DEEPEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF MEETING AS A MANAGEMENT TOOL: EMPHASIS ON “ADJOURMENT”

By Nnabugwu Chizoba, Development Consultant/Sustainability Accountant

Success in entrepreneurship and small business; like in medium and large scale enterprises and life generally, requires strategic efforts and decisions to get things right on a sustainable basis. This demand has made it mandatory that the success minded must learn to approach the future with a general sense of direction, stimulated by brainpower and continuous learning.

The above must be supported by series of analysis, long-range planning, a high degree of flexibility and commitment to excel. It also requires adaptation to different opportunities, as well as openness to new knowledge, understanding and thinking, in addition to a determined life style, characterized by a strong desire to push and pull under conditions of risk and uncertainty.

Viewed holistically therefore, success is in reality an intersection between opportunity, information and execution. These are not very easy to come by. Therefore driving entrepreneurship and small business concerns to success, in the face of numerous challenges, that include low decision making capacity and dearth of information is a huge task that only the bold and daring can fathom brave.

Meeting as identified in a previous post on this platform provides opportunity for the small business owner and entrepreneur to enhance knowledge, understanding and skill hitherto lacking in a system or organization. Meeting has proven a tool for creating sound and rewarding values through engagement of other people, in some cases from outside the organization.

Continuing our series on meeting, this write-up addresses the concept or terminology “Adjournment”. I will be doing this bearing in mind the need to erase the confusion most entrepreneurs, small business owners, operators, and some other members of the public have with the concept “Adjournment of a Meeting” that has led many to apply the concept wrongly.  

 Most people interpret Adjournment of a Meeting, to mean the same thing as “Concluding a Meeting”. In some cases too most people are confused about “Adjourning a Meeting” and Postponing a meeting.

The 3 concepts “Adjourning a Meeting” “Concluding a Meeting” and “Postponing a meeting” though related; mean different things. They are concepts in meeting and they represent different things. The need for better understanding of these concepts can never be over emphasized, hence the decision to clarify the differences and enlighten the mind of the business community and the public through this medium. 

Adjournment of a meeting simply means suspending a meeting after it has been duly commenced. This concept is a reminder that the “Agenda or business of the Day” is not exhausted. 

The authority, power or order to adjourn a meeting is initiated or “moved” as a motion, and if approved, empowers the Chairman to suspend the meeting, which implies referring to a later date, time or venue as the case may be for the untreated items in the Agenda to be discussed. Adjournment is a formal way of saying, let us stop here for now and treat the remaining items on the Agenda later. It is a confirmation that the meeting is not concluded but suspended. 

Adjournment can be indefinite (known as Sine die). This simply means that the meeting is adjourned without a specific date, time or venue fixed for reconvening. 

Similarly, Adjournment can be definite, an indication that the meeting is not concluded but adjourned to a specific date, time or venue for proceedings to resume on the matters not treated in the Agenda of the original meeting. In this instance the members are in the know of when the meeting will reconvene.

An adjourned meeting is a continuation of the original meeting. The point to note therefore is that only untreated items in the Agenda of the original meeting is discussed in an adjourned meeting. Fresh issues are not introduced. As a matter of fact, no business should be transacted in adjourned meetings, which ordinarily should not have taken place had the original meeting continued without adjournment.

The next article would focus on the difference between adjourning a meeting, Concluding a meeting and Postponing a meeting. 

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