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Happy New Year!

January 20, 2023

We are now weary of any prognostications of what the new year will bring in business or personal life. When we thought the pandemic was behind us, we discovered it was actually in a relay and handed off the baton to economic uncertainty and inflation. I am not quite sure why this surprises any of us. Change is the only constant, as the saying goes.

In 107 years, SMPTE has seen, initiated, and survived huge winds of change. There are not many organizations founded in the first administration of American President Woodrow Wilson that remain relevant to their businesses. SMPTE has done that through adaptation and change responsive to members’ needs and the industry as a whole. An article in the Harvard Business Review in the early 2010s highlighted United Parcel Service (UPS) and its internal messaging about change. Change and innovation had always defined the company. UPS was the first to deliver with bicycles, then trucks, then computers. They succeeded by adapting and changing.

SMPTE, too, has this at its core, as change does not mean changing who you are; it means adapt-ing to deliver your core products and services in a way that meets modern needs and preparing for the future. As you read, embrace this change definition. SMPTE’s pillars—Education, Membership, and Standards—support the Society and its services. Over 107 years, we’ve changed how we provide services to meet the needs of today and tomorrow’s members.

This year is a year of planning and assessment for SMPTE.

Our member survey began in late 2022. Member values and needs are crucial. Without it, we’re projecting a small group’s views onto the larger group. Thus, SMPTE’s next-genera-tion adaptation begins with your sur-vey responses. As much as the world seems smaller, people’s needs vary regionally, so we asked where you lived in that survey to better serve our members globally. Our mission should reflect our members’ regions.

The next step in the process will be to gather a group of members to provide leadership in the direction of SMPTE based on the data we gather. This group is representative of the membership of the future. How will people need SMPTE for the next 10, 20, or 30 years? We must create a plan for the future that is built on the foundation of our past. We will bring a vision and plan to the board of governors for member services driven by the leaders of tomorrow from this group.

We will also conduct a learning needs analysis in 2023 to drive our education offerings. What does the industry need and want? It is a question on which we must base our planning. How do you want to learn? Are you open to microcreden-tials showing you have completed a series of learning? Do you prefer self-guided or linear classes? We must hear from you, the member-ship, to build what you require. We have already heard that we need to offer experts regionally, so someone is available in your region to answer questions when you are taking the classes, rather than waiting for the Earth to rotate to get answers.

But wait! There’s more. Our Motion Imaging Journal will survey readers to learn what they want from this vital resource. How do you consume information? We value print editions do you? Please provide feedback.

Like membership, the data will determine a path that meets current needs while preparing for the future. Your expertise guides our planning. Our offerings need age, global region, gender expression, race, and ethnicity diversity. Because we’re global, I encourage you to be SMPTE’s voice.

Completing the survey is easiest. Member survey data was useful. Reader and learning needs surveys, please. Your input is crucial for the best plans possible, so please take a moment to complete these surveys when they are sent to you.

The more data we have, the better we can respond to current and future needs, ensuring a vibrant society that is as important in the coming decades as it has been for the last ten. Thanks for joining SMPTE. If you’ve read the Executive Director’s column, you’re engaged, and we want to hear from you.

Happy New Year!

Tag(s): Featured , News

David Grindle

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