While there are a variety of reasons for call group meeting (some of which have little to do with decision making or problem solving), for our purposes we will categorize decision making meetings into one of the following.
Strategy: Strategy or planning meetings are called to determine the future direction of the organization or unit. Generally the issues of the appropriateness of the mission and current strategies for achieving it are discussed. Using tools like the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) model, the current direction of the organization is assessed. If it is discovered that changes in the environment render the current mission and/or strategy inappropriate, a new strategic plan is developed.
Problem solving: When a specific problem emerges, usually manifesting itself in the form of some type of response from a dissatisfied stakeholder or claimant, a problem solving meeting is held. These meeting take one of two general forms.