Effective School Management

The use of time – meeting structure
Efficient use of time will largely depend on having and keeping to a structure
which is suited to the purpose and membership of the meeting.

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MANAGING MEETINGS
6 1
An invaluable piece of equipment at any meeting is a flipchart or
whiteboard on which key ideas, information or proposals can be recorded for
all to see. Advantages to be gained from this common-sense but underused
item are the following:
(1) The discussion is focused.
(2) Ideas are not ‘lost’ (accidentally or otherwise).
(3) Flipcharts are a useful record on which minutes can be based (and
against which minutes can be checked).
(4) Time is not wasted while individuals repeat ideas which they feel have
not been heard or considered by the meeting.
(5) Recorded ideas (e.g. alternative proposals) can be dealt with in sequence,
and those who have put forward an idea can take a full part in all
discussions in the confidence that their own view will in due course be
considered. Most people are incapable of listening to anyone else until
they are sure their own view has been or will be heard. If, as often happens,
there are two or more people in a meeting who feel this way, a ‘dialogue
of the deaf’ is guaranteed.
Given the structure which is naturally created by a written record visible to
all, other structural considerations will be determined by the circumstances,
such as the size of the meeting.
LARGE MEETINGS
The only thing which is accomplished efficiently in a large meeting is the
giving of information (preferably, of course, with the help of visual aids and
handouts).
If the audience is to respond with ideas or ask questions which are
meaningful to more than the questioner, the meeting should be split into
discussion groups (each with its own room and flipchart). Each group should
be asked to formulate ideas and questions which a representative can present
to the reconvened main meeting.
A typical programme for such a meeting would be as follows:
Chairperson’s introduction
(Purpose and structure of the meeting)
5 minutes
Presentation(s) of key facts, considerations, criteria by
the decision-taker with handout
10 minutes
Questions of clarification
5 minutes
Group meetings
(Groups, each containing a mix of departments, develop
ideas and proposals. The decision-taker will visit groups
to answer any questions)
40 minutes

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6 2
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
Group presentations
(Each group will make a 3–5 minute presentation with
key points on flipchart)
20 minutes
Questions
(After all groups have presented, questions of clarification
will be put by the decision-taker and other groups)
15 minutes
Arrangements for follow-up
5 minutes
End of meeting
The study-group concept can be effective with as few as eight members in a
meeting (i.e. two groups of four) and should certainly be seriously
considered if meaningful participation is expected from more than twelve
people.
DECISION-TAKING
As we discussed in the last chapter, ‘participative’ decision-taking has many
advantages, and ‘management by committee’ does not, for the very simple
reason that committees present problems of consistency and accountability.
Even within the ‘democratic’ process of British government, the Prime
Minister may overrule the Cabinet and, on major issues, voting within the
House of Commons is effectively controlled by the government and
opposition party machines rather than by the judgement of the individual
member. In the same way, most company boards operate on a basis of giving
the final word to one person, whether the chairperson or the managing
director.
Meetings at any level should therefore be clear on whether a decision is
really being taken by the meeting or whether, on the other hand, there is, for
each decision, one person who has the responsibility for taking the decision
with the help of the meeting.
Whichever is the case, the meeting should follow a clear structure which is
stated at the opening of the meeting. If the meeting is to split into groups after
an initial presentation and questions, this should be made clear. If we are
seeking to achieve ‘involvement’ in decisions, the steps described at Figure
4.1 can be followed, with key points, especially the criteria and alternatives,
listed on a flipchart for all to see.
There is, however, one very important warning. In the atmosphere of the
meeting, it is very easy for the decision-taker to be swept along and to forget
or minimize constraints and pressures from outside the meeting. Will there
be funds available? Will the governors agree? Wise managers will let it be
known at the start that they do not intend to make the final choice during the
meeting. They should state clearly how and when the decision will be made
known and explained, and they should hold to their promise.

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MANAGING MEETINGS
6 3
The aim of the decision-taker during the meeting should be to explore
fully the alternatives presented by comparing them with the criteria and
asking questions of the meeting to help understanding of what each
proposed alternative implies.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE
The important structural message under this heading is that where a series of
people are to report overlapping information to a meeting (e.g. a report back
from groups or progress reports on a project), questions on each report
should be limited to ‘clarification’ until all reports have been given. Then and
only then should a full discussion take place within the full meeting or in
groups. If this principle is not followed, much time is wasted after early
reports in discussing issues which may be covered in later reports. Also, later
reporters suffer considerable frustration when their ‘thunder’ is ‘stolen’, and
they are apt either to abstain from discussion or to take over the answering.
GENERATION OF IDEAS
Generation of ideas can be the purpose of a total meeting or of a part of a
meeting. In the decision-taking process we look to the meeting to contribute
ideas during each of the first three steps, i.e.
(1) statement of the situation;
(2) establishment of criteria; and
(3) generation of alternatives.
Less familiar to many schools – though increasingly being used – are pure
‘brainstorming’ meetings in which the aim is to promote creative solutions to
problems.
Whether in a brainstorming session or a lower-keyed session for the
generation of ideas, the key to success is to gather in ideas systematically and
not to allow any evaluative comments during the process. The person
leading the meeting should make it clear throughout that even the merest
‘Yes, but… ’ is unacceptable during the ‘gathering’ phase. All ideas must, of
course, be recorded on a flipchart.
Once the ideas have been listed, then, and only then, should questions be
asked to clarify what is meant or implied or involved in each suggestion. The
irrelevant should be discarded; the relevant suggestions should be debated
one by one in depth.