Executive Foresight Conversation on Unbundling

You can listen in to the conversation several of us had earlier this evening about unbundling and other issues that are fundamentally challenging the association business model.  Reflecting on the conversation, here are a few questions for you to consider:

1.  How well does your association understand the fundamental changes created by the emergence of Web 2.0, i.e., the Web as a platform for participation rather than publishing?

2.  What will it take for you and other leaders in your organization to shift their mindsets from the association as the locus of value creation to the context in which value is created by others?

3.  How will you challenge your association's leaders (as well as yourself) to embrace the paradox of taking greater responsibility for driving  more work from the edges of the organization that is beyond the leaders' control?

Obviously, these broader strategic questions only scratch the surface, but they are starting point for the kinds of conversations we must have in the association community.  Our session this evening was stimulating and a great step forward in building our understanding of where our organizations must go.  We look forward to hearing your thoughts!


MP3 File (approximately 1 hour, 10 minutes in length)

Comments

[Jamie Notter]

Thanks, Jeff, for posting this.

There was one particular point in the discussion that really interested me, and it addressed the issue of “control.” The old model is: do a survey to ask people what they want and then take time to create that and present it back to them as a bundled package. The new model involves rapid prototyping. Put stuff out, get the feedback immediately and either pull it back or modify and send a new one out (depending on the feedback).

But this still requires discipline, intention, and choice. It’s not just that you prototype EVERYTHING so that you can offer everything and take advantage of the “long tail.”

You still need leadership and intention and clarity. You can be more active because you have integrated the member’s or customer’s feedback more closely into your decision process, but you still must decide.

What is different, from my perspective, is the reduction of “control.” With prototyping you make choices, but they are less constraining. Choices are an indication of direction, not a description of a final destination. The destination is no longer completely in your control. I think that will be tough for current model associations to swallow, but I think it is integral to their future success.

Thanks for leading the discussion.

[Ben Martin]

I'm looking forward to listening to this -- when I can find an hour and ten minutes! Personally, I have negative feelings about unbundling. However, introducing bundles might be a way to produce an unbundled product line.

One challenge we're facing in regards to generating content from the fringes (and I'm confident others are, too) is the lack of member engagement. How can content be generated from the outside, when members are too busy, apathetic or under-confident to create it? How much "responsibility" (as you say) does management have to elicit content from the unwilling or unable "edges?" And what priority does this take in relation to other important initiatives?

[Nick]

Hey all - I listened to the conversation and I couldn't help but thinking about the generational aspect to all of this. I mean, sure eventually these technologies will be commonplace, but at what point should an organization who's mainly boomers take up these technologies in order to appeal to the younguns? (Of course I'm generalizing about age, but statistically, you follow what I'm saying.) I mean, I still have people telling me "I don't do the computer." I commented over at Ben's place a little as well on the subject.

I just heard something yesterday that said we're moving from a world where the big eat the small to a world where the fast eat the slow. I agree with that--and I see it happening--but yet, to what extent should all of the "disruptive" techologies inform what we do on a day-to-day basis? My personal thought is that associations should stop selling the good-old-individuals' club and focus on what they do best: credentialing and advocacy. Let's face it, associations are potentially huge, huge losers in all of this. I love the association model, but seriously, like you all said in the convo, the leaders have to realize what's going on and facilitate the change, or their organizations will be irrelevant as soon as all the boomers retire.

[Paul Goodson]

Jeff, Thanks so much for posting this audio of the recent Executive Foresight Conversation. After participating in the last two conversations, I was unable to call in for this one on Unbundling. I have just finished listening to the audio of this conversation and found it to be very thought provoking, as have the earlier ones. I have been challenged to learn more about the "social media" and explore ways to utilize it to more effectively facilitate member participation and contribution to and their inclusion, acceptance and recognition by their communities of interest. Thanks again for facilitating the conversation itself and the audio to allow those who missed the call to benefit as well. Paul