Change can happen during a shock or after a tumultuous event. It can happen when the latest crisis becomes a tipping point. Sometimes it happens when we can see the road ahead and we make a conscious decision to alter course. I won’t pretend to know what stage the ASC is at right now but I do know that it’s time for change.
In a way we are incredibly lucky. We have some really talented and hard working people in the ASC ready to give their time and ability for their fellow members and yet so often they don’t get the chance. There is certainly no shortage of available opportunities as our bulky model requires a third of our membership to be committee volunteers. The problem is that our layers of management, clunky administration, obscure voting system, bizarre boundaries and poor communication prevents us from supporting the one resource we have – the potential of our members.
This year the NEC put together a working group to look at boundaries that quickly broadened into a set of proposals for a significant reorganisation of the ASC. The proposals address leadership, governance, structure and member involvement and will go out to every single club member. The consultation on the proposals will run from September to December 2018 allowing everyone in the ASC to offer their thoughts on its future via a feedback survey. A report will be produced on the results of the consultation and shared via direct mailing in February 2019 with monthly updates on the ongoing “conversation” shared via the ASC Facebook group.
What is being trialled here is an exercise in discussion based decision making as opposed to the one day process driven model we employ now (the national AGM). If the proposals get strong support they will be implemented. If they are rejected wholesale they will not go forward. If certain things are supported and others aren’t then the way forward will probably be a mixture of further consultation, taking some decisions to the AGM at Edinburgh 2019 or further work by NEC. I say probably because you are not being presented with a fait accompli. How we proceed as an association will depend on the thoughts of the membership. Equally no person and no club has a veto here. The vast majority of content in the proposals is within the gift of the NEC to decide (according to our current rules) but if things are going to change then it’s important that the membership own the change. The next step is for you to fulfil your leadership role in offering your considered thoughts on the way forward.
We need you. We need your opinions, your alternatives, your concerns and your support. There is a chance that only people completely resistant to change and hyper enthusiasts will take part leaving the NEC with the difficult task of taking the temperature of the members through direct and online conversations. The consultation will work much better and deliver the best decisions if we get a large number of members taking part. If you don’t like what’s being put up then say why and give an alternative. If you do like it then please offer your positive support through the survey.
If you have ever been involved in a conversation about where the ASC is going, what the future holds and how you would like to see the association develop and change… then this is the time for you to make your voice heard.
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