Strategic Planning Session AEIRS Board of Directors
June 9, 2009
Present: James Murrell, Joy Menser, Pete Barger, Tracey Herrmann, Jeff Killion, Paula PateSchloder, Mari King
The AEIRS Board of Directors met on the morning of June 9, 2009 to begin the planning phase
for our new five year strategic plan. The session was co-facilitated by Mari King and Paula PateSchloder. Three planning activities were performed to guide the development of the plan. The
designs and process are based on the book Collaborative Strategic Planning in Higher Education,
by Patrick Sanaghan. Data collected is listed in full below.
At 7:00 pm a focus group of 15 members was assembled to seek additional input. Each member
was asked to identify how long s/he has been an AEIRS member and to state one hope or
aspiration for AEIRS future. The group represented a wide range of members, from the very
new (one year) to the long time (over 20 years.) After the initial introductions, participants were
randomly divided into four groups and asked to perform one planning activity, a SWOT analysis.
That data is also listed below.
Design 1: Accomplishments
The first activity of the board utilized the “Accomplishment Design.” Board members were
divided into three groups and asked to brainstorm and list the accomplishments AEIRS has
achieved, state what made it work and then summarize what lessons we should bring forward.
The groups then rotated to review each others ideas and were asked to check the ideas they most
agreed with. Discussion followed.
Group 1 Data
Accomplishment
What made it work
Stand alone annual meeting
More board responsibility
Moving the meeting site
Meeting planner, board
Quality meetings
Selection of speakers, variety of topics
Increased membership
Committee worked hard, increased communication
Communication with members is better
Website, e-mails, surveys
On-line voting
Webmaster, executive secretary
Opportunities for members to serve
Inclusiveness, hospitality
Lessons to take forward
Focus on collegiality and group dynamics
Develop ground rules for board meetings
Group 2 Data
Accomplishment
What made it work
Increased membership
Getting board member out to other meetings to
promote AEIRS
Stand alone annual meeting
Promotion, ASRT no longer holding annual
meeting
More mini-conferences/workshops
Affiliations with state societies
On-line voting
Easier, more participation
Access to resources
Website
Pay pal
Website
Two e-mail addresses (office, bod)
Facilitates board communication
Grants
Giving back to members
Lessons to take forward
Continue to sponsor board to attend state conferences and mini-sessions
Move annual meeting around with member input
Investigate opportunities for members who cannot attend meetings
Limit number of mini-conferences/workshops offered per year to continue success
Identify how we are going to proceed with on-line resources ASAP
Continue with paypal, ease of use
Communicate
Economy has impact
Group 3 Data
Accomplishment
What made it work (not in a specific order)
Stand alone meetings
Effective communication
Increased membership
Teamwork
Financially sound
Electronic communication
Newly updated website
Paid staff
Regional meetings
Web access
Effective committee structure
Volunteers
Liaisons with national organizations
Continuity, executive secretary
Effective use of policies vs. common sense
Lessons to take forward
Improve sharing of information between paid staff and board
Design 2: Cascading Agreement
This design has four steps: Create, Condense, Collaborate, and Communicate. The board was
again divided into three groups, but with different members than the previous design. The
groups were asked to brainstorm on three topics. The goal was to identify our communities of
interest, ways to seek input and questions we can use to seek the input. After the groups
completed the exercise, the full board condensed the information and agreed on the following
data.
Communities if interest
Members, all modalities
Accrediting agencies
Paid staff; executive secretary, meeting planner, webmaster, editor
Other professional organizations with which we have liaisons (ASRT, SDMS, etc.)
Ways to seek input
Members – focus group and survey
Communities of interest – survey
Planning questions
The group agreed on three open ended questions for members.
1. What would make AEIRS more attractive to new members?
2. What services/resources would support your career?
3. What are the characteristics of a high quality professional meeting?
For both members and communities of interest a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
threats) analysis will be used.
Design 3: Carousel Design
This design was used to conduct a SWOT analysis. The board was again divided into three
different groups changing the group members again. Each group brainstormed at one station for
5 minutes and then rotated to the next station, checking ideas with which they agreed and adding
new ones. After all groups had rotated to all four stations, the full board discussed the data
collected. This design was also used for the focus group participants. Data collected is listed
below.
Strengths
Membership
Committee structure
Annual meeting
Opportunities for networking
Connections with JRCERT, ASRT, etc.
Board communication with members
Quick response to member concerns
Weaknesses
Lack of on-line resources
Outreach to all modalities
Recruitment of new members and board members
Identifying annual meeting location (cheap and attractive)
LOGO
Staff making decisions without board input
Meeting planner contract/duties
Time management for board members
Need more active members
Staff performance evaluation plans not used effectively
Publications not produced in a timely manner
Opportunities
Offer a certification test as educator (if ARRT isn’t considering this)
Offer workshop/study materials for above
Offer program assessment workshops in compliance with accrediting agencies
Develop teaching modules similar to old IL modules
Write directed reading questions for journal articles
In-service topic of the month
Partner with experienced CE providers
Build educational leaders
Mentoring program
Become a RCEEM
Threats
National economy
Reduction in member travel expenses covered by employers
ACERT (need to compare and contrast)
Decreasing number of radiography and imaging jobs
Size (not a big enough player yet)
JRCERT reducing number of face-to-face workshops
Nationalization of health care
Focus Group Input
Hopes and aspirations for AEIRS future
Of the 15 members present, six mentioned a mentoring program as a first priority. Several
identified the need to be more inclusive of modalities other than radiography. Other topics are
listed below:
Opportunities for faculty to present
Continue to offer relevant topics
More advertising and name recognition for AEIRS
Credentialing of imaging educators
Website improvement
Data from the focus group SWOT analysis is listed below.
Strengths
National imaging educator organization
Talented volunteers
Networking
Range of experience (years and modalities)
Strong web presence
Continuous updates with members
Pertinent CE opportunities
New faculty development opportunities
Research funding/invest in the future
Quality publications
Annual meeting
Scholarships
Past meeting PowerPoint handouts on web
Strong board members
Adaptability
Weaknesses
Lack of volunteers
Lack of members
Lack of recognition
Perception of elitism
Need more engaged researchers and writers
Limited educational sessions/meetings
Don’t address all modalities
Difficult to find website (Google)
Lack of recruitment efforts for educators
Inconsistency in timelines for publications
Lack of availability of diverse CE opportunities (online, print and meetings)
Opportunities
Credentialing certification
Mentoring – past, present and future educators
Recruit clinical instructors
Webcast CE
Brand AEIRS
Modality inclusion
Actively finding educators
Plan break out sessions clinical and didactic
Alternative educational delivery methods
Clearing house of educator tools (available online)
New educator academy focused at BS level
International information
Threats
Proof of value added for new members or to attract new members
Academic requirements for education positions
Separation from other entities (AHRA, ASRT, RSNA)
Retention of existing members
Lack of strong educational research conducted and published by imaging/therapy educators
Where are other modalities?
Lack of exposure – recognition
Economy
Aging educators
Low salaries for educators
Participation in other radiology organizations and limited dollars
After data collection, the group reviewed and discussed key elements. The board shared
similarities between the focus group and board input. Focus group members were asked for their
email addresses so we can share future planning information with them.
Summary
The board agreed to continue the discussion of strategic planning at the post board meeting. We
will review data from the focus group and set a timeline for completion of process. Our goal is to
complete data collection in fall and be ready to finalize the plan at the mid-year board meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Paula Pate-Schloder