So many times I have to sit through meetings where you have a dozen professionals ignoring the obvious, completely ignoring the logical solutions, trying to do the same thing the same way even when it's been proven that it doesn't work... I tried to intervene several times but after being politely told to shut up, I'm mostly just nodding my head as well. This job will drive me to drink.
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Decisions that impact your work life are made from the top down. Unless you are at a very senior level, your voice does not matter.
I get tired of all the stupid meetings that I bring zero value to, yet they continue to invite me to all sorts of them.
There are probably a few causes to this kind of group behavior. Many have 80-100 hours worth of work every week so the appetite to take on innovation, collaboration, risk reduction is minimal. Merit is given to those who provide the perception of results, but in reality simply take credit from work produced by other individual contributors. The other possibility here is there is a senior leader has an opinion on the way the solution should be done, right or wrong, that no one would question, at least openly.
You know, I have posted here in this forum before about how I really enjoy my work and have a great boss. Let me tell you something I learned from her.
"If you have an opinion, and everyone else has another opinion, and it isn't life or death or taking your naturally given rights away... maybe, just maybe, it doesn't matter to you as much."
In other words, my friend: Chill. Go with the flow. Enjoy life, lower your blood pressure. This is work, not politicians trying to overrule you.
Ever since I got that message through my skull, I literally stopped caring about not being listened to in meetings. I bring my opinion, if I am disagreed with, so be it. I'll go home around 6 and spend time with my family. The work will get done one way or the other, and it doesn't really matter to me how it gets done.