2010: The Year of the “Reset” Economy
January 25th, 2010
Many thanks to Lisa Junker and Joe Rominiecki for inviting me to contribute a “vignette” to the brand new Associations Now Volunteer Leadership Issue, in response to the following question(s):
If the recession ends in 2010, will associations emerge stronger and better? Or will they fall back into the same old habits?
You will find my vignette below. To read the other vignettes and all of the terrific content packed into this publication, I encourage you to purchase the entire Volunteer Leadership Issue. It is a truly valuable resource for all association leaders. So don’t delay…operators are standing by! (Okay, not really, but you get the idea. ;>)
As always, I look forward to your feedback on this post. Please let me know what you think!
2010: The Year of the “Reset” Economy
There is simply no question about it: 2009 was a terrible year for the vast majority of U.S. associations. In associations of all shapes and sizes, sharply lower revenues led to deep budget reductions, drastic product and service cutbacks, and painful staff layoffs. But even as the economic data suggest we’re near the end of this awful recession, the emerging challenges of the so-called “reset economy” are upon us. If we’re going to make 2010 a year in which our organizations have an opportunity to thrive—and not merely survive—volunteer leaders will need to work in genuine partnership with their staff colleagues to learn the lessons of the year just ended.
Value creation cannot be the same–In the reset economy, the traditional value proposition of association membership will no longer suffice. Your stakeholders are busier than ever before, and they will allocate their limited discretionary time and attention based on what is most meaningful to them. In this new context, your association must nurture a deeper connection to an inspiring organizational purpose and support your stakeholders’ efforts to make meaning and co-create value around issues and concerns of personal and professional significance.
Strategy development cannot be the same–In the reset economy, strategy will be enormously important, but not in the declining form of strategic planning, which failed to help associations find new success during the recent economic crisis. Over the next 10 years, associations can expect increased volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in the operating environment. This “VUCA world,” as futurists describe it, will require clear and simple strategic intent focused on discovery and learning, rather than command and control.
Governing cannot be the same–In the reset economy, the intelligent, long-term stewardship of associations must supplant shortsighted decision-making grounded in the self-interest of the core group that holds power. Every association is a commons, and it is a primary duty of boards to ensure that all stakeholders have a meaningful voice in the effective management of the association’s cocreated and commonly held assets. Effective governing is about nurturing a mindset of interdependence and building a robust culture of shared responsibility.
This year can be different from last year, but only if association leaders are willing to think differently about what comes next. This challenge must be confronted with an openness to questioning old assumptions, a commitment to original thinking, and the passionate embrace of genuine innovation.
This leaves only one final question: Are you ready to answer the call to 21st century leadership?
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Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, Announcements, What's New?, Social Media, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, Simplicity, We Have Always Done It That Way, PI Services, Garage Memes, Governing for Innovation, Embrace the Revolution
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Association exec Ben Martin, CAE is P.I.’s Architect of Participation. Jeff and Ben help clients harness the power of the Web through the strategic application of social tools.
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