Meeting Science Review Analyzes Decades of Research on Workplace Gatherings
A 2026 review by organizational psychologists examines how archived data and surveys are transforming the study of workplace meetings.
Key points
- Organizational psychologists published a comprehensive review of meeting science in the 2026 Annual Review of Organizational Psychology.
- Researchers utilize two primary methods: retroactive surveys and analysis of audio and video recordings from meetings.
- CEOs reportedly spend nearly three-quarters of their workdays in meetings, highlighting the significant time investment involved.
Organizational psychologists Liana Kreamer, Steven Rogelberg, and Jon Gray coauthored a review of over three decades of meeting science, published in the 2026 Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior. The study synthesizes findings from a growing specialization within the field, leveraging vast amounts of data from archived virtual meetings to analyze human behavior in professional settings.
According to Ars Technica, the field of meeting science has accelerated as researchers gain access to extensive digital records of workplace interactions. Kreamer, of the Florida Institute of Technology, defines meetings as gatherings with specific goals or structures. She notes that meetings serve as a fundamental aspect of how social beings organize and interact, providing a stage to study teamwork, leadership, and work relationships.
Methodology and Data Sources
Researchers typically employ two distinct approaches to study meetings. The first method involves classic surveys where participants retroactively report on their real or simulated meeting experiences. The second approach analyzes specific behaviors and trends extracted directly from audio and video recordings of the events. This shift toward data-rich analysis allows for a more precise examination of interaction patterns than previous anecdotal studies permitted.
Kreamer realized during her doctoral work with Rogelberg that meetings offer a unique venue for studying various social dynamics. She stated that one can use a meeting as a stage to study almost any aspect of human interaction. This perspective underpins the comprehensive review, which aims to clarify what these gatherings accomplish and how to maximize their worth.
Impact on Professional Time
The scale of workplace meetings is substantial, with close to 1 billion meetings taking place each day around the world. CEOs spend nearly three-quarters of their workdays in meetings, according to the report. Planning for and spearheading these events consumes the majority of managers’ time, making them both essential and potentially burdensome components of industrialized work life.
Historically, meetings were not an accessible subject of scientific study due to a lack of data. However, the proliferation of virtual meetings has changed this landscape, providing researchers with vast swaths of data. This new accessibility has transformed meeting science from a tiny niche area into a growing specialization among organizational and social psychologists.
What should you do?
Security and technology professionals should monitor how their organizations collect and store meeting data, as audio and video recordings are now primary research sources. Ensure that consent protocols for recording meetings are clear and compliant with privacy regulations, given the increasing use of this data for behavioral analysis. Review internal policies on meeting efficiency to reduce unnecessary time expenditure, aligning with findings that managers spend significant portions of their days in gatherings.
What to do and how to stay safe: meeting science
- Audit current recording practices for virtual meetings to ensure data privacy and consent compliance.
- Evaluate meeting schedules to identify opportunities for reducing unnecessary gatherings and improving efficiency.
- Implement clear agendas and goals for all meetings to align with the definition of structured events.
- Monitor for new research findings on meeting effectiveness to inform internal communication strategies.
Step-by-step guide: Mobile Device Security: How to Protect Data Beyond Passwords
General security guidance from the Threat Times newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.
Frequently asked questions
What is meeting science?
Meeting science is a specialization among organizational and social psychologists that studies gatherings with specific goals or structures, using data from surveys and recordings.
How do researchers study meetings?
Researchers use two main approaches: retroactive surveys of meeting experiences and analysis of behaviors extracted from audio and video recordings.
Who authored the 2026 review?
The review was coauthored by Liana Kreamer, Steven Rogelberg, and Jon Gray, published in the 2026 Annual Review of Organizational Psychology.
