The importance of meetings in shaping company culture, decision-making, and growth is something I’ve seen over and over in my career. But despite their central role in organizational life, meetings are often inefficient, disorganized, and fail to capitalize on the wealth of knowledge they generate. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that a meeting’s real value lies not in the hour spent talking, but in what comes after—the actionable insights and decisions that are carried forward.
Yet, most businesses fail to effectively capture or use the knowledge that flows through their meetings. With over 50% of time spent in meetings, it’s no surprise that inefficiency here can be devastating. We need to think more critically about meetings—how we approach them, document them, and ultimately turn them into long-term assets for our organizations.
The Real Cost of Ineffective Meetings
Meetings aren’t just expensive in terms of time. The costs are compounded when you consider the knowledge that’s lost if they aren’t properly documented. We often think of knowledge as something stored in a database, but a significant portion of a company’s operational wisdom is shared verbally—in meetings, training sessions, or informal discussions. When meetings end without structured documentation or follow-up, these insights are lost, and the business suffers as a result.
Think of a mid-sized hospitality group managing multiple locations. Each week, their managers meet to discuss operations, strategy, and staff training. It’s in these meetings that the heart of the business is discussed and the strategy for the next week is set. But once the meeting is over, the information that was shared often stays in the heads of the attendees or is remembered only vaguely. A month later, when an employee leaves or a manager transitions, that knowledge—those conversations about improving customer service, reducing waste, or implementing new procedures—is gone.
“Knowledge isn’t power if it isn’t accessible,” a colleague once said. That rings especially true for organizations that rely heavily on verbal communication but don’t have effective ways to capture it. Imagine how much stronger that hospitality group would be if every meeting’s insights were captured, organized, and made accessible not only to current team members but future ones too.
The Importance of Documentation: Beyond the Meeting Room
There’s a misconception that documenting meetings is unnecessary or burdensome, but this thinking misses the bigger picture. Yes, traditional documentation processes are costly and time-consuming. Creating and maintaining thorough records, SOPs, and training materials can seem like a full-time job in itself. That’s why many companies forego the effort altogether.
But without structured documentation, businesses face an even greater cost: the loss of continuity. When a key employee leaves—whether due to retirement, resignation, or an unexpected absence—the organization loses not just a person, but the knowledge and insights that person carried with them. This is especially problematic in industries like hospitality and retail, where turnover is high and verbal instructions are a primary means of knowledge transfer.
An executive I once worked with in the restaurant industry explained the issue perfectly. Their organization had spent millions investing in employee training and operational development, yet when a senior manager left, there was no way to transfer their years of experience to the next person in line. “We kept re-inventing the wheel,” he said. Every time someone left, it felt like starting from scratch.
This isn’t just a matter of individual frustration—it’s a systemic issue. Without a robust way to document and preserve knowledge, organizations can’t learn, grow, or adapt efficiently. The problem compounds with time. Documentation isn’t just about compliance or procedure—it’s the foundation of scalability.
AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement
When people think of AI in business, the conversation often leans toward automation, chatbots, or data analysis. But one of AI’s most important—and often overlooked—roles is its ability to capture and organize knowledge in real time, particularly during meetings.
Here’s where it gets interesting: AI isn’t a replacement for human intelligence, but a tool to enhance it. Think about how many times a great idea was mentioned during a meeting, only to be forgotten when the next conversation began. AI can step in, not only to transcribe or record the meeting but to capture and categorize insights, assign tasks, and create a structured repository of information that’s easily accessible.
Let me give an example from a mid-sized company I worked with recently, where the team struggled with fragmented knowledge due to rapid growth. In their weekly management meetings, they would discuss everything from new project updates to employee performance feedback. Yet, without a system to capture these conversations, follow-through was inconsistent, and valuable insights got lost in the shuffle. They turned to AI-driven meeting tools, and within a few months, they saw a measurable increase in both productivity and accountability.
This wasn’t because the AI tool was making decisions for them, but because it was preserving their knowledge, making it available when they needed it. Decisions didn’t get forgotten, actions didn’t fall through the cracks, and the entire team had visibility into the organization’s evolving priorities. What they did yesterday informed what they would do tomorrow.
Bridging the Gap: Language Barriers and Accessibility
One area where meetings often falter is in multilingual environments. In a globalized world, many companies employ teams that speak a variety of languages, and while that diversity is a strength, it can also create challenges when it comes to knowledge sharing. A significant portion of the workforce in industries like hospitality, for example, may not speak English as their first language.
Language barriers prevent teams from reaching their full potential because critical knowledge is often shared verbally and never properly documented or translated into the languages employees need. That’s why multilingual access to knowledge is so crucial. When team members can access meeting notes, training materials, and SOPs in their preferred language, they are far more likely to execute their responsibilities efficiently and effectively.
A great example of this comes from a franchise group in the hospitality sector that I worked with recently. Their kitchen staff predominantly spoke Spanish, while their management team communicated primarily in English. The operational disconnect between what was discussed in management meetings and how those insights were communicated to staff was a constant issue. When they introduced a system that captured meeting insights and translated them automatically, the entire team became more cohesive, and operational issues decreased dramatically.
Turning Meetings Into Long-Term Assets
Meetings don’t have to be time-wasters. In fact, when approached with the right tools and processes, they can become some of the most valuable assets in an organization’s toolkit. By capturing the knowledge exchanged in meetings, organizing it, and making it accessible, companies can not only increase their operational efficiency but also build a knowledge base that can be tapped into for years to come.
This is the future I envision for meetings. A future where every conversation builds upon the last, where knowledge isn’t just exchanged but captured and preserved, and where businesses can grow and scale without losing the insights that helped them get there.
At the end of the day, meetings are only as valuable as the actions and knowledge they generate. It’s up to us as leaders to ensure we aren’t wasting that value. Let’s rethink how we document and manage meetings—because when done right, meetings can become the foundation for long-term organizational success.
Final Thoughts
Meetings are integral to business, but they’re only useful if we know how to capture, document, and use the knowledge they generate. With the right tools, processes, and mindset, meetings can be transformed from routine events into critical assets that preserve institutional knowledge, support growth, and drive operational excellence.
By incorporating AI tools and focusing on proper knowledge management, businesses can ensure that no conversation goes to waste and that the knowledge shared today can drive decisions tomorrow.
