By William H. Kirby, Jr., M.D. International President
This month we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution, an event that has changed the entire course of world history. Although S.A.M. has not been on hand for our country’s entire 200 years, for more than 60 years we have been providing top-notch managerial training and education for American managers, the best managers in the world.
At this historic time, it is fitting that we examine the goals and objectives of our organization, that is, we should take a look into the future, decide where we want S.A.M. to go, and make plans for the best way to get there. In many ways, the next year may be one of the most pivotal in S.A.M. history.
As many of you recall, it was just four years ago-in 1972-that S.A.M. joined the American Management Associations in a merger designed to benefit both organizations. In many ways this has been a successful union, but there are still many areas of cooperation that AMA and S.A.M. have yet to explore.
With greater emphasis on these areas by AMA and S.A.M. leaders, we could very well see a changing, more vital S.A.M. organization over the next few years.
One of our more immediate goals is a strengthening of the S.A.M. – AMA synergistic effort; we would like to see a greater utilization of AMA’s capabilities by S.A.M., and vice versa. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had a long conversation with Jim Hayes, the distinguished president of AMA, and we discussed a long list of such possibilities. For instance, we talked about the possibility of setting up management and academic advisory boards for S.A.M ., including appointments from AMA’s 13 functional councils and from AMA corporate leadership; like AMA’s councils, these groups would provide a forum for the discussion of common problems, innovations, and trends among managers in the same field.
Jim Hayes and I also discussed the possibility of reinstituting· the S.A.M. annual conference on a wider, more timely scale. And we talked at length about strengthening the roles of, and programs for, the S.A.M. Campus Division members. Another area that was on the agenda and that offers virtually unlimited growth potential is S.A.M.’s memberships at-large and in foreign countries. Finally, we also spoke about establishing internal advisory groups, drawn from S.A.M. members, to strengthen communication and coordination of efforts between local chapters and the international office.
Another item that Jim Hayes and I discussed and that couId have an immediate impact on local chapters and members is the establishment of a theme combining S.A.M.’s contributions to the field of management and the bicentennial celebration. In summary, the coming year is not only a year for celebration of our nation’s origins, but also an opportunity for the expansion and invigoration of the S.A.M. organization. Let’s make every effort to provide quality chapter programming (including inviting outstanding speakers to our meetings) and at the same time increase our membership rolls by exposing as many people as possible to the benefits of S.A.M. SAM-NI
This SAM News International article is from our historical archive, information provided is for reference and archival research about the activities and developments of the Society.