One of the keys to success in life is continuous improvement—finding a way to keep getting a little better every day. Sometimes, improvement plateaus for a bit, or you might even have to take a step sideways or backwards to go forward again, but viewed with a little distance and perspective, you should see a continuous upward trajectory.
The same is true for ITE. Over the past 8 years, ITE has sought ways to continually get better. Some improvements might take longer than others or are behind the scenes, while others are more significant and widely evident. It is with this philosophy in mind that we approached the results from our recent All-Member Survey. As you will see in the article on page 33, members gave us strong marks in many areas, and in almost all areas we saw member satisfaction increase significantly from the 2016 to 2019 to 2023 surveys. That doesn’t mean members didn’t have comments or ideas on how we could be even better—the vast majority of the comments offered were constructive and provided in the spirit of helping ITE increase member value.
In identifying opportunities to improve, we focused on two time horizons. The first were “low hanging fruit” items that we could address and implement in 6 months or
less. The second were longer-term enhancements or initiatives that needed to be part of our next 3-year strategic plan. For the most part, the short-term items are things
the staff could move forward on immediately with some input from the International Board of Direction (IBOD), while the longer-term items will need a more coordinated
effort and are candidates for the next ITE Strategic Plan (2024-2026). This plan is under development and should be approved by the IBOD and presented to members this fall.
The short-term improvements that the survey pointed us toward fell into two areas—enhancing member engagement, and increasing awareness of, and access to, new
resources. Both involved improvements to our communication with members. Starting August 1, we are rolling out the following enhancements:
Website – We have redesigned the homepage to streamline the content and make it easier for members to find member news, information on new resources and professional development opportunities and to engage in ITE—through a District or Section, Council, or Committee, or on e-Community. We have also simplified our menu structure, enhanced the library search tool, and restructured the Council webpages.
Spotlite – We took member feedback and are working to shorten and better organize the information contained within Spotlite so that you can quickly find the most important news. Our “new look” for Spotlite will debut on Wednesday, August 9.
Resources – Our Councils, Committees, and staff have been very successful in creating a high-volume of new products. As part of the redesigned homepage, each ITEJ
issue, and in every Spotlite you will find a “New Resources” section guiding you to the latest products from ITE that can help you in your practice and your community.
We hope these changes will increase member value and enhance the ITE member experience. And, if we didn’t get it quite right, it’s okay—ITE staff will be listening and
looking for opportunities to continue to make it better. As always, contact me on the ITE e-Community or at jpaniati@ite.org.