About COSI

• The Center of Science and Industry

• Located in Columbus, Ohio, USA

• Opened 1964

• 320,000 square feet science museum

• 583,556 onsite visitors last year

• About 300 full-time and part-time Team Members

COSI’s Divisions

• Advancement

– Marketing, Membership, Development

• Operations & Experiences

– Exhibits, Guest Services, Retail, Food, Facility

Operations

• Diversity, Inclusion & Partnerships

– Access Initiatives, Strategic Partnerships

• Finance

– Accounting & Human Resources

• Programs

– Student & Family Programs

Lots of projects +

lots of people +

collaborative culture =

lots of meetings

Working Cross-Divisionally:

it hasn’t always been so.

Old complaints:

Too many meetings.

When will I get my work done?

Why are so many people from our department here?

Why are we having this meeting?

Not everyone knows how to meet.

We should get rid of half our meetings.

To work cross-divisionally,

We cleared the decks and organized.

We spread out accountabilities.

We sought to end the era of “that's your

department’s problem, not mine.”

No one team member is in more than two

standing meetings.

We even trained on how to meet.

The Result: Four Cross-Divisional Meetings

Designed to Help Us Move COSI Forward

1. Strategy Meeting

President

Advancement

Programs

Finance

Operations &

Experiences

Diversity,

Inclusion &

Partnerships

1. Strategy Meeting

• Meets: Every Wednesday from 8:00 – 10:00 AM

• Major Activity: Strategy

• Level of Focus: Executive

• Time Horizon: 1 to 5 years out

• Participants: President and VPs

• Major Activities: strategic initiatives, strategic

plan, budget, holding balanced portfolio of

experiences, top-level reporting, campaigns,

major partner relations, major pricing revisions

2. Planning Meeting

Advancement

Finance

Operations & Experiences

Programs

Diversity, Inclusion &

Partnerships

2. Planning Meeting

• Meets: Second Tuesdays from 1:30 – 3:30 PM

• Major Activity: Planning

• Level of Focus: Big Picture

• Time Horizon: 12 months to 2 years out

• Participants: directors, project managers, VP of

Experience Division

• Regular Activities:vetting new programs,

exhibition rental and movie ideas,

interconnectedness of overall marketing and

fundraising plans, talent development, inputs

from strategic team and mobilization team

3. Mobilization Meeting

Operations &

Experiences

Programs

Advancement (Marketing)

3. Mobilization Meeting

• Frequency: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 1:30 – 2:30

• Major Activity: Operations

• Level of Focus: Medium-Picture

• Time Horizon: 1 month to 12 months

• Participants: managers and directors, project managers as needed, VP Operations

• Regular activity: calendar and space negotiation, resource capacity, research and evaluation implementation, reporting, troubleshooting

4. Implementation Meeting

Operations & Experiences

Advancement (Marketing)

4. Implementation Meeting

• Meets: Weekly – Thursdays at 11:00 AM

• Major Activity: Doing

• Level of Focus: Small-Picture

• Time Horizon: tomorrow to 4 weeks out

• Participants: implementers, schedulers, point people

• Regular activity: use of resources and equipment, daily event turnover, logistics, communication, putting out fires before guests see them, not decision-making.

Standing Meetings In a Nutshell

• Team authority is based on time horizon

• If something is happening a year from now, for

example, Implementation must pass it up to

Mobilization

• Aim to have the right frequency of meetings with the

right people in the room

• Expect participation, not just attendance

• Meeting recorder is the law enforcement officer

• Re-evaluation should happen annually

• Have a coach who reaches out to recorders: How's it

going? Are you missing someone critical? Do you

have people who don't need to be there?

Doug Buchanan

Education Programs Marketing Manager

dbuchanan@cosi.org