Now there's some science behind what every cube dweller has known for years: <A HREF="http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/17765/meetings-make-you-stupid">Meetings are worthless and, in fact, are counterproductive.</A>

A scientific study asked participants to think of as many brands of soft drinks as they could. When part of a group, the participants' final list was shorter than the lists from participants working alone who were asked to do the same thing.

The general idea is that "Groupthink" extends beyond the swaying of opinions toward a homogenized central viewpoint, even reaching into basic tasks like making lists of facts.