What makes STLE special?
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report October 2018
It’s not what we do but who we know.
STLE provides trusted information at a time when there is an overload of data but a shortage of insight.
What does an organization like STLE really do? It’s a question that has been asked by everyone from our local mail carrier to my 10-year-old grandson. An easy answer is to describe some of the tangible products we create under the STLE banner: conferences, magazines and journals, education courses, books, etc.
While that list is correct and represents great value, it does not capture what sets us apart from other businesses that publish magazines, produce events or provide continuing education. It also does not explain why organizations and individuals pay us fees that total more than $700,000 per year in order to say, “We are an STLE member.”
Why does an organization that started nearly 75 years ago make more sense than ever and especially in today’s era of information overload? A recent online discussion forum conversation among several of my association peers put this question into the proper context.
A technology-consulting firm representative began the exchange with a bold statement, “Associations are data companies—plain and simple.” He went on to write that data collection, dissemination and deployment is both a primary function of an association and the attribute that makes the organization unique.
An association executive from Washington, D.C., emphasized that a major component of data is really content. He said, “Content is the key to relevance on the Web and relevance for associations that must transition into the digital world. However, they most certainly can become the hub of information and content about that profession quite easily, and that sets them up to play an important role digitally.”
Content generation about tribology and lubricants is something at which STLE excels. It’s been the raw material that has enabled the society to create a noteworthy digital footprint with the
Learning Pathways portion of our Website.
Learning Pathways is an online resource library for lubrication industry professionals to help align and target their education and career development needs. The pathways include educational resources that have been peer reviewed and organized by topic area and level of expertise, including Webinars, short courses, articles, in-person courses and book chapters.
But this alone still doesn’t capture the essence of what makes an association different from for-profit competitors that provide similar data-driven products. Association business strategy advisor Glen Tecker, the third participant in the online conversation, nailed the distinction. In his view, “A significant competitive advantage of most associations is the aggregate intellectual capital of its members.”
He explained what this means, saying, “We observe that engaging members in making sense out of the oceans of data already available—and providing practical advice on how to apply it—is universally cited as a top member benefit in the vast majority of associations. Providing trusted counsel as to what is real and what is not, what is relevant and what isn’t, and what the meaning of information is to those who might use it is a distinguishing attribute of associations as a community.”
STLE provides this benefit to the tribology and lubricants field at a time when there is an overload of data but a shortage of insight about where to turn for reliable information. In the technical world, this means presenting a peer-review consensus through TLT articles, journal technical papers or education programs.
We thank our members who help create this consensus and make the organization special. We also invite non-member readers to consider how STLE can make you a more engaged and informed participant in the tribology and lubricants field.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.