2003 National Policy Congress background paper

A review of member engagement and participation

Proposal summary

Introduction and background

The current group structure was developed from ALIA's renewal process and recommendations of the National Policy Congress 2000 and was formally established in July 2001.

The background to and overall aspirations for the new group structure were summed up by then-president, Mairéad Browne, in her president's statement in the 2000 ALIA annual report:

'These changes began in earnest during 1999 as we prepared to move to incorporated status and to governance by a Board of Directors rather than a representative body. Early 2000 saw incorporation confirmed with new responsibilities and accountabilities under Corporations Law and the opportunity to be the 'nimble' organisation we had said for years we wanted to be.'

'So where have our new 'nimbility' and renewal, in general, led us? Surely when the next millennial history of ALIA is written a key change which will be noted is the new Association structure. The direction of this change in structure was driven by the National Policy Congress (NPC) following extensive consultations across the Association. At the NPC, a remarkable gathering of representatives of divisions, effectively voted the divisions out of existence. Two days of intensive discussion and a lot of give and take resulted in a series of strong recommendations to the new Board of Directors to introduce the idea of self-nominating groups as the fundamental unit of the Association. The basic idea was that the former neat but inflexible structure of branches, sections and special interest groups would be replaced by a grass-roots structure built on the specific requirements of groups of members.'

'By the end of this ALIA reporting year there is intense activity across the Association with groups of members completing pro formas for support to establish self-nominating groups and activities funded directly from the Board of Directors. For the Board of Directors it has been very rewarding to see the level of energy stimulated by the opportunities which are being afforded to these dynamic groups. It has been rewarding too to realise that the bureaucratic requirements of the old division structure have been swept aside and replaced with more-focused reporting requirements. The organisational chart of ALIA in this coming year certainly won't be a tidy one, but what matters surely is that we have activities and professional growth of our members through these locally-developed and delivered activities.'

Since then, the Information technology strategy for effective communication with ALIA members and growth of the Association (Gillard) report, National Policy Congresses in 2001 and 2002 and a number of reports to Board of Directors have contributed to the present operation of groups.

As part of an ongoing program of reviewing the major programs and activities of the Association, the Board of Directors has endorsed a proposal for a review of member engagement and participation, focusing on the new group structure.

Under the Association's constitution and by-laws ALIA groups have a geographic, special interest, special purpose, issue or sectoral basis, and are required to have the support of (or serve) at least 25 members of the Association, and to be endorsed by the Board of Directors. A group may be established for a short period (for example for a specific purpose, issue or activity) or for up to two years to fulfil a longer-term purpose or need. A geographic location need not be limited to state borders. The Board of Directors may initiate groups to meet specific needs of the Association not met by self-nominating groups.

ALIA currently has over 60 self-nominated groups that varied widely in their interests, size, geographic coverage and level of activity.

National Policy Congress 2003

The 2003 NPC provides an ideal opportunity to seek feedback on the approach proposed for the review, in particular on the best ways to involve groups in the review. The comments and advice of the NPC are sought on the following aspects of the review in particular:

• Involvement of groups - it is proposed to seek submissions from groups, based on a standard set of questions
• Wider member involvement - an email questionnaire to a sample of members and a number of structured group discussion sessions open to interested members are proposed
• Reference panel for the review - a reference panel of two or three experience ALIA members has been suggested to provide advice and guidance for the review

Purpose and aims of the review

The purposes of the review of member engagement and participation are:

• To address the roles and functions of groups in the Association and to assess the effectiveness of the new group structure introduced in 2001
• To assess of the value and significance to members and the Association of groups activity and whether the outcomes for the new groups structure expected by the renewal process and the 2000 NPC still apply three years on
• To recommend changes (if any) to the structure and operation of groups to enable them to continue to operate successfully

In addressing the roles and functions of groups the review will consider:

• The purposes and functions fulfilled by groups as they relate to ALIA objects and strategic focus
• The levels of involvement and activity by personal and institutional members
• The outcomes and achievements of groups
• The resources (eg. financial, administrative, volunteer, communications and technology,) invested in groups
• Group processes and the management of the current group structure
• Governance issues - the role of groups and the National Policy Congress in the election of directors

The review has three main aims:

1. To identify the current level of activity of groups and changes since the current group structure was introduced in July 2001
   • Number of groups
   • Geographic spread
   • Sectors/interests covered
   • Level and nature of activity
   • Membership
   • Value and benefit to members and contribution to ALIAs objects and vision
   
   
2. To evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the current group structure and to what extent the results expected by the ALIA renewal process are being met. This includes consideration of:
   • how well groups are providing mechanisms for engagement, identity, promotion, recruitment, communication and consultation
   • the extent to which groups affect membership and the role of groups in attracting and retaining members
   • management and administrative support for groups
   • the strengths and weaknesses of the current model
   
   
3. To develop a model for evaluating other Association activities

Review methodology

The approach proposed for the review includes:

• extensive consultation with groups and other stakeholders, such as the Board of Directors, National Office staff and local liaison officers. It is proposed that this consultation include
• inviting submissions from groups, based on a standard set of questions
• structured small group discussions with stakeholders
• structured small group discussion sessions with members, based on an open invitation for interested members to attend - the number and location of these to be decided
• a survey by questionnaire of a sample of members, including both long-standing members (those who have been members for 6 years or more) and newer member (those who joined after 1999)
• review and analysis of data and documentation relating to groups and the groups structure
• review of models for member engagement in other associations

The review will be managed by Susan Magnay. It will start in September 2003 with the aim of reporting to the Board of Directors in March 2004. It has been suggested that a reference panel of two or three experienced ALIA members could be established to provide guidance and advice at key stages of the review.