[BlargMcLarg]

Here's a better idea: stop fostering cultures where saving face is more important than trying to get things done. These 1:1s supposedly help working to it, but there are limits to what a manager can do, on top of who a manager is themselves.

These 1:1s are becoming what every process inevitably becomes. A strict panacea which turns out to not be a panacea at all.

[Shatnerz]

Agreed regarding culture. This should always be the goal. Unfortunately it is rarely the end result as humans aren't perfect, so some pieces still need tending to.

It's not that 1-1s are a panacea. They are more a mitigation strategy to catch human issues early and address them before they surface and roll into a bigger problem.