I find that a daily catch-up is very useful but then as a Scrum Master I would say that wouldn't I?
Where they work well is when
1. The team decides at what time the meeting will happen, not me and not higher management
2. Participants gets a maximum of 2 minutes in which to speak
3. Only team members speak
4. Participants address the gathering, not me and not higher management
5. Discussion happens between relevant people after the meeting
Where they absolutely don't work is when they are a status report to management - there are other and better avenues for this.
My feeling is that some managers treat these gatherings more like a military muster parade - polishing their egos at the vision of all the troops they command.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
