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Steve Whittaker, Rachel Laban and Simon Tucker University of Sheffield

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1 Steve Whittaker, Rachel Laban and Simon Tucker University of Sheffield
Analysing Meeting Records: An Ethnographic Study and Technological Implications Steve Whittaker, Rachel Laban and Simon Tucker University of Sheffield

2 Introduction Meetings are inefficient. Inefficient in many ways
Estimates of productivity ranges from 33-47% Inefficient in many ways Process Loss Free Riding Conformance Pressure Information Loss

3 Introduction Previous work has developed technology for capturing and reviewing meeting discussions. Predominant technologies in use today are still low-tech. Important to revisit the issue of information capture. Examine representations and processing of meeting information Use this examination to empirically evaluate current meeting access technology

4 Presentation Outline Description of Study into meeting records
Analysis of Public meeting records Analysis of Personal meeting records Examination of technological implications Conclusion

5 Study Context We examined two UK service firms
One responsible for mail deliveries One supplying software services Observed a series of meetings for teams in each case Teams had between 5 and 7 members Meetings examined ranged from 3 to 16 participants Meetings were task-oriented

6 Data Collected We collected a wide range of data
Observations of behaviour Analysis of personal notes Pre and post interviews with participants Transcripts made of a subset of all the meetings Confidentiality preserved

7 Public Meeting Records
Most commonly this will be minutes Shared record of decisions and action points for a single meeting Generally produced by a single person – a designated “minuter” Minutes are a highly abstract representation of the events of the meeting.

8 Function of public records
Tracking Group Progress Meetings often begin by running through the minutes from the previous meeting Serve to assist individuals co-ordinate their actions A public record of past actions and decisions Very occasionally minutes used to answer questions regarding past commitments

9 Function of Public Records
Remind people about their commitments Serve as a communal todo list Resolve disputes about commitments The minutes act as an implicit contract between group members Minutes are often formally signed off Used to determine who was assigned to particular tasks

10 Limitations of Public Records
Not all meetings were minuted Minutes were occasionally inaccurate Participants often checked the minutes against their own notes. Minutes lack contextual information. Hence participants must take their own notes. Minutes are selective Minutes are not timely Often taking a number of days to produce

11 Limitations of Public Records
Laborious to produce Designated minuter required – reduced contribution Minutes don’t capture meeting experience Participants may require a richer meeting record Peripheral aspects Minutes largely only record decisions and actions

12 Personal Meeting Records
Participants address the limitations of public meeting records by taking own notes Personal records highly valued Notes reflect personal perspective Largely consist of decisions, actions and context Often cryptic, used as more of a memory aid. Can be used to inform non-attendees

13 Functions of Personal Records
Personal Reminders Provide contextual information Check accuracy of minutes Brief others on meeting contents

14 Limitations of Personal Records
Taking notes reduces the ability to contribute Notes often lack accuracy and comprehensibility Esoteric nature makes it difficult for non-attendees to understand.

15 Technological Implications
Current technology addresses the limitations of public records Can provide both a contextual and immersive experience No longer laborious or untimely Although some problems are still present Current meeting browsers offer no abstraction facilities There is a question of the formality of automatically generated meeting records

16 Technological Implications
Technology also addresses the limitations of personal records. Reduces the burden on producing contextual records Non-attendees no longer hindered by esoterics Again, there are still problems with technology Browsers do not exploit progress in note-taking technology Lack of direct access to decisions and actions

17 Summary We have examined the use of meeting records in two firms.
Meetings generally produce two sets of records: Public record – generally minutes. Personal records – generally personal notes We noted the advantages and disadvantages of both sets of records We briefly examined how technology is addressing the limitations of the records.


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