Category Archives: Meetings

Are Associations Run Like Airlines?

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During a recent cross country trip I had time to compare the dysfunctional way airlines are operated to the way associations are run. I found both similarities and differences. Here’s how I score things…

Take for instance, the ridiculous pre-flight safety instructions. Do we really need to be told in great detail how to buckle seat belts. I tried to think of something similarly obvious we tell members, but I could not come up with anything quite that mundane. Score one for associations.

The next pre-flight instruction tells us to turn off all electronic devices with the insinuation that failing do so would cause trouble in the cockpit. Hmmm…the message to turn off all electronic devices was delivered by a video screen on the back of every seat that was streaming Direct TV the entire flight. Sure glad I turned my iPod off.

But association are not immune to creating silly rules prohibiting things they don’t understand. Social media for instance. I know of associations that prohibit their employees from participating in social media while at work. Others make members register for a class by printing a form off the web site and faxing it in because they feel the need to have a real signature for a purchase.

No points here…both have a fear of new technologies.

In the area of duplication of efforts the airlines score very poorly. Why does each airline need to have their own curbside valet, check-in system, ticketing system, baggage handlers, etc. I could probably be convinced that the federal government could run airlines more efficiently…yikes, that’s a bold statement.

But are associations much better? Yes, I think they are, but only because airlines are really over-the-top when it comes to duplication of efforts. Associations could do better, but that generally means a merger of competitors and that is often a difficult thing for the egos involved.

I’ll score this as a slight edge to associations.

Airlines, however, do a good job of delivering on their promises. That typically means getting you from point A to point B safely and reasonably on time. Sure there are plenty of delayed or canceled flights, but those are often caused by weather/safety concerns that we can all live with given the alternative. I took 5 different flights during this trip and 3 of the 5 were on-time and one of the tardy flights was only slightly late even though we had to de-plane and go to another plane due to a faulty toilet. Most importantly, I arrived safely all 5 times.

I’d be surprised if associations could claim that 3 out of 5 meetings started and ended on-time. We could learn the art of under-promising and over-delivering from airlines when it comes to being on-time. Airlines build in huge fudge factors when it comes to flight schedules. They set expectations low and often exceed the arrival time they promised. If we tell members that a meeting will end at 2 pm and it last until 2:15, we have not lived up to expectations. If we say that same meeting will be over at 3 pm and it ends at 2:30, members are happy to get done early.

In terms of meeting customer expectations, I score a point for the airlines because of their safety record.

I’ll need to end this post now because the flight attendance just announce all electronic devices need to be turned off for landing. Sigh…

Organizational Attention Span

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If you read my post on the concept of a Sacred Cow BBQ, you may have noticed that I mentioned that member’s have a limited attention span. That’s pretty easy to understand, but individual attention spans also feed into an all-encompassing organizational attention span.

An organizational attention span is simply the total amount of issues, ideas, programs, policies, and services with which the members of an organization can reasonably engage before they become overwhelmed. The organization’s attention span is not equal to the collective attention spans of the members, but that’s a key factor. Other factors that make up the organizational attention span are members’ respect for the organization, the quality of communications, and quality of the volunteer/staff leadership.

As a visual example, consider the cereal aisle in a grocery store. There must be a million different cereals on the market and many stores carry over a hundred varieties. If the aisle is clean, well-organized and has good signage pointing out sales and other key points, customers will only get slightly overwhelmed as they shop for cereal. If the aisle is dirty, boxes are haphazardly arranged on the shelves and there are no signs, frustration will quickly set in and the customers will move on.

The same is true for our organizations. If our products and services are outdated, poorly organized, and poorly marketed, members will become frustrated and look elsewhere for what they need. Again, visualize the cereal aisle with clearly marked sections for Kellogs, General Mills, Kashi, etc. In addition, each section is divided into the different types of products within each Brand. There is a special section just for “new” flavors of cereal and bright yellow signs showing sales. Each product is clearly labeled with nutritional facts as well as a cost-per-ounce breakdown to make it easy for customers to compare costs.

Unfortunately, our members/customers do not walk down the aisles of our buildings examining our programs, products and services. Our job of making sure our programs are presented properly to members is much harder than a grocery store and that’s why we need to understand the concept of organizational attention span. Yes, it is important to make sure our products and programs are up-to-date, well organized, and properly marketed, but if members are not paying attention to the organization, none of that really matters.

We have to maximize our organizational attention span to create an environment where members are paying enough attention to know/care what we are offering. Here are some suggestions for improving your association’s attention span:

  • Do not try to be all things to everyone or you will end up being nothing to no one. Limit the number of services you offer to as small of a number as possible. It is better to do a few things well than to be mediocre at 100 things.
  • Clearly state the objectives and goals for each program and make sure everyone knows what will make the program successful.
  • Never cancel a program due to lack of attendance. When you cancel a course, you earn the reputation for canceling courses and members stop paying attention.
  • Never extend a deadline for receiving applications, early bird registrations, or anything else. Again, this hurts your reputation with members and they learn to ignore your deadlines.
  • Accept the responsibility for members’ attendance at meetings, events and programs and stop making excuses. Did the association do a proper job with marketing/communications? Were there enough important agenda items to attract members to come? Was the program quality good enough? Too often we just blame marketing for low attendance, but all the marketing in the world will not help a weak program.