April, 2006

What's Happening with Transformation?

by John Hedtke, Region 7 Director

I wasn't on the Board when the Transformation effort started up, but I have read all the materials and early documents. I found most of them to be dense, confusing, not overly clear, and full of jargon. Frankly, I didn't hold out a lot of hope for whatever we were doing simply because it wasn't being explained very well. However, in the last year, I've been able to find out a lot more about the Transformation. In this month's column, I'm going to give you a quick look at what's been happening with Transformation and why it's so cool.

The core goal of the Transformation effort is "More value for more members." That's a pretty high-level statement, but it covers an awful lot of ground and it's a great touchstone for considering a direction or a project, too: if it doesn't somehow provide more value for more members, it's probably not the right thing. The way in which the Transformation effort has focused on this goal is by removing obstacles to our success and to provide support and infrastructure for future growth. (All right, if you're a cynical sort, this still is going to sound like a sales job, I know, but work with me here.) Here are some of the specifics that have been accomplished so far:

Improved communications at all levels. One of my personal, long-standing annoyances with the STC has been the difficulty in finding out what's going on. (I ran for office last year in large part because I figured I could get answers to questions that way.) The Board this year has been remarkably open about what happens. More information is available to the Board and to the members than ever before and still more is becoming available.
Changes in governance and the Board make-up. The Board is looking for a new Executive Director. Moreover, the job description for the new ED has been almost completely rewritten from what it had been previously. In addition, we've opened the road for a Board that will represent all communities, not just the geographic ones.
Become strategic. Much of what the Board's done in the past has been tactical and/or reactive. We now have a strong focus on strategy and making strategic plans. It's a better use of the Board's time and energy. For example, at this past Board meeting, discussion on one subject was curtailed by one of the Directors pointing out that we were getting into the tactics of it all. And that was that.
Changed office operations. The STC office is changing, too: they've formed an executive management team in the office that handles specific areas of expertise and works directly with the Board. One or two new people are being hired, too (more on this later).
Become global. Membership outside of North America is growing and the STC is doing a better job of providing outreach, programs, and resources for them.
Offered more membership packages. If you've been a member longer than a couple years, you've already seen this: there are several ways to sign up that allow you to be a member of more than one chapter or even of none, as you prefer.
Improved education. In addition to the teleseminars the STC has given for a number of years, there are webinars too. And one of the things we discussed in Atlanta was how we could offer repeats of webinars for different times or time zones or just have them available as on-demand resources (and in languages other than English). I think it's gonna happen.
Added a general discussion forum. Up until recently, there wasn't any place in the STC to discuss general topics about the STC. The newly created STC Forum provides a place where you can ask questions, discuss issues, and vent about whatever you're frustrated with about the STC.
Started our technology upgrade. While you may not be aware of it directly, the STC's computing technology is really dated. We don't have the computing power to do a lot of things we want do to (like, for instance, on-demand webinars). We're going to be upgrading and overhauling our entire technology infrastructure so we can offer members, chapters, and SIGs a lot more, and for a lot less money, too.

Okay, still not convinced about how good all of this is? Well, things are going to start popping soon. We've already changed the copyright provisions for material published by the STC so that the author keeps the copyright (previously, the STC kept a non-exclusive license in perpetuity). We're looking at redesign options for the STC web site. We're discussing where and how to put our money and energy to get the most benefit for our members and you'll see a few things starting in the next few months. And, best of all, we're going to have a new Executive Director who will move the STC forward.

The way I think about the Transformation is this: the STC was like a room that had filled up with ratty furniture, dusty boxes of old books, and a threadbare rug. The Transformation has gone in and cleaned out all the old stuff and mopped and vacuumed. The place looks clean right now… but it's a little empty. What we put into the room is something that's still being discussed, but we've gotten the old stuff out and cleaned up the mess. What we put into place now is up to you.

Yours truly,

John Hedtke

Region 7 Director

Dir7@stc.org

P.S. Go check out the STC Forum—it's off of the STC web site—and stick your oar in if you've an opinion on something. Let me or the Board know if there's something you think the STC should be doing/not doing. Everything is open for discussion right now, so it's a great time to see what can be improved.