IT depends, is one answer to the title above.
I participated in an online forum recently with four other association executives from the United States and Canada, organized by AssociationSucsess.org, a North American internet-based publication and community of association professionals. It was an hour-long e-session in different time zones facilitated by Lowell Aplebaum, CEO and Strategy catalyst at Vista Cova in Washington, D.C., and the general topic was on challenges and opportunities for associations.
Aside from Lowell and myself, the three other participants were Keith Segundo, president/CEO of Limitless Association Solution Resource, a Littleton, Colorado-based association management company with focus on credentialing; Renee Lewis, program manager at the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives in Farmington Hills, Michigan; and Arianna Rehak, director at AssociationSuccess.org in Montreal, Canada.
The e-meeting started with brief introductions of the participants and then quickly moved on to the topic at hand. Interestingly, the challenges discussed, such as disruptive technologies and emerging new membership models, as well as competition from non-association providers of association-related topics and learning programs, turned into opportunities rather than threats.
In fact, Keith made a statement that stuck in my mind to the
effect that “associations are their own biggest threat.” His musing gave me
three reflections based on my experience and knowledge of association
management here
in the country.
First, this means that associations are not really threatened by disruption if they only stick to the notion of who they are and the purpose of their creation. By definition, an association is “an organization or group of individuals affiliated with one another who share a common purpose, interest, or mission and exist for the mutual enrichment and advancement of their membership.” By focusing on promoting and achieving their purpose and advocacy, I believe associations will continue to survive, be relevant and sustain themselves into the future.
My second take on Keith’s statement is that associations of today may have emphasized too much on the “business side of things,” i.e., generating revenue such as sale of conferences, training programs, publications, etc., which is actually the aspect that faces disruption from new technologies and competitors.
In short, associations can be disrupted from the fact that they provide products and services that can be delivered by others through many channels (print, online, in social media, etc.) but not necessarily on the advocacy and cause that they adopt and support.
Third, associations are a threat to themselves only if they do not adapt to the current imperative on staying agile in terms of upgrading the skills of their board and management, of using technology as a tool to achieve their mission, and of innovating their services to their members. After all, associations exist because of their members.
On the opportunity side, the Asian association landscape is changing fast, and catching up steadily with the West which for years has well-structured and fully developed association management and governance practices. Associations in Asia are also converging and there now exists the Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations (Apfao) which consists of national “associations of associations” in Australia, Korea, and the Philippines, with Malaysia, China and Japan next on the line—spawning opportunities for education, credentialing, information exchange, and regional networking and partnerships.
****
The contributor, Octavio “Bobby” Peralta, is concurrently
the secretary-general of the Association of Development Financing
Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), founder & CEO of
the Philippine Council of Associations and Association
Executives (PCAAE) and president of the Asia-Pacific Federation of
Association
Organizations.
The purpose of PCAAE—the “association of associations”—is to
advance the association management profession and to make associations
well-governed and sustainable.
PCAAE enjoys the support of ADFIAP, the Tourism Promotions Board,
and the Philippine International Convention Center.
Email: obp@adfiap.org