Lauded for its accessible format and humorous writing style, Effective Meetings: Improving Group Decision Making, offers practical strategies for running effective meetings by highlighting the processes involved in decision making and the ways individuals contribute to making better quality decisions as a group.

The Third Edition of this brief text begins with guidelines for effective decision making, then covers topics that include member recruitment, meeting preparation, agenda building, and the positions and roles required for effective meeting outcomes. Subsequent chapters deal with electronic meeting formats, the chair and participants, and the various types of meeting groups such as boards, advisory groups, and staff groups.

Author John E. Tropman teaches at the University of Michigan in the School of Social Work, the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and the Executive Education Programs. Dr. Tropman also works with for-profit, nonprofit, and government entities in a consultative capacity.

Managing the Decision-Building Process

Managing the decision-building process

Jim and Fred were talking after the meeting. “Damn it,” said Jim, “these meetings frustrate the hell out of me. We never seem to actually decide anything. We start on time, we end on time, we follow all the rules for great meetings, but when it comes to actual decision making, we just kick the can down the road.”

“I could not agree more,” said Fred. “Our actual decisions just do not seem to happen. I think it is Jack's fault. He is the CEO and can't quite get the group to agree on anything or provide the group with any parameters he thinks are reasonable. So everyone thinks he has already made a decision, and no one takes ...

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