Fast Co. article #11, "Do Not Disturb...Busy Learning," Issue 35, by Jill Rosenfeld

A company named Aveda/Fredric's is doing something that every company or organization should consider. Every Thursday afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. they hold a company wide "Continuous Improvement Meeting." Everyone from the receptionist to the CEO (about 80 people) attends these gatherings, which are held at the "education center."

Aveda is a successful company (founded in Minneapolis) that makes and sells hair and skin care products to beauty salons across the world. As I recall when they first started up, they were one of the first companies to promote aromatherapy products out of all natural ingredients. This particular company distributes Aveda products to four states. They not only sell products, they also teach salon staff to use them so they regard educating as the "heart of their business."

Every Thursday they meet as a whole to think of new ideas, demonstrate new products, or go over their product line. They even have their own hair salon at the company to try products out on employees. The meeting is regarded not just as an hour to talk and report--it is an opportunity to be creative and brainstorm ideas. One way to encourage creativity is by keeping buckets of crayons and markers on tables in the meeting room so that if they have ideas, they can jot them down or draw. They have what they call a "gallery stroll" which is sharing and looking at others' ideas and drawings on flip-chart paper which are hung on the walls.

Productive staff gatherings such as this one are more than just a time to learn about the products. They also promote teamwork and community building where everyone has an opportunity to be heard. They mentioned using a talking stick to promote this practice. From my own experience, I think a good facilitator contributes a great deal to make a successful staff meeting. And, it takes a commitment from everyone involved to not only attend, but to stay present and participate.

A colleague of mine who works in a manufacturing environment said he thinks company meetings are definitely worth the time--if they are "productive." He believes that it takes a true commitment from someone at the top to encourage employees to attend and participate in them.

Unfortunately, Aveda's weekly company-wide meetings for idea sharing and brainstorming are not common in today's businesses. And not many meeting roomss have buckets of crayons either.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2000