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Yes, I know, it’s poor English, and it flies in the face of those who prefer status quo, calm or same old, same old.
From a business perspective, innovation is critical because change is inevitable, requiring leaders to adapt, transform, alter and reorder. Change is seldom pleasantly embraced by anyone other than the innovator. But when the change is for the right reasons, accepting it becomes far easier. (By the way, making money—or saving it—is not a reason, it is a result.)
Let’s consider a recent innovation here at Grosse Pointe Board of REALTORS® that we call the “five-week work block.” The need for this innovation was born out of three challenges:
- Lack of new faces and ideas in association governance: Standing commitments—office meetings, external meetings such as Rotary, or family obligations— were precluding some members from participating in association leadership, and monthly meetings were too much for some of those who were volunteering with us.
- Sluggish response time in an era of rapid change: The duration from idea to a decision by the board of directors was as long as two months, but speeding up the process required fewer people, creating the appearance of an oligarchy.
- Overwhelmed staff: There was too little time for necessary due diligence, and schedules were more about meetings versus actual work to provide exceptional member service.
Of the three issues, meeting frequency was involved in all three, but only response time was visible to the members, which is why we started there with a goal of: “A nimble decisionmaking process that did not compromise transparency."
To expedite decision-making, we started first by classifying our committees to better understand the recommendations they might make and who might need to sign off prior to submitting to the board of directors:
- Semi-independent decision-makers (Chapters and Affiliate Committee)
- Association governance (Bylaws, Strategic Planning, Budget & Finance, Education, Professional Standards, Young Professionals Network Advisory Group)
- Hyper-local governance (RPAC/Governmental Affairs; Fair Housing; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Community Outreach)
- Final decision making (Board of Directors)
We then began to schedule committee meetings according to a cadence that would allow time for due diligence by staff, committees and outside stakeholders; the involvement of other committees or internal groups; estimated time to get a recommendation to the board of directors; and weekly touchpoints for governance and daily association operations. What emerged was a five-week work block, something we had never seen or considered before.
- Week 1 – Regents (chapters), Affiliate Committee
- Week 2 – Education, Strategic Planning, Bylaws
- Week 3 – RPAC/Governmental Affairs; Fair Housing; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Community Outreach; YPN
- Week 4 – Budget & Finance
- Week 5 – Executive Committee, Board of Directors
- Professional Standards meets as needed.
Using this cadence, we reduced the time for ideas to make their way to the board to a maximum of 31 days, increased the time available to complete essential work and provide due diligence, and ensured fewer decisions required special meetings or “asking for forgiveness.” The number of meetings for volunteers fell by at least 17%, and only twice in a year are meetings booked on the same day, both of which help prevent conflict with other commitments.
Because there are 52 weeks in a year and the five-week concept uses 50 of them, blocks also eliminate meetings during the year-end holidays, allowing the next year to start with a new five-week cycle versus a carryover from the previous year.
We started the five-week block system in 2022. Since then, new faces are populating our committees, and the staff is less stressed. Most importantly, membership sees us as nimble and responsive versus stodgy and slow.
Don’t kick the can down the road until crisis forces change. As systems and “old ways” become dated, be willing to break them.
