Association Leadership - November/December 2007 - (Page 21)

7 Measures of Success Organizational Adaptability This chapter focuses on how remarkable associations respond and adapt to change while maintaining consistency in core values and their overall mission. any of the associations had weathered crises, in some cases signiﬁcant, during the 15-year study period. Remarkable associations demonstrated the sixth measure – organizational adaptability – by not only weathering the crises, but learning from them, quickly assessing the situation and then taking action with no excuses. Their nimbleness was at least part a product of absolute clarity and ﬁrmness about what their mission and purpose was. They knew what could and could not be changed without violating their core mission. And they had the will to act on that knowledge. Data-driven decision-making didn’t end with a product or service launch. Remarkable associations continued to track data on their achievement or failure to achieve results they wanted. And if something wasn’t working, they stopped doing it or ﬁxed it right away. For example, the Girl Scouts of the USA has gone through three complete redesigns of the Girl Scout uniform in the past 50 years. The mission-based purpose behind a uniform – reinforcing a common identity and sense of belonging, eliminating visible socioeconomic differences, etc. – doesn’t change, but fashions do. Girl Scouts has remained true to its purpose but responsive to the changing world. The Society of Human Resource Management determined that its established nomination and election processes weren’t creating the kind of board it needed to be successful. Therefore, as part of the annual process of “purposeful abandonment,” they jettisoned the traditional standards of rising through the ranks with a competency-based nomination process, in which candidates applied for consideration based on their resumes and their demonstrated capabilities in skill areas identiﬁed as necessary to the board. The type of change is not as signiﬁcant as how the organization responds to and learns from it. Remarkable associations do not panic. They willingly adapt how they do business to remain consistent with their purpose. ◆ This excerpt from “What Makes Associations Remarkable?” by Mark J. Golden, CAE. Originally printed in the Journal of Association Leadership, Spring 2007. 7 Measures of Success is available for purchase from TSAE. Please visit our website at www.tsae.org for an order form, or call our office for more information. Don’t miss this chance to make your association remarkable! Measure 6: Measurement Methods: Answer these questions to assess an association’s adaptability during change 1. How does the association monitor and respond to future trends, threats and opportunities likely to impact the association environment? 2. How open have the association leaders been in discussing changes affecting the organization’s environment? 3. In addressing these changes, did the association leaders seek input from staff/employees, members, volunteers and/or the board? If so, from whom? 4. Has the association faced a ﬁnancial dilemma, a sudden and dramatic loss in membership or a public relations issue? If so, what, if any, were the lessons learned and how has it affected the organization’s strategic decisions? November/December 2007 | Association LEADERSHIP 21 http://www.tsae.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Association Leadership - November/December 2007

Association Leadership - November/December 2007 Contents Chairman’s Column Homepage 60-Second Solutions TSAE Annual Meeting and Educational Conference Award Winners Event Sponsors Conference Highlights Adaptability During Difficult Times/Reinvented Associations 7 Measures of Success: Organizational Adaptability Crisis Calling Association Case Study: Who is Minding the Store – External Factors Between the Covers New Members Community Spotlight El Paso Index to Advertisers/Advertisers.com Board of Directors

Association Leadership - November/December 2007

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