鄧永鏘（DavidTang）
中國會、上海灘創辦人
IresignedfromsomecommitteeoftheHongKongTourismBoardbecauseIwasboredandbecauseIrealisedhowineffectiveitwaswithabout20peoplegatheredtogether,eachsayingsomethingbutnotmuchandalltogethersayingnothinginparticular.NowonderacoupleofGovernmentsecretarieshavehadtoresignthisweekfromanumberofcommitteesonwhichtheyconfessedtheyhadnolocusstandi,stilllessanyreasonforturningupforanyofthemeetings.Iwonderwhytheyjoinedinthefirstplace!
Itseemswehavecometoliveinacultureofmeetings.WheneverItelephone,IamalwaystoldthepersonIwantisinameeting.Peopleleavinganywherearealwaysformeetings!TheHongKongGovernmentseemstohavefollowedmainlandChinainhavingmoreandmoremeetings.NotsurprisinglyastherehavebeenmoreandmorecommitteesformedinHongKong,eachostensiblyeitherforconsultationsorconsensus.(Thisisofcourseabadsign,asitimpliesalackofleadership.)
ThequestionIaskis:hasanyoneeverthoughtabouttheeffectivenessofmeetings?ThemosteffectivemeetingsIknowarebetween2people.Themorepeopleyouhave,themoreineffectiveitbecomes.Withoutastrongleaderinanymeeting,especiallywithmoreandmoreparticipants,nothingiseverreallyachieved.
Takeboardmeetings.Mostofthemostimportantdecisionsattheboardlevelareusuallytakenbeforehand.Themanagingdirectororchairmanwould,iftheywereclever,canvassedsupportforwhatevertheywouldliketopassandwhentheactualformalboardconvenes,theresultbecomesamereformality.That'stherealityofbusiness,oratleastmostofit.
Inpolitics,itisnotdifferent.Astrongleader,likeaLadyThatcherorTonyBlair,wouldalwaysmakesurethatthesupporttheyneedisalreadytherebeforeanyformalmeetings,orthatifthereweretobedissent,theywouldknowexactlyhowtodealwithitbeforehand.InChina,thisseemstobeparticularlytrueofmeetings,especiallyimportantones.Don'tweseetheoceanofhandsgoingupatCongressmeetingswhereveraresolutionisbeingpassed?Objectionsarefarandfewbetween.That'sthenatureofCommunistrule.Theresultsarealwaysknownbeforehand.
Inotherwords,themosteffectivemeetingsinwhichanythinggetsdonearetheoneswheretheresultsarealreadyknownbeforehand.Conversely,thosemeetingsinvolvingargumentsarethemostineffective.Worsestillaremeetingswhichdonothaveadefinitesenseofpurposeorarebeingledbysomeonewhoexertsnopresidinginfluenceorpower.Somemightarguethatconsensusamongstagroupshouldbethecorrectapproach,butsincewhenhaveconsensualopinionseverchangedtheworld?Imightbegeneralisingordramatisingthispoint,butthetruthisthatmeetingsinwhichtherearenooverridingstrongopinionsareoftenineffectual.
SotheHongKongGovernmentwhichspewsupcommitteesaftercommittees,membersaftermembers,meetingsaftermeetings,arebecoming,asIseeit,moreandmoreineffectual.Worstofallisthelackofmethodologyincomingtoaconclusionfromdifferentpointsofview.Isitamatterofindividualvotes?Ordocertainvotescountformoreeitherbecausetheyarebackedbymorepeopleortheycarrymoreintensity?
IhatehavingmeetingsunlessIknowforcertainwhatmeetingsarefor.Gettingagroupofpeopletogetherforthepurposesoftalkingdoesnotappealtomeatall.Andworsestilliswhenpeoplegatheredtogetherdonotknowwhytheyarethereordonotcontributetothemeeting.
FriendsofminehavetoldmehowutterlyboredtheyarewhentheyturnuptosocalledimportantformalmeetingsinChina-consultativecommitteesorevencongresses.Theyeffectivelysitintheirslots,listentointerminablylongpreparedspeeches,getincrediblybored,andthenstandupandleave,halfdazedandhalf-wasted.Theyallhateitbutfeelobligedtoattend.Thesearetheworstmeetingsofall.Ihavenorespectforthematall.
Fromnowon,whydon'teachofusaskbeforewegotoameetingifitisreallyworthwhile.Askwhatthemeetingisforandwhatistheissuetoberesolved.Findouthowmanypeoplearegoing.Findoutifthereisastrongchair.Withoutaclearideaofanyofthese,Iwouldsuggestthatthemeetingbeboycottedorcancelled!Cancelledmeetingsarethebestthingsinmodernlife.