn’t quite fit into the agenda.
And, perhaps most importantly, people had a chance to get to know one another a little better.
It doesn’t have to be a big thing
When we talk about the human side of change, I think it’s easy to assume we need another program or initiative.
Sometimes we just need to create a little space.
A cup of coffee.
Something to eat.
A few minutes without slides or an agenda.
And people talking to other people.
That’s not a particularly sophisticated change management tool.
But if relationships contribute to the quality of the work we do — and I believe they do — perhaps we should think more intentionally about creating the conditions where those relationships can develop.
I’d be interested to hear what you’ve seen work.
What simple thing have you done — or seen someone else do — that made it easier for people to talk?
Please join me over on my LinkedIn post and tell me your story.
About the Author, Rick Maurer
