ASAE & The Center Release Groundbreaking 7 Measures of Success at 2006 Annual Meeting & Expo

BOSTON, MA— ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership released today the much anticipated and highly-acclaimed research project, The 7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don’t at the 2006 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Boston, Massachusetts. 

World renowned and best-selling author, Jim Collins, introduced the research before a record crowd at the Opening General Session, August 20.  Collins, best known for authoring such books as Built to Last and Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… And Others Don’t, and his research methodology served as the inspiration for the publication. 

“Associations are the hidden glue of our society and economy.  Like the mortar that holds the bricks of a building in place, associations go largely unnoticed, yet they do much to hold the entire structure together,” said Collins.  “I am particularly passionate about the time I got to work with The 7 Measures of Success Task Force.”

Before unveiling the specific measures, Collins acknowledged that “greatness is cumulative – it is not a function of circumstance, rather it is, first and foremost, a matter of choice.  When you build something great, there is no one single great moment.”  A list of The 7 Measures of Success appears below.

“This research provides profound insight for association executives and non-profit leaders working to constantly improve their organizations,” said ASAE President & CEO John H. Graham, IV, CAE.  “We are extremely proud of The 7 Measures Task Force, study participants and The Center staff for their years of dedication, discipline and sacrifices.  Their hard work will benefit the association community for many years to come.”

“Four years of data gathering and analysis combined with a tremendous drive and determination to succeed from all involved have truly made this project a ‘labor of love’,” said Susan Sarfati, president and CEO of The Center for Association Leadership and executive vice president of ASAE.  “Not many organizations could have dedicated the resources and personnel to produce such a significant piece of research.  We thank the task force, study participants and staff for their hard work and for positively representing the association community.” 

Made possible through The Center’s $11 million research endowment, The 7 Measures of Success utilizes Collins’ popular “matched pair” research methodology, in which twin studies are applied to social systems over a set period of time.  After polling 1,000 non-profit CEOs on their top five choices of non-profits in the United States, the task force then analyzed and weighted those responses and invited the top 104 non-profits to participate.  After three years of data analysis, several indicators of success were discovered, differentiating good organizations from great ones.

The following are The 7 Measures of Success:

Customer Service Culture
Remarkable associations build their structures, processes and interactions – their entire culture – around assessing and fulfilling members’ needs and expectations.

Alignment of Products and Services with an Organization’s Mission
Remarkable associations speak passionately about fulfilling their mission and constantly test their ideas for products against that mission.

Data Driven Strategies
Like location is to real estate, “data, data, data” is to remarkable associations.  They gather information, analyze it and then use it to become better.  Research is always put to use – not put on the shelf.

Dialogue and Engagement
Remarkable associations feature a close-knit, consistent culture where all employees receive the same information and also see the potential to contribute to a blockbuster production.  Everyone, whether in lead or supporting roles, equally shares the responsibility to contribute and add value to the association. 

The CEO must be a broker of ideas
While CEOs may certainly be visionary leaders, what’s more important is their ability to inspire and facilitate visionary thinking throughout the organization.

Organizational Adaptability
Remarkable associations weathered crises and learned from them, quickly assessing and then taking action – with no excuses.

Alliance Building 
Associations in the study group pursue alliances that relate to existing strategies.  While remarkable associations (secure in who they are and in what they bring to the table) communicate clear expectations for each specific partnership and don’t hesitate to walk away if a win-win scenario doesn’t materialize.

For more information on The 7 Measures of Success, contact Michelle Mason, Vice President of Strategic Research, 202-626-2752 or email mmason@asaecenter.org.  To purchase a copy of The 7 Measures of Success, visit ASAE & The Center’s online bookstore at www.asaecenter.org/Shop/Bookstore.cfm.

CONTACT: Jill Talley, Public Relations, 202-626-2831, jtalley@asaecenter.org
 

About ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership are two organizations linked together by a common belief and passion.  We believe that associations have the power to transform society for the better.  Our passion is to help associations and association professionals achieve previously unimaginable levels of performance and reach even higher goals.  We accomplish this by fostering a learning community of association professionals, industry partners, outside thought leaders, and other stakeholders who embrace this vision.

The American Society of Association Executives is an individual membership organization of more than 22,000 association executives and industry partners representing nearly 11,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies, and voluntary organizations across the United States and in 50 countries around the globe, as well as provide products and services to the association community.  We are also a leading voice for the nonprofit sector, advocating for voluntary organizations so that they may continue to improve the quality of life in the United States.

The Center for Association Leadership is the premier provider of learning, knowledge, and future-oriented research for the association profession. The Center delivers innovative learning experiences, performance-enhancing resources, new thinking and models for the profession, opportunities for peer-to-peer collaboration, and strategic tools and data designed to advance the association profession. Offerings include nearly 100 professional development programs through Center University, environmental scanning and other future focused research, a peer –reviewed journal, and more than 5,000 online articles, models, and case studies. Together, ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership provide resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association community. Visit www.asaecenter.org.