Stand-up meetings have become a routine part of the workday in many organizations, spread largely by the adoption of agile and other innovative management methods. These are typically brief, daily progress sessions through which an initiative team updates and coordinates efforts. The phrase “stand-up” is literal—participants remain standing for the duration of the meeting—and the reason is speed.  You want people to rapidly surface issues and solve disagreements.  As the Wikipedia entry for stand-up meetings explains, “The discomfort of standing for long periods is intended to keep the meetings short.”