I worked for a few years at Intel where the concept of meeting management was taught to all employees as a "basic skill" and expectations were set as to how meetings should be run. I won't say all meetings were run well but the majority of meetings I participated in where done well. It was surprising how effective a meeting could be if the basic rules were followed. As others have noted, having an agenda (whether it includes reading minutes or not) and a meeting leader who truly leads are basic requirements for a meeting. All participants had the right to call "rat hole" if meetings got off track.

In the case of a principal contributor not being prepared, meetings were cancelled and/or rescheduled quickly so a minimum of time was used. Usually, the contributor insured he/she was prepared at the next meeting as the meeting minutes usually indicated the result of the meeting.

The current company I work for does reasonably well but no well as well as my time at Intel.

We all spend a lot of time in meetings, whether team meetings or larger group meetings. It is always best to not feel one has wasted time that could be better spent elsewhere.

Jim