Cut Meeting Waste with Two Pizza Rule

In today’s fast-paced business world, meetings have become an essential part of the workday. Unfortunately, they have also become a massive waste of time and resources. Meetings are not only time-consuming, but they can also be ineffective, unproductive, and ultimately, demotivating, especially when they take up a significant chunk of our day.

According to a survey by Atlassian, the average employee spends around 31 hours a month in unproductive meetings, and around 17% of employees claim that they’re a complete waste of time, providing no value. This staggering statistic indicates that something needs to be done to fix these issues and make meetings more productive.

One solution is the ‘Two Pizza Rule’ – a concept coined by Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, that emphasizes the importance of keeping meetings small, efficient, and productive. Furthermore, this rule has been a core principle of Amazon’s work culture and has made it one of the world’s most successful businesses.

What is the ‘Two Pizza Rule’?

The ‘Two Pizza Rule’ is straightforward: If a meeting cannot be conducted with two pizzas, it is too large. A group of five to seven people is ideal for most meetings. This group is large enough to have an open and inclusive conversation but small enough to stay focused and productive.

The concept of the rule is to create an efficient and productive system where meetings are kept lean, and decisions are made faster. When a meeting has too many attendees, it can become inefficient, with too many conflicting opinions and a lack of focus. It becomes much harder to make decisions or even come to a consensus.

By keeping the meeting to a minimum, the decision-making process becomes much more manageable, and the meeting’s purpose can be more clearly defined. With fewer attendees, each participant can have more significant input, resulting in a faster and smoother decision-making process.

Advantages of the ‘Two Pizza Rule’

Reducing Meeting Times and Increasing Productivity: One of the key benefits of the ‘Two Pizza Rule’ is that it helps reduce meeting times. As meetings become smaller, they are often more productive, ultimately reducing the amount of time spent in meetings. Furthermore, when smaller groups come together, it’s easier to keep the conversation focused and on track, ensuring that the core objectives of the meeting are achieved. For example, instead of large team meetings, which are often just an update on projects, you can have small team reviews, where a team leader shares the details about specific projects or challenges, and only team members involved in the project attend. This approach helps reduce meeting times and ensures that decisions can be made more efficiently, leading to increased productivity and enhanced team performance.

Efficiency in Decision Making: Another significant advantage of the ‘Two Pizza Rule’ is that it promotes efficient decision-making. When groups are small, it’s easier to make decisions quickly, as fewer people are involved in the process. This can lead to more streamlined, more effective decision-making processes, resulting in quicker action. Moreover, by limiting the number of attendees, participants can focus on critical issues, leading to a more efficient and effective meeting overall. It’s easier to reach a consensus without impeding productivity that often occurs when there are too many conflicting opinions.

Boosting Engagement and Morale: Employee engagement and team morale are an essential part of a company’s success. Furthermore, effective meetings can lead to better employee engagement, as well as improved morale. When employees feel like they can contribute and be a part of significant decisions, they become more engaged and committed to the company’s goals. This leads to more motivated and productive work environments, ultimately resulting in increased performance and higher profits. By implementing the ‘Two Pizza Rule,’ teams can work more efficiently and more effectively. With fewer participants, team members can contribute and engage in the discussion, leading to better decision-making and higher engagement levels. Moreover, the reduction in unproductive meetings also ensures that employees have more time to focus on other activities, leading to increased job satisfaction, engagement, and overall performance.

Cost-Saving Benefits: Although meetings may seem like a fundamental part of any business, they are not without cost. Meetings can be expensive, wasting resources and costing companies revenue. Unproductive meetings result in wasted time and effort, ultimately impacting the company’s bottom line. By reducing the number of attendees and increasing productivity levels, companies can save time and money. Fewer hours spent in meetings mean employees have more time to focus on other tasks, potentially increasing profitability by ensuring that resources are utilized more effectively. Furthermore, when groups are smaller, resources are used more efficiently and effectively. Fewer people in a meeting mean less paper, fewer snacks, and fewer other resources that contribute to the cost of running meetings.

How to Implement the ‘Two Pizza Rule’

The ‘Two Pizza Rule’ can be implemented in almost any company or organization. However, it requires a shift in management attitudes and behaviors to make it work. Here are some tips on how to implement the ‘Two Pizza Rule’ effectively:

1. Determine the Meeting Objectives: The first step in implementing the ‘Two Pizza Rule’ is to determine the objectives and goals of the meeting. This will help keep the discussion focused and productive. Meetings should be called for a specific purpose and should have a clear agenda, making it easier to stick to the topics at hand.
2. Keep Participant Numbers Low: The ‘Two Pizza Rule’ emphasizes the importance of keeping participant numbers low. Only invite the people who are essential to the meeting’s objectives, ensuring that there are no unnecessary attendees preventing an efficient decision-making process.
3. Schedule Meeting Times Efficiently: Schedule meeting times efficiently for maximum productivity. For example, avoid scheduling meetings first thing in the morning when many employees need to finish essential tasks. Moreover, avoid long meetings that don’t have a clear structure. Instead, break long meetings into smaller parts, or break them up over several days. This helps ensure that the meeting remains productive and focused, producing better outcomes.
4. Check the Meeting Room Size: The size of the room is essential too, so make sure that the room reflects the size of the meeting. A large room with a small group of people can feel wasteful, whereas a small room with too many attendees can feel cramped, uncomfortable, and unproductive.
5. Encourage Participation: Encouraging participation is an essential part of the ‘Two Pizza Rule.’ Small groups provide opportunities for everyone to offer their viewpoint, ensuring that everyone is engaged, contributes, and has a stake in the proceedings. Engaged employees are more productive and committed to the company’s goals.
6. Assign Responsibilities and Roles: Assigning roles and responsibilities help ensure that the meeting is productive and focused. It ensures that the meeting agenda is clear, and it enables attendees to focus on topics that align with their responsibilities.
7. Promote Follow-Up Actions: Lastly, promoting follow-up actions is key. Ensure that after the meeting, every attendee understands their roles and responsibilities, and they have actionable items to work on. This helps ensure that the meeting’s results lead to tangible outcomes, making meetings more effective and productive.

Conclusion

The ‘Two Pizza Rule’ is a simple and highly effective approach to cutting meeting waste and improving productivity. It’s a strategy that has been proven to work, with some of the world’s most successful companies adopting it as part of their culture and philosophy.

By implementing the ‘Two Pizza Rule’, companies can cut meeting waste, increase productivity, and ultimately, boost team morale and employee engagement. Moreover, this can help companies save time and money, ensuring that resources are used effectively and profitably.

When implemented correctly, the ‘Two Pizza Rule’ can enhance the quality of meetings, making them more efficient and productive. A company culture that embraces this rule and values productive and focused meetings will no doubt succeed in today’s fast-paced and competitive business world.