Do your regular group meetings suffer from low participation?
Team members rarely speak up unless they are providing a mandatory status update. They do not raise concerns even when they see potential problems. Discussions are often driven by just a few voices while everyone else remains silent.
I have seen this pattern in many meetings, at all organizational levels. It was present in my own team meetings as well.
Over the years, I tried a variety of approaches to increase engagement. I asked team members to propose discussion topics, volunteer as meeting chairs, and serve as featured speakers on technical subjects. While these efforts sometimes worked, the results were limited and short-lived.
After considerable reflection, I concluded that one reason for the lack of engagement was me. As both a manager and a technical leader, I was unintentionally shaping the meeting dynamic. Team members were participating in my meeting rather than feeling ownership of our meeting.
To change that dynamic, I proposed a different approach: everyone would take turns leading the group meeting, with full ownership of the agenda and meeting flow.
The only requirements were:
1. Everyone turns on their video during the TEAM meeting.
2. Each meeting includes at least two components: a safety/value moment and individual status updates.
Beyond these two requirements, the meeting chair has complete authority. Even as the group leader, I do not interfere with how the meeting is conducted.
My rationale was simple. This format gives every team member an opportunity to lead, influence the discussion, highlight topics they care about, and bring forward ideas they want to advocate. It also naturally broadens the range of topics discussed by the team.
The team agreed to give the new format a try.
The results exceeded my expectations.
Every team member took the responsibility seriously. The preparation was evident in the quality of the topics selected, the structure of the meetings, and the enthusiasm with which they led discussions. Participation increased significantly, and conversations became far more dynamic and interactive.
After the first complete rotation, I observed three clear outcomes: diverse perspectives, richer discussions, and substantially higher engagement.
An additional advantage is that the responsibility is not burdensome. In our team, each person chairs the meeting only once every three months, and I participate in the same rotation as everyone else.
We are now in our second rotation, and the benefits have been sustained. For a capable and motivated team, this format has proven remarkably effective.
Why does it work?
One possible explanation comes from organizational anthropology and the study of collective behavior. There are often hidden forces behind group energy and participation.
Requiring cameras to be on creates a stronger sense of co-presence. Team members share a common focus, become more synchronized with one another, and develop greater social connection. This can generate positive emotional energy within the group.
At the same time, when a team member leads the meeting with genuine autonomy, their role temporarily shifts from participant to facilitator. That increased sense of ownership and responsibility elevates commitment, confidence, and engagement. The result is a more energized and involved team discussion.
I discovered that engagement is difficult to mandate but easy to unleash. The key was not finding better ways to encourage participation. It was creating a structure that gave every team member ownership. Once ownership shifted from the manager to the team, engagement followed naturally.
Notes -
Three months after I implemented the change, I found out that organizational anthropology could explain why the change works during a TEDx talk.
The post is a polished version of my completed draft by chatGPT/MS Copilot - Copilot was used to " tighten the language, improve flow".
