The Effects of a Virtual Training and Self-Monitoring on Leading a Meeting

Abstract

Meetings are one of the most common workplace activities in which employees engage. Unfortunately, most meetings are considered ineffective. Not only do ineffective meetings cost organizations money in terms of employee time, but they also impact employee productivity and can lead to turnover. Survey research has revealed what meeting characteristics are necessary for a meeting to be considered effective. However, there is no experimental research on how to teach meeting leaders to effectively lead meetings. With more employees working from home, trainings to enhance employee skillsets are likely to be delivered virtually. The purpose of the current two-experiment study was to evaluate the effects of virtual training and self-monitoring on leading a meeting. Specifically, Experiment 1 evaluated the effects of virtual training in isolation and the added effects of self-monitoring on the integrity with which participants led a meeting. Results revealed that virtual training alone did not produce substantial changes in meeting integrity; self-monitoring was necessary to produce desired improvements. Thus, Experiment 2 evaluated the combined effects of virtual training and self-monitoring on meeting integrity. Participants in Experiment 2 reached mastery criterion within three sessions following the packaged intervention. Social validity was measured in three ways and revealed three general patterns: (1) participants in both experiments found the interventions to be acceptable; (2) meeting attendees in both experiments perceived their supervisor’s ability to lead meeting moderately high after intervention; and (3) an external rater perceived improvements in two of four participants meeting integrity following intervention in Experiment 2.