| Plexus Consulting Group | Articles by Plexus Authors | ||
|
Following The Flag |
|||
|
Author
|
|
Alphabetical listings of associations in the
United States always have their largest number of names in the “A” column—partly
because many start with the word “association” but also because many names
start with the descriptive word “American.” Is this a help or a handicap
when operating in markets outside the United States?
The easy answer to this question is: “It depends!” The US remains one of the world’s largest and most open markets for imports of goods and services as well as imported labor and professional skills. So, to the extent that a person or an organization is focused on penetrating the US market, belonging to or being certified or accredited through a US association that is clearly labeled as such is a clear advantage. And, for this reason, there are numerous instances of American-labeled nonprofits that each year successfully attract hundreds of members and customers from outside the US. Problems start when the US members of such organizations start to become sanguine in the belief that their products and services are superior to any other that can be found anywhere in the world--because this is less and less the case. There are two factors at play here. First, success breads competition. In almost every economic sector nonprofits based outside the US are challenging US credentials by offering more “international” credentials of their own. Many if not most of this competition is coming from the countries of the European Union who believe they invented the concept. There is some truth to this claim. Since 1986 when the “Single Act” was first signed that led to the creation of the European Union, the European countries have been working overtime to harmonize their individual national standards from professional and academic credentials to product and organizational standards. The Union now comprises twenty-five countries and they rightfully feel they are experts in international standards harmonization. If you have not noticed it yet, these European standards are being marketed around the world as the only true “international” option. In moments of candor these European competitors have been known to be critical of American standards as representing a US-centric “do it my way” approach. Such European rivalry, once no more annoying than a small mosquito, has now emerged as a very serious competitor—ignored only by the most benighted. The Europeans have been effective in taking their message and products to the global market because of the increasing attractiveness of their own market—the EU is now the largest economy in the world. And the EU has also become increasingly attractive as the image and standing of the US has declined in markets and cultures around the globe. Second, the US economic dominance in the world market is declining rapidly. Without debating the reasons for this phenomenon, no one can deny that relative to the rest of the world, and although still large, the US economy is shrinking. This fact dramatically undercuts the perceived value of the American brand. The wild cards in this changing world scenario are India and China who, for the time being, are playing to both the European and American leads simultaneously (why not?). But it is interesting to note that in certain critical technologies China is busy developing its own standards. Given China’s phenomenal growth our children’s generation could well be marching to the beat of a Chinese drummer later in this century. So, given these facts, what is an American-labeled association to do? First, don’t cede the global market to anybody—go global yourself! The models have been well established now by others. Find the approach that fits your organization the best and implement it. Remember though, going global is not the same as operating internationally. You know when you are global as and when members cannot honestly say what the nationality of the organization is--in other words, your association has taken root in everyone’s native soil. As a part of going global, take an unbiased look at your organization’s name. Organizations that have determined that a global path is their future have either changed their name to an acronym that reflects the organization’s origins at the same time as its global mission and which is pronounceable and useable in any language or culture; or they have restructured themselves to create a global organization in structure and name that becomes the delivery mechanism through which your organization expands. The US started as a nation of shrewd traders who knew their markets
and what each needed. At this point in our global economy those markets
need global organizations and global credentials that have local relevance.
Respond to this need and your organization will grow. Ignore it, and
you risk losing relevance yourself! |
|