Five Questions for the Next Five Years
NESO Executive Director Report
Spring 2011

How is NESO preparing for the future workforce?  How is the Society maintaining its role in cultivating knowledge for the members?  Think forward with me to 2016.  What trends, issues and hot topics will likely affect what happens to NESO’s members in the next five years?  What will the impact be of the changing workforce, an even greater reliance on technology, new government requirements and their impact on governance, competition for patients from a range of providers, and how to continue to engage and build community among members?  This opinion report considers the future of 2016.

1. By 2016, millennials will make up more than 40 percent of the workforce.  What should NESO be doing to prepare for the future workforce and its needs?

Fewer orthodontists (and other workers) are retiring early as we not only enjoy our work and find it physically tolerable, but have witnessed a reduction in net worth and wish to continue working to rebuild economic portfolios that have been abused during this recession. Whether or not those losses can be regained is anyone’s guess.  Coinciding are current data on the increased number of orthodontic graduates as a result of larger class size and the growing number of accredited graduate orthodontic programs.  So, more programs are graduating more orthodontists.  Over the next few years, approximately 20 new dental schools are anticipated to apply for accreditation.  Another new orthodontic program is being developed for initial accreditation by Bronx Lebanon Hospital.  Vanderbilt University orthodontic graduate program has decided to remain open under a different model pending CODA approval.  This expansion comes as orthodontic programs and clinics are tapped as revenue sources. 

NESO along with the AAO could promote more balance among the new graduates and experienced doctors with additional practice management education lectures as a focus of NESO eNEWS articles, Web resources, conference presentations and distance learning programs.  NESO should be preparing for the younger generations by investing in the latest technology for connection to social media and new technology, i.e., Smartphone apps.

Millennials and gen X-ers chose to belong to associations because of a belief in the association and its investment in their success.

The fall 2010 issue of Associations Now reported, “Associations should look to a few key areas to motivate younger members.   Associations need to take risks to encourage creativity and autonomy by promotions involvement and idea generation.  Regarding social responsibility, it is important to create purpose in members. They are looking for guidance on how the association can be socially responsible in the mission in order to have an activity add to the purpose that is already present for members and staff.  Younger members seek opportunities for their professional growth by seeing them as individuals and by encouraging a work-life balance.”

2. Associations have, for the most part, lost their competitive edge as sole sources of unique, industry-specific knowledge.  How should NESO be redefining knowledge as a result?

NESO actually has an edge in the knowledge game.  Knowledge from other sources is not available in the same way due to the safe environment for the creation and sharing knowledge. To be meaningful members need to be willing to undertake the risk of questioning their most basic assumptions.  This is something few people are willing to do other than within the fellowship that only associations, such as NESO, can provide.  Features such as the NESO eNEWS Case of the Month are offered to foster learning.

3. What is the affect of new government regulations on associations? 

A case in point is professional advocacy and the recent piece of New Hampshire legislation that rallied NESO members with AGD members and tapped PAC support.  Rapid response was key and a new goal for the Society.  Other recent successes include AAO’s support for Flexible Spending Accounts that produced a cap of $2500 rather than total elimination.  NESO has component PAC captains that are coordinated by Dr. Lisa Howard.  The PAC stands ready to move to a new and dynamic level - with a goal to become a "Million Dollar PAC" by 2012. 

Two additional examples include:

Flexible Spending Accounts are capped at $2,500 indexed for inflation beginning in 2013.  Over the counter medications will also no longer be eligible for reimbursement without a prescription beginning next year.  AAO’s advocacy firm helped to organize a coalition of consumers, providers and other stakeholders to promote legislation to repeal these provisions and reinstate the $5,000 limit.  Many members report FSA’s are an important funding source for orthodontic treatment.

All businesses are required to issue Form 1099 to vendors from which they purchase $600 of goods annually and file the form with the IRS effective 2012.  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) recently successfully introduced the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act (S. 3946) to repeal the 1099 reporting requirement, following various attempts by both Republicans and Democrats to repeal or modify the provision. 

4. How will NESO staff, members and volunteers be doing business differently as a result of technology?

NESO will need to engage members and volunteers more closely than ever before as a result of tight integration between new and mature technologies.  By combining traditional database and web capabilities with emerging tools in mobile and social spaces, NESO will relate to members in a more personalized manner than ever before. 

One example is in the area of interest and competency tracking.  Many associations are focused on learning about members’ interests, preferences, and competencies.  The problem is being able to obtain and maintain accurate data in this area.  By integrating social networks such as Facebook with an AMS (association management system), it is possible to infer many thing that we would not be able to learn otherwise.  Having more accurate and timely information will allow NESO to drive more relevant content back to members and to nurture them in leadership oriented activities.

5. Today members are easily able to engage and build community with their professional peers outside of associations.  How should NESO be rethinking their membership engagement and recruitment strategies?

NESO could develop programs to get students actively involved based on their time and interest.  CONYM has proposed AAO Resident Structure (AAOR) which NESO could support and even implement at the constituent level.  The recommendation is for a formalized structure for AAO student members with a specific representative at each orthodontic residency program. This structure would facilitate increased communication and dissemination of information both from NESO to each resident, as well as from the residents back to the NESO.

While NESO can’t force community, having the right ambassadors and social networking in place as well as creating opportunities with minimal time commitments are essential for the long-term building of community.  This may be something as small as inclusion in information sharing or a study group that occurs once a month and then meeting for cocktails or for the formation of a task force that meets via web conference a few times to discuss a particular project. 

Customization will be a key element in maintaining engaged members.  In an on-demand society, where younger generations are technology dependent to the point that even email is not fast enough communication method, members will be increasingly used to having what they want at their fingertips.

NESO will need to be vigilant about tracking member preferences and member behavior.  With enough data, NESO will be able to customize each member’s experiences to reflect their expressed or observed preferences to provide the ‘instant gratification” experiences.  The result is NESO will deliver things in a way that resonates with each individual. 

Along those lines, NESO will also want to create a networking environment for members that flows seamlessly from online engagement to face-to-face interaction.  In an increasingly digitized world, one of the greatest values to members is providing the human element.  This further customizes the members’ experience as the Society acknowledges the importance of their online engagement and provides outlets for members to bring that relationship s to “real life.”