A meeting structure from team to management
In many organisations there is a meeting at every level, but those meetings stand apart. What a team cannot solve stays where it is, or reaches the top too late. With Wendbaarsturen every board has its own meeting, and those meetings are connected. A problem goes up a level, the decision comes back.
Every board has its own meeting and rhythm
The team, the department and the management team each have their own board. Every board has its own meeting with its own rhythm. A team meets every week, for example, and the management team every two weeks with a longer session every quarter as well. You set the rhythm per board, and the upcoming meetings are ready.
Let the meetings follow each other closely from the bottom up: first the team, then the department, then the management team. Then an escalation from a team is on the table at the board above within the same week or cycle. You align those rhythms yourself.
An example of tiered meetings
This is an example. Every organisation chooses its own boards and rhythm.
| Board | Rhythm (example) | What the meeting is about | What cannot be solved here goes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Every week, briefly at the board | What is off track on the board and what needs to happen now | The department's board |
| Department | Every two weeks, shortly after the team meeting | The department's goals and the problems teams cannot solve themselves | The management team's board |
| Management team | Every two weeks, shortly after the department, plus a session every quarter | The direction, the goals for the year and decisions on capacity, budget and rules | The decision is taken here, and it goes back down |
What happens in the meeting
- Difficult problems first. The meeting starts with what is red or stuck, not with the list. That is one of the golden rules from the training.
- Agenda. Members bring in items. The Navigator puts them on the agenda.
- Outcome. When an item is closed, the Navigator records the outcome and the follow-up: an action, a decision or for information.
- Action owners and deadline. Every action gets a name and a date. The action owners get an email.
- On the card. The outcome lands on the card the item was about. Next time you see whether it has been done.
Signals show what needs attention
Every card can get a signal: On track, Needs attention, Stuck or Important. Whoever sets a card to Needs attention, Stuck or Important writes down why. The owners and the Navigator of that board get an email about it straight away. So the Navigator knows what is going on before the meeting.
What a team cannot solve goes up a level
Sometimes a team needs something it cannot arrange itself: more people, a decision, budget or a different rule. Then the team sends the card to the board above. In the Send to board window, that board is already there, with the text escalate here.
The card arrives in that board's inbox. There they place it under What is holding us back, and the Navigator puts it on the agenda. If it cannot be solved at that level either, it goes up another level. That way everyone can see the escalation ladder, instead of an email that gets stuck somewhere.
The decision goes back down
When a meeting takes a decision, the Navigator records it on the card. If the decision affects another board, the Navigator passes it on to that board. So the team that reported the problem hears what was decided, and can carry on. The card shows what was decided and what happens next.
An effective team meeting: how it differs from a regular one
How you set it up
Frequently asked questions about the meeting structure
What are tiered meetings?
Tiered meetings are a series of meetings at different levels that connect to each other: team, department and management team. What one level cannot solve goes to the next.
How do you prevent everything from being escalated?
A team only sends up what it really cannot solve itself, such as capacity, a decision, budget or a rule. The team first discusses in its own meeting what it can do itself. The Navigator keeps an eye on that.
How do you make sure problems do come up?
By showing that red is welcome. When a team sends a problem up, the board above responds with help or a decision, not with a request for a report. Once teams notice that, they dare to report a problem in time.
Do all meetings need the same rhythm?
No. Every board has its own rhythm. It does help to align the rhythms, so that an item from a team reaches the department in time. You do that yourself when you set the rhythm.
Who attends which meeting?
Each meeting is for the members of that board. Permissions apply per board. A private board stays closed to anyone who is not a member, including a connected AI.
How do we start?
You start where it fits: with management, with a single department or domain and its teams, or with a team that wants to. The network grows along. Read more on Implementing Obeya. To see what it looks like in a municipality, read Obeya for local government.
Curious how your meetings could connect?
In a meeting we look together at your meetings and at what gets stuck between the levels.