Why Some Meetings Never Seem to End: A Game Theory Perspective

Have you ever left a meeting thinking: We could have done this in ten minutes?

The strange thing is that everyone in the room often agrees. Nobody actually wants to spend an hour discussing something that could have been settled in ten minutes. And yet, the meeting drifts on.

The meeting is a game

A meeting is not just a conversation. It is a strategic environment.

Each participant has their own objectives, information, risks, and incentives. They may want a decision to be made, but they may also want to avoid responsibility, protect their status, influence the outcome, or make sure their concerns are recorded.

This creates a basic tension: what is best for the group is not always what is best for each individual.

Imagine a team deciding whether to launch a project.

For the organization, the ideal outcome might be a clear decision: launch, postpone, or cancel.

But for an individual manager, saying “Let’s launch” may carry personal risk. If the project fails, they may be blamed. Saying “I’m comfortable launching” is therefore much more costly than saying “I’d like to understand a few more things first.”