Preparing for Change
Paulette Vinette, CAE

Society and the world are changing. The way we work, play and inter-relate is also changing. Paulette Vinette explores some current thought on how associations must prepare for change and to be changed.  

There is a large selection of literature available on “change”. In this article I review four sources and encourage readers to contact the authors for further information.

The first source is the popular book “Bowling Alone” by Robert D. Putman (published by Simon and Schuster in 2000). It supports the premise that individuals are reducing the amount of time they socialize with others, in work and recreational environments and as volunteers. Putman writes “Generally speaking, membership rates in professional organizations doubled between 1945 and 1965; just about the same rate of growth as observed … in the case of community organizations, then in most cases the post war membership suddenly slowed, halted and in almost all cases reversed.”  However Putman advocates the benefit of associations – he wrote “An association unites the energies of divergent minds and vigorously directs them toward a clearly indicated goal”. For more information visit www.bowlingalone.com.

My second source is a colleague who has run and now consults to associations in the USA and Canada for a significant number of years. Dadie Perlov, CAE supports the notion that people are not joining associations and it is not because of the dollars involved – demands on their time are providing the barriers. Dadie also identified “distintermediation” as a key trend for associations; this refers to the disappearance of the “middle man”. She stressed the importance of demonstrating “value for dollar” in non-profit organizations, and describes a trend toward “competition between former collaborators and collaboration between former competitors”. She also suggests that many organizations are being forced to “say goodbye to their sacred cows”. To contact Dadie, visit http://www.virtualcmg.com.

The third source is a body of work being conducted by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Foundation with the support of the Canadian equivalent (CSAE). A year ago they identified 14 trends that will impact associations as well as 4 compelling reasons that Associations will thrive in the future. Their work is summarized below; and their websites are provided at the end of the section.

1.  Leadership’s role for board, staff and chief executives will require their willingness to live with risk and deal with uncertainty; the capability to anticipate where their sector is going before the general membership has that awareness and the commitment to engage in increasingly diverse membership and workforce in a shared vision.

2.  Value-return on investment is a top priority; if your organization isn’t demonstrating its value on an ongoing basis, some other organization (non-profit and/or for-profit alike) will.

3.  Responsiveness will be key:  internally to members’ needs and their time frames (24/7 web access) and externally by being fluid and flexible to respond to external changes (emerging opportunities, partnerships and competition).

4.  Use of technology is a multi-faceted trend; associations need to use the Internet, provide virtual communities to enable members to share knowledge and build relationships and provide 24-hour access to be the needs of a global membership.

5.  Change loops have a life; for example, a change in membership categories can lead to unanticipated outcomes (e.g. change in dues, impact on the board, etc.). What often results is a series of change loops that do not fall neatly inside the time frame of the traditional planning calendar and scheduled board meetings.

6.  Revenue sources are changing; Associations are responding in 3 ways:

a.  Willingly retiring historically profitable programs or services in favour of new ones;

b.  Reassessing their revenue formula, rethinking what percentage of their programs and services could be offered a la carte on a for-fee basis, and what should be part of services for dues;

c.  Creating new membership categories including for example “web only members”.

7.  Generational issues need to be accommodated; each vary in program/service preferences; perception of and loyalty to the association and degree of volunteer involvement; the 3 categories are:

a.  born before 1946

b.  born between 1946-1964

c.  born between 1965-1985.

8.  Workforce populations are more diverse because of increased representation from minorities, generational segments and gender; conflicts between the needs of tomorrow’s workforce and those of today are anticipated in these areas:  career development expectations; loyalty to the job and the organization; lifestyle values; and communication and problem-solving styles.

9.  Outsourcing and co-sourcing by associations will increase because of the following factors: 

a.  the need for greater expertise in specialized areas (e.g. information management, accounting and administration)

b.  the need to reduce costs

c.  the need to better leverage existing resources by focusing staff on core functions most vital to creating value for members.

10. Governance models of today are too slow and cumbersome to deal with the increasingly complex, fast-paced environment; boards will need to focus on two outcomes:  organizing for responsiveness and diversity of board composition.

11. Competition and alliances must be strategically identified on a timely basis and changes will be required to respond to the challenge/opportunities.

12. Consolidation and mergers should be proactively contemplated.

13. Globalization is having a major impact on members’ expectations, including having information and guidance on how to participate in the global economy and how to facilitate and advance the profession or trade’s ability to operate across borders.

14. Image building is critical in light of increased public and governmental scrutiny of both trades and professionals; associations must evaluate their credibility with the general public, members and non-members, government, regulators and legislators.

Compelling Reasons Why Associations Will Thrive:

1.  Leadership: The next 5 – 10 years will be a period of intense change and challenges; people will need leadership from their associations more than ever.

2.  Technology: Technology is a uniquely potent tool for associations because it will enhance traditional functions such as communication, education and advocacy. Members will benefit because of greater responsiveness and personalized services.

3.  Membership: With far-reaching changes occurring in the business landscape, it is important to remember that associations have a critical resource-for-profit corporations lack: members!

4.  Interaction: “High tech will mean high touch”. As the proliferation of communication technology increases, the desire for human interaction will increase, too.

Contact ASAE at www.asaenet.org and CSAE at www.csae.com.

And finally, a few predictions from a report published in November 2001 by the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN):

a.  In the three decades from 1991 – 2021, the percentage of seniors in the population is projected to increase by more than 6 points, and there will then be almost as many seniors as children under 18 in the population.

b.  The old patterns have disappeared, replaced by working at home, increasingly varied family experiences, the rise of the one-person household, the decline of the extended family that lives together, adult children living at home, bean-pole families, a rapidly ageing population and the polarization of incomes.

c.  The model for how the future will be organized will be different if we choose the norm of work-life balance versus the normal that life is only at work.

d.  The boundaries between working life and life “without work” are blurring in at least two ways:  youth “transitions” are less smooth and less coordinated that in the past, and the process of “retiring” from employment is also extended and complicated.

Contact CPRN at www.cprn.org.

Books continue to be written on the impacts of change; we hope this short summary has been useful.