Working Meetings as a Tool for Knowledge Management and Trust Building

摘要

This paper discusses and examines the role of working meetings as a tool for knowledge management and trust building. Given the prevalence and practical significance of meetings for organizations, it is important to study their role and impact. Working meetings are one of the basic tools in organizations for collaboration and group cohesion, and a significant vehicle for communication. They play an important role in information and knowledge sharing, knowledge creation, coordination, decision making, problem solving and strengthening of group relationships, inside and outside the organization, and contribute to build or destroy trust. As necessary as meetings are, they are also very costly - costs can exceed 100 million dollars per year in big organizations- and frequently unproductive. Unless properly managed, they can be a waste of valuable financial and emotional resources, with negative impact on trust, vitality, innovativeness and competitiveness. So, there is a need to assure meeting effectiveness. Good meeting planning, preparation, realization, assessment and follow-up are needed to achieve it. But also meeting facilitators, as "leaders", play a critical role, as they are responsible for creating a trustful climate, and for successfully conducting the meetings to achieve the objectives each meeting should have, covering the topics on the agenda and doing it in a positive environment and within the planned time frame. The main point of discussion is crystallized in the suggestion that meetings have an impact in integrative group behaviour, cooperation, knowledge creation and sharing. Building and maintaining trust are of utmost importance to develop human capital for sustaining innovativeness and vitality in organizations. Originality-of the paper is based on exploring the role of working meetings in knowledge management, and trust building as an essential element of meetings. Implications are made of how to increase effectiveness of working meetings.