1.2  Chairing as leadership

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A person seated at a desk participating in a virtual meeting. The individual is facing a large computer monitor that displays a video conference with nine participants arranged in a grid layout. Each participant appears in a separate rectangular frame, and the backgrounds vary, suggesting they are in different locations. The overall scene conveys a remote or hybrid work scenario where online collaboration is taking place.

Since COVID-19, the number of online work meetings has multiplied (Standaert, Muylle and Basu, 2022). For many, this has resulted in too many unnecessary work meetings, with little structure or understood purpose, leading to the often-used question, ‘could we do this in an email?’ (see Unit 5 of this course).

However, under effective leadership, work meetings can be an important resource for an organisation, facilitating strong discussions that elicit a range of opinions and produce high-quality decisions (see Mroz, Yoerger and Allen, 2018). The way a chair interacts with other participants sets the tone for what is considered appropriate communicative behaviour. The position of chair is one that requires considerable organisation and communication skill to manage the different interests present within the meeting while also holding the interests of the organisation and managing their own identity as leaders (Rogerson-Revell, 2011).

Chairing styles

Depending on the context of the meeting, there is a great degree of flexibility in the way chairs carry out their role. Factors such as meeting purpose, topic, formality and participant relations all influence the way chairing is carried out.

Much of the literature around chairing practice identifies two predominant styles of chairing leadership. These will be referred to as ‘participative’ and ‘directive’ chairing. Table 1 below summarises the main features of each style, along with their corresponding positive and negative effects.

Table 1  Chairing styles

	Participative chairing	Directive chairing
Features	Encourages participants to share their opinions and ideas and give feedback. Enables participants to take part in decision making. Negotiates meeting procedures. Likely to support relational and social talk. Likely to use humour to ease social relations.	Directs and controls the meeting procedures e.g. who gets to speak and when. Expects participant obedience and compliance. Stifles discussion. Doesn’t include participants in the decision-making process. Does not seek out opinions or feedback.
Positive and negative effects	A risk of decision making taking too long. Potential for meetings to feel unfocused. Positive meeting outcomes Boosts employee engagement and satisfaction. Enhances job performance and mental wellbeing.	Quick decision making (this can be a positive). No task ambiguity (again, a potential positive as the meeting is purposeful). Lack of autonomy amongst participants. Negative impact on employee performance (within and potentially outside the meeting).

Of course, it’s easy to stereotype chairing styles and think about them in binary terms. There are many different forms and functions of meetings, which may require different styles of chairing. The reality is that effective chairs draw on different styles depending on what is appropriate or required for the given meeting.

So far, you have considered different aspects of chairing styles and practices. In Activity 2, you will consolidate this learning by reviewing some of the examples of effective and ineffective chairing practices.

Activity 2  Reviewing chairing practices – how not to chair a meeting

Timing: Allow around 20 minutes

Watch Video 1 through once in full and then a second time while you make notes.

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1

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Transcript: Video 1  How not to chair a meeting

BRIAN

What's Sam doing there? Is he OK?

ALEC

I think he's trying to tell us that his microphone is not working. Sam, can you hear us?

SAM

Um, OK. Can you hear me now? Hello, hello. OK, yeah, I think that's it.

ALEC

Yes, we can hear you

SAM

OK, great. That's great. Sorry, my microphone wasn't working properly. That's weird. I'm really sorry. I had a late night and I missed my alarm for the meeting. So how is everyone? Let's get started. Are we all OK? Did we have a good weekend? OK, great. Well, look, let's go. OK, guys. So today we need to discuss the salary scales for our employees, and I suggest that we adjust the scales according to the increased cost of living.

BRIAN

Sorry, Sam, I didn't know we were talking about salaries today. Do we even have an agenda?

SARA

I don't think there is one, or at least I didn't get one. I also didn't know we were talking about salaries, I'm afraid.

SAM

Sorry, did Anna not send an agenda yesterday?

ANNA

You didn't ask me to.

SAM

Well, she must have forgotten. All right, I'm sorry everyone. Well, OK, look. There's two main points we're going to talk about today. The first is adjustment of salary scales in response to high inflation, and the second of which is the shortlist for the appointment of PA. And we need to decide today who we're going to bring in for that interview. All right? Does that make sense? Um, any questions? All right, who'd like to start? Alec, you're first on my screen, so why don't you start us off please. Thank you.

ALEC

Oh, um... Ah, well yes, OK. Uh, well... I think we need to be careful not to rush into a knee-jerk reaction to unions' demands for increased salaries. I mean, we're living in difficult financial times. We all need to be prepared to compromise. When I was working with a different company over 20 years ago, I was earning half of what the staff are getting here. But I was young. Young people can deal with it.

BRIAN

Yeah, exactly.

ALEC

Yes, I was still able to put some money in the bank, and now look at me, Head of Operations... These youngsters, I mean they're always complaining. They seem so entitled. I mean, they should be grateful that they're in work, and you know... So what... Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yes, back in the day, we had to manage on a lot less than they've got now, but we just got on with it.

BRIAN

Yeah, I know what you mean, Alec. They were different days, weren't they? We were just grateful for what we got, and we didn't complain. Not like the youngsters today, bloody bunch of snowflakes.

ALEC

Aha! Yes, snowflakes. Yes, exactly.

BRIAN

Exactly, I mean, like you said there they just feel entitled, don't they? I mean, you know, they expect to get paid straight away. They expect to get big pay rises. You know, it's just a joke.

ALEC

Well, it's constant, isn't it? It's every day they come, there's something else and then there's something else and there's something else. Back in the day, we'd have just got on with it and sorted it out ourselves. End of, end of.

SAM

Right, well, all good stuff. Um, yeah. What about the rest of you? Anyone got any viewpoints they want to chip in with? Nothing to add? Well, this has been productive, hasn't it? I'll tell you what, I'll let you off the hook. We'll put it down to Anna forgetting to send the agenda out yesterday. I'll set up a document on Teams, and what I'd like is everyone to put their viewpoints on there by the end of the week. Anna, if you could set that up for me please, and if you could send an email out to everyone to remind them at the end of the week, that would be great. Let's turn to the second point now on the agenda, the new appointment. So, we really need to make a decision on her today because we need her in post ASAP, all right?

SARA

Well, does this mean we're only shortlisting women?

SAM

No, sorry. Yeah, that was a slip of the tongue. I'm sorry. You know what I mean.

ALEC

We'll take men, women, those who haven't decided yet. We're a broad church.

SAM

We'll shortlist those who meet the criteria. So right, Sara, what are your opinions on the applications?

SARA

Oh right, well, hang on a minute while I find the applications and my notes. Right, I think I have them. Right, for me, it's important we find someone with excellent attention to detail, who's highly efficient. In addition, they must be very personable as they'll be the face of the company. From the shortlist, I was really impressed with two of the applications. -First

ALEC

Yes, yes, yes. Great that you've looked at all of them. For me, Laura stands out. She meets all the criteria that we set. She brings a value added on, and she's got all that experience. Wouldn't you agree, Sam?

SAM

Um, yeah. I was impressed with her too, so um... Would you agree, Sara?

SARA

Well, yeah. She's impressive. But for me, Finn's application is more impressive. -He's got really, really...

ALEC

Rubbish! Rubbish, I'm sorry. I totally disagree. He's only been in the position for five minutes.

SARA

Well, 12 months. He has lots of experience in different settings. He has experience of working across teams, and he seems really flexible, which in our environment is an important quality. I also think...

ALEC

Yes, yes, it's all good stuff. But is he a 'stayer'? I mean, does he have all the extra aspects that make him a good PA: arranging the director's diary, arranging meetings, arranging to have refreshments delivered?

SAM

OK, all right. Thank you. Fiona, Tom, we haven't heard from you in a while. Have you got anything to say?

FIONA

Actually, we've added a few things in the chat box as the conversation went along.

SAM

Oh. Oh, right. Well, OK. Go on then. I missed that. Sorry, let's have a little look. Yeah, this is pointless. Yeah, all good points, guys. Actually, I've got to run to another meeting, so I don't have time to answer those questions. So we'll just look at them next meeting. All right? Um, brilliant. OK, guys, we'll leave it there. Thank you.

End transcript: Video 1  How not to chair a meeting

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Video 1  How not to chair a meeting

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Make use of your learning on this course so far, and your own experiences of online meetings, and write down the examples of ineffective chairing you have noticed in the box below:

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Discussion

Some of the ineffective practice examples are noted below – you may have noticed other examples too.

The chair:

• Is late. Being late is disrespectful to others and limits opportunities to fix any technical issues.
• Is unprepared.
• Dresses very casually and has stains on their hoodie.
• Is not clear to everyone due to poor lightning. This can disadvantage some participants e.g. those people who lipread.
• Doesn’t ask people to turn on their cameras at the start.
• Starts the meeting without an introduction and participants are given no time to ‘arrive’.
• Has not checked their microphone is working.
• Shows a lack of respect for Anna – is impolite to her and interrupts her.
• Did not send an agenda.
• Does not interrupt Alec when they keep talking for too long.
• Does not use professional language.
• Uses jokes or irony in the wrong situation.
• Does not prioritise raising an important topic 10 minutes before the end of the meeting.
• Asks Sarah for an opinion on the applications without giving her the chance to prepare.
• Interrupts Sarah several times disrespectfully during the discussion about the applications.
• Asks two people who remained silent for contributions after the end of the meeting.
• Does not check the chat box throughout the entire meeting.
• Shows little respect for others’ time – e.g. the meeting ends 10 minutes late.

Now that you have had a chance to consider different approaches to chairing and reflected on some of the problematic features, we’ll move on to some of the issues that can impact good and bad chairing.