At least 30 percent of the time spent in meetings is wasted, according to 2,000 managers surveyed by Industry Week. A similar survey of executives by 3M Meeting Network put that number at up to 50 percent. Meetings have become the bane of companies across the country. They’re widely recognized as time sucks, and everyone acknowledges that meetings are usually inefficient. Meetings aren’t inherently problematic. They’ve gotten a bad reputation because most people don’t think about why they’re meeting and what value they hope to gain. Managers often hold meetings just to get people together, rather than to make decisions. But