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Boredom in Meetings

Åkerström, Malin LU (2017) Gothenburg Meeting Science Symposium
Abstract
For managers, meetings may be an arena “where the action is”: situations to display competence and moral character. However, others may feel less involved, and meetings may be experienced as nonsense, as meaningless and worthless. A recurring theme in various studies is complaints about meetings, particularly regarding their frequency, their emptiness, and the forced attendance, taking time from what the employees consider their core tasks. In this paper I discuss such experiences: in interviews by retold experiences or stories, in field observations by noticing small talk, by photographs of side-involvement such as meeting scribbles or observing the use of smart phones or laptops during meetings, and other practices of “aways”.
Abstract (Swedish)
For managers, meetings may be an arena “where the action is”: situations to display competence and moral character. However, others may feel less involved, and meetings may be experienced as nonsense, as meaningless and worthless. A recurring theme in various studies is complaints about meetings, particularly regarding their frequency, their emptiness, and the forced attendance, taking time from what the employees consider their core tasks. In this paper I discuss such experiences: in interviews by retold experiences or stories, in field observations by noticing small talk, by photographs of side-involvement such as meeting scribbles or observing the use of smart phones or laptops during meetings, and other practices of “aways”.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
pages
14 pages
conference name
Gothenburg Meeting Science Symposium
conference location
Gothenburg, Sweden
conference dates
2017-05-23 - 2017-05-24
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2b413f22-321f-45d7-b854-93ffbf1573c3
date added to LUP
2018-03-23 12:19:52
date last changed
2019-06-13 12:03:07
@misc{2b413f22-321f-45d7-b854-93ffbf1573c3,
  abstract     = {{For managers, meetings may be an arena “where the action is”: situations to display competence and moral character. However, others may feel less involved, and meetings may be experienced as nonsense, as meaningless and worthless.  A recurring theme in various studies is complaints about meetings, particularly regarding their frequency, their emptiness, and the forced attendance, taking time from what the employees consider their core tasks. In this paper I discuss such experiences: in interviews by retold experiences or stories, in field observations by noticing small talk, by photographs of side-involvement such as meeting scribbles or observing the use of smart phones or laptops during meetings, and other practices of “aways”.}},
  author       = {{Åkerström, Malin}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{Boredom in Meetings}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/40312303/BOREDOM_AND_AWAYS_Gothenburg_Symposium.pdf}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}