Manager's Hot Seat: Running a Contentious Meeting

In this activity, you will watch a ten$-$minute video. Malcolm Price has recently transitioned from an IT coordinator with low$-$level managerial responsibility to a leadership role, heading up the technical side for a web$-$based business start$-$up and support company. During a small$-$group meeting about developing a new company website, the group is unhappy with a new mandate introduced by Malcolm.

The employees involved in this meeting are the following:

Malcolm, new technical team leader $($wearing purple shirt in the middle of the team$)$

Samantha, former team leader$/$finance manager $($in red sweater on the left$-$hand side of the table$)$

Steve, product manager $($in gray shirt on the left$-$hand side of the table$)$

Lisa, marketing manager $($in green blouse on the right$-$hand side of the table$)$

Anthony, sales manager $($in brown shirt on the right$-$hand side of the table$)$

The team members know each other well, as they have been working on various projects together for the best part of two years. The only weak link is Malcolm, who has come to the team late and whose leadership they don't trust.

This activity is important because you$$ll participate and even lead hundreds of meetings throughout your life. Understanding principles for running effective meetings will help you lead and work more effectively in teams.

The goal of this activity is to demonstrate your understanding of principles for running effective meetings.

Click the $$Play button to watch the video. Then, evaluate various aspects of the meeting.

Malcolm starts the meeting by saying, "What I$\text{'}$d like to do is bring you up to speed on why you're here this morning." He then begins to elaborate on this comment. Choose the statement that most accurately describes how Malcolm opens the meeting.

Multiple Choice

He provided a clear agenda but did not discuss outcomes for the meeting.

He discussed outcomes for the meeting and set clear expectations for team members.

He discussed outcomes for the meeting but did not set expectations for team members.