I think you have put your finger on key characteristics of the new economy--technology-enhanced, global, fluid and rapid change--that represent both a threat and an opportunity for organizations of all kinds.

One speaker I heard recently graphically described this by pointing out that it took three centuries for small pox to reach every part of the inhabited globe, thee decades for AIDS to do the same, and three days for the LOVE virus.

Whether it be viruses or ideas or capital flows it is increasingly hard for organizational structures--be they governmental, for-profit, or nonprofit--to stay abreast of these changes, much less control them.

Some of these changes are transitory and frivolous and some are going to have a lasting impact on our cultures, economies, and health.  But who can tell which new development is going to be a passing fad and which represents a lasting turning point?

These developments can make organizations that are too rigid to become irrelevant very quickly.  Certainly, we have seen this in the for-profit sector where the fastest growth in global commerce has come from small and medium size enterprises and where many of the large multinational conglomerates have had difficulties adapting.  In the government sector it seems events will soon determine whether the United Nations--a global organization, but one which is highly bureaucratic and tradition-bound--will increase or diminish in importance as an organization.  And in the nonprofit sector the "relevancy" question is indeed being asked of every trade association, professional society, and foundation.

It is a "no-brainer" to state that those organizations that will survive and thrive are those that offer products and services that are "relevant" to the times.  But what are the characteristics of the organizations that can maintain their footing in these quickly moving sands?  I would submit that there are three: 

1) Organizations that are "centered" or have a strong sense of purpose--if you don't know who you are and what you stand for who will? 

2) Organizations that are flexible and sensitive to the changing trends of their environment--organizations that cannot feel threats or opportunities will read their obituaries before they know they are dead!

3) Organizations that regularly review and question their purpose and their responsiveness to their environment--most organizations now do top to bottom reviews on        an annual basis. 

(Note that, as was pointed out in the management book "Good to Great," I do not think that spending money on technology is one of these characteristics.) 

I do believe that all organizations as we have known them are going to change if they are going to ride on the globalization wave and not be submerged by it; and this most definitely includes associations.  In fact, I think associations in many respects may have a harder time navigating these changes than many other types of organizations.  For associations to remain relevant their managers and governance structures are going to need to become much more flexible, entrepreneurial and attuned to their markets--not terms that are traditionally used in the association community!

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Steven M. Worth is senior partner for Plexus Consulting Group, LLC. He can be reached at (202) 785-8940.