Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • November 12, 2021
  • Editorial
  • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

The Psychology Behind Meeting Overload

By: Ashley Whillans, Dave Feldman and Damian Wisniewski
  • Format:Electronic
ShareBar

Abstract

Everyone hates meetings. Attending too many can be highly stressful and tiring, and both productivity and quality take a hit when employees tune out, become demotivated, and lose valuable heads-down work time. As such, it’s hardly a surprise that managers in one survey reported 83% of the meetings on their calendars were unproductive, or that US-based professionals rated meetings as the “number one office productivity killer.” But despite what seems to be an overwhelming consensus, endless check-ins, debriefs, all-staffs, and Zoom calls continue to plague the corporate world. What will it take for us to break free from our collective addiction to meetings?

Keywords

Meetings; Collaboration; Psychology; Time Management; Communication

Citation

Whillans, Ashley, Dave Feldman, and Damian Wisniewski. "The Psychology Behind Meeting Overload." Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (November 12, 2021).
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Read Now

About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • April 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Ryan Serhant: Time Management for Repeatable Success (A)

    By: Ashley Whillans and Hawken Lord
    • February 13, 2023
    • Time

    The Secret Tax on Women’s Time

    By: Lauren C. Howe, Lindsay B. Howe and Ashley V. Whillans
    • December 2022
    • Current Directions in Psychological Science

    The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples

    By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Ashley V. Whillans
More from the Authors
  • Ryan Serhant: Time Management for Repeatable Success (A) By: Ashley Whillans and Hawken Lord
  • The Secret Tax on Women’s Time By: Lauren C. Howe, Lindsay B. Howe and Ashley V. Whillans
  • The Emotional Rewards of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples By: Lara B. Aknin, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Ashley V. Whillans
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College