Does Your Organization Have Soul?
In this day of management by numbers it may seem like heresy for a manager or management consultant to be too concerned with the "soft" side of business, and even more outrageous to talk about the "soul" of an organization. Yet, this proved to be a pivotal point for the American Association on Mental Retardation in its recent strategic planning exercise...

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So You're Trying to Build an International Association and the Europeans Just Won't Cooperate
If you are the executive of an international association or an association with a growing membership base on either side of the Atlantic, you may find it reassuring to know your problems are not unique and in fact probably not even of your making...

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Is Now a Good Time to Seek a Job Abroad?
Barriers to working overseas are not insurmountable. Job seekers who plan and research carefully can find or create professional opportunities abroad. Just don't expect an employer to send you simply because it has a presence in a foreign country...

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Sabbaticals: A Rejuvenating Experience
Employee turnover at associations is at record levels and growing. Increasingly, boards, executive managers, and employees alike are seeking other solutions. One of the answers might be the development of policies on sabbaticals. Sabbaticals are not yet common in the association world and the examples below may not be for everyone--but there is no denying their appeal! Could these association executives be the forerunners of a trend? 

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Bigger May Not Be Better for Associations Planning to Go Global
Cross-border investments and sales are booming and all evidence indicates this activity is growing fastest among small and medium size enterprises companies that have obscure names that also make up the bulk of the membership of most associations...

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Setting GATT Priorities: Growth or Protection?
A Wall Street broker would not keep his job very long if he consistently counseled his clients to invest in declining industries while overlooking those experiencing strong growth. Yet this is exactly the pitfall facing the trade negotiators of the 96 nations involved in the current Uruguay Round of multilateral talks under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

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 Associations as Student and Teacher
There is a quiet revolution taking place in the non-profit world of professional and trade associations across the United States. Government, society and corporations are expecting more out of associations than ever before. This represents numerous and great opportunities for association executives to grow their associations, but it also means that by being placed in the spotlight, there is more at stake and the possibility of failure is also that much greater. Association managers are being expected to do what their corporate members have had to do for some years now -- deliver more and better products and services for less. In many respects associations are becoming more like the lean, competitive corporate world. But in the race to become ever more productive and competitive, associations might have a few lessons of their own to teach corporate managers on the value of consensus building and being attuned to the needs and perceptions of shareholders.

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Adding Value Through Government Relations
The downsizings that have affected corporate America during the past seven years have caused drastic reductions in the ranks of mid-level management, generally with those in "noncore" business activities taking the hardest hits. Corporate government relations departments typically have fallen into this category. This represents both good and bad news for trade associations. With fewer people to perform the necessary corporate government relations functions, companies logically must turn for help to outside resources -including trade associations. The problem is these corporate cutbacks have not been limited to personnel reductions. Budgets have also been hit, with the consequence that those responsible for managing a company’s trade association membership are becoming much more selective about where they put their association dues...

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