Scheduling meetings is one of the most common tasks in the modern workplace. In earlier days, the time-consuming tasks of scheduling meetings, typing up agendas, and taking minutes was the domain of the office secretary. With the advent of computer technologies and flatter hierarchies, the task of setting up meetings is a chore for all but the highest of executives, and even they get their hands in it from time-to-time.

Democracy works great in politics most of the time, but it doesn't work well in the division of labour. So the reality is that many organizations have high-paid staff doing work that used to be done by lower paid staff. And as any good secretary will tell you, what looks easy when they do it doesn't work so easily for the rest of us.

So why aren't sensible organizations hiring more secretaries to take up this task? Part of the problem is that all of the other work that secretaries used to do has also been absorbed by the rest of us. So, we type our own letters, try to create professional agendas, and blunder our way through meeting minutes. Computer technologies have given us a false sense that we can do all things well, but each of these tasks requires specialized knowledge and skills.

Scheduling a meeting really is not as simple as it looks, even with scheduling software. A lot of judgment is involved, and there is a real sense of propriety required. In bringing any group of people together, there are so many factors to take into account. It could be that there is a certain pecking order, and some people have to work around more important peoples' schedules. Or, some people can best be contacted by phone, some by e-mail, or some through a third party such as a secretary or administrative assistant. Decisions about where the meeting is held are important as well, and very political. For some meetings, a simple announcement will do. For others, participants will need to be polled for their availability and then confirmed later.

The complexity doesn't stop there. Let's look at the kinds of situations that often arise in scheduling meetings -- you'll probably recognize most of them.

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