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Vision,
Mission, Strategic Planning and other delusions.
By Henry L. Ernstthal, CAE, Ernstthal and Associates,
Washington
Susan,
Moving deeper into retired status has had some intriguing
benefits. It affords me the freedom to speak the unspeakable
without significant consequence. (Not that I was known
for my reticence before!)
In any event, I am going to use this opportunity to say
publicly a few thing s that I have only shared well after
the formal meeting late in the evening in the bar with
friends.
In my experience as a facilitator of strategic planning
over 23+ years, most of the vision statements, mission
statements and general goal statements are unsurprising,
unfocused, restatements of old plans without significant
change, and are risk averse. I could have written them
before the meeting without being too far off the mark.
The reality is that associations are remarkably stable
entities over time. Even the trends are similar over similar
types of associations. Scientific and technical societies
are driven by the quality and speed of their peer reviewed
publications and educational programs. Many corporate
membership trade associations are driven by a common need
to have the association represent their interests to government.
Some associations have and many seek a golden handcuff
product, sometimes insurance, sometimes industry statistics,
etc that is so valuable that dues are merely the price
of access to the product.
Strategies need to change when the external environment
shifts: huge industry consolidation, major technological
change in the industry, economic pressures are compelling
members and prospect to be more selective about what to
join and what too participate in. All too often, even
though the leaders should be able to read the handwriting
on the wall, they ignore it because the message is too
unpleasant and no one is willing to be the bearer of unhappy
tidings. And so, a number of associations resist the obvious
necessity for profound change, merger, or dissolution
and are doomed to a long lingering death.
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