Has Your Association Reached Level 3?

Take this Test to Find Out – Circle “Yes” Answers

Scoring:  If you answered “yes” to …

…6 – 7 in a level: Your organization is operating at or beyond that level
…3 – 5 in a level: Your organization is making strides but has not attained that level
…0 – 2 in a level: Your organization is far from reaching that level

Becoming a Level 3 Association

Isn’t it amazing how at the beginning of just about every year, you find that you, your staff and your volunteers can put forth tremendous plans for what you want to get done – and yet, at the end of the year, the results can be considered “modest” at best?  What happened to the grandiose plans and good intentions?  We all know what happened.  It seems to happen every year.  We get busy, and well meant plans for tomorrow take a back door to the pressing issues of the day.  Until, of course, once more at the beginning of the following year, we hang our heads low for what we didn’t get done, only to make more grandiose plans!

Yes, there are.  And we have a name for them.  We coined the term, “Level 3 Association” both as a way of giving a name to these associations and as a method for describing what they have accomplished.

Through our work helping organizations increase their effectiveness, we have found that associations tend to progress through three distinct levels of development as they become more and more focused on achieving their goals.

An Association has achieved Level 1, when there is a common vision of where it is going and the steps needed to get there.  For a Level 1 Association, there is a general understanding throughout the association of the vision and the initiatives underway to achieve that vision.  Within the leadership group, the focus is even greater, as each leader knows his/her role in achieving the vision and the specific targets that track the progress.  A strategic planning retreat is typically the vehicle for firmly establishing an organization at Level 1.

It is worth noting that there are many associations that are at Level 0.5.  That is to say, there is a vision, but it is in the leader’s head and has yet to be communicated clearly to those who are to execute it.  In some cases we have found organizations at Level 0!  There is no specific vision.  Instead, each year a plan of work is assembled, which focuses on “what is to be done” without any long-term, strategic direction.

A Level 1 Association has established a vision and put a plan in place for achieving it.  However, having a plan does not guarantee accomplishment.  And many Associations are unsuccessful because they fail to put in place the infrastructure for success.  This takes us to Level 2.

At Level 2, the Association has provided its key people with the training needed to implement the plan.  The organization has developed common methods for planning and executing projects to minimize frustration and wasted time.  Committee notebooks – used to track best practices – are passed on from year to year to provide each new chairperson with a firm starting point for achieving excellence.

 Building the infrastructure – the common methods – is critical to success.  All too often, we establish excellent plans that fail in execution because we haven’t given our people the tools they need for success.  “How do you motivate volunteers?  How do you run effective meetings?  How do you plan successful projects?” – all key skills that our leaders need.  Then there is the committee specific information surrounding such areas as programs, workshops, membership drives, conferences – how are best practices in these areas documented and passed on?  A Level 2 Association has realized the importance of having leadership development programs and establishing common ways of executing the plan.

By Level 3, the Association has put in place the policies and procedures that permanently alter its culture.  Focused actions have resulted in greater participation, less frustration, and better results.  The organization and each committee have specific plans in place prior to the beginning of the year.  At least quarterly the plans are reviewed to determine progress and to make adjustments.  Meetings focus on reviewing action lists and discussing issues. 

The culture of a Level 3 Association is the key to its success.  Whether at the strategic, committee, or project level, the same rule applies: the organization plans the work, then works the plan.  All levels within the organization understand the importance of developing the vision, building the infrastructure, focusing resources on working the plan and monitoring progress.

What are the benefits of Level 3? 

• Stronger commitment and buy-in through better communication
• Greater focus on achieving goals by monitoring progress continually
• Less frustration through leadership training
• Less burn-out through shared responsibilities
• More effective operation by avoiding re-inventing the wheel
• Greater sense of success through focused accomplishments
• Smoother project execution through better planning

How do you get to Level 3?

Very carefully.  Remember, you have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run, and run before you sprint!  If you have not solidly reached Level 1, it is a two-to-three year process to approach Level 3.  The key steps to getting started are assessing where you are, gaining team commitment to focus on moving forward, and putting a plan in place to make it happen.

GSAE, an organization that has been very successful in many areas, is embarking on this path right now to improve its effectiveness.  Other organizations moving toward Level 3 include the American Society for Training and Development and Meeting Planners International.

Michael Wilkinson is the Director of Training and Facilitation for Leadership Strategies, a firm that specializes in providing organizations with professional facilitators to lead sessions in strategic planning and  process improvement.  The organization also teaches leadership training classes in group facilitation, strategic planning, project planning, communications, and management excellence.  Prior to Leadership Strategies, Mr. Wilkinson spent eight years with Ernst & Young’s Manage­ment Consulting Group, where he worked on planning and analysis assignments for some of the nation’s largest corporations, including Bethlehem Steel, Georgia Pacific, Southwestern Bell, Southern Natural Gas and BellSouth.