Bill Gardner, Southern Management Association President.

Adding to my good fortune, I have benefited from the wisdom and counsel of my immediate predecessors, Chris Riordan and Anson Seers, and my successor, Charlotte Sutton. Building on initiatives set in motion by Chris and Anson, SMA recently enacted a new fiscal plan that sets aside reserves to secure its ongoing financial health. With an eye to the future, SMA’s officers and board members met in Nashville in February 2007 for a strategic planning retreat, with Charlotte serving as the facilitator. The starting point for the discussion was provided by results from the 2005 membership survey initiated by Anson and carried out by Peg Williams and Claudia Cogliser.  Priorities identified by the 437 respondents focused on increasing levels of research, teaching and professional/career development support for doctoral students, new faculty, and other members. Over hours of deliberation characterized by reflection, brainstorming, and spirited dialogue, a refined version of the SMA mission emerged that reflects our values, traditions, and aspirations for the future.

SMA MISSION: We create value for our members, organizations, and society through professional development, high-impact scholarship and teaching, engaging programs, and deliberate, socially responsible acts. We do this while maintaining a sense of community that involves nurturing members, building collaborations, enhancing life-long friendships, and making a difference with our activities.
 

 Five long-term priority objectives were also identified:

1. Further enhance program quality and attractiveness. As record levels of submissions and attendance at recent SMA annual meetings suggest, the quality of the conference program is attractive to members. In the spirit of continuing improvement, however, we seek to further enhance the program by exploring novel and creative presentation formats, soliciting presentations by high-profile, high-impact public figures, and developing strategic alliances with other professional entities for conference sessions and beyond.
    
   
2. Expand and enrich professional development opportunities. The goal of this initiative is to expand the scope and appeal of programs offered through the SMA Professional Development Institute. While our existing programs are well attended and received, we seek to build upon our success by finding ways to make existing teaching, research, faculty, and doctoral workshops/consortia even better. We are currently designing new programs and formats to address the unmet professional development needs of our members.
    
   
3. Provide comprehensive internal and external communications and marketing. The goal of this initiative is to facilitate the marketing of the SMA brand, while simultaneously enhancing communications with our members. A major focus of this objective will be the use of information technology (e.g., SMA website, the newsletter, etc.) to better serve members’ information needs. We also seek to better convey the high quality of scholarship and friendly culture that characterize SMA to potential members and the public at large through the development of a comprehensive marketing plan. 
    
   
4. Organize and fund large scale collaborative research studies. As a financially vibrant organization, SMA is in an excellent position to serve as a funding source for high profile, high impact, large-scale research projects focused on pressing managerial and organizational issues. The goal of this initiative is to facilitate the development and funding of joint research efforts led by accomplished management scholars (including SMA members) focusing on critical management problems. Indeed, we seek to support the formation of research “dream teams” who apply management knowledge and research methodologies toward the solution of significant societal problems. Consistent with our newly articulated mission, this is one way that SMA can apply its financial and intellectual capital to make a positive difference in our world.
    
   
5. Organize socially responsible initiatives. This objective is intended to make SMA proactive in its efforts to serve as a socially responsible organizational citizen. Suggestions for doing so include (a) coordinating donations to local charitable organizations during the annual meeting (e.g., promoting volunteer work, organizing clothing drives, providing free business consulting advice from members to local businesses) (b) engaging in more environmentally-friendly business practices (e.g., reduction of paper consumption, promoting energy efficiency), and (c) taking an ethical stand on relevant managerial issues.
    

Following the retreat, task forces were created to pursue each of these strategic objectives. Thanks to the commitment and effort of many people, we have already made progress on a number of initiatives. For instance, this year’s program chair, Allen Amason, and his team have added innovative features to the program, along with plenty of recreational activities for members to enjoy at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Nashville. President-Elect Charlotte Sutton has likewise worked with a host of volunteers to expand the offerings of the SMA Professional Development Institute, which will include a variety of innovative research and teaching workshops. Also, Peg Williams and Mark Gavin have put together an excellent Doctoral Consortium, and Mark Martinko and Anson Seers have organized an outstanding Faculty Consortium. (For more information on this year’s program, see the 2007 SMA Meeting Website: http://www.southernmanagement.org/meetings/2007/). Regarding the marketing/communications initiative, SMA recently engaged a consulting firm, Bastian Walker, Inc. to further survey our membership and make recommendations for an integrative marketing strategy. Consistent with the 2005 membership survey, the 2007 survey results indicate a very high level of member satisfaction (92% of respondents would recommend SMA to other colleagues/professionals), while outlining possibilities for further enhancing member services and promoting the SMA brand. Finally, Hettie Richardson, Ethlyn Williams, Sherry Moss, and Melanie Lankau have taken steps to promote sustainable business practices at this year’s meeting, including a recycling program, and a clothing drive. (See “Clothing Drive” elsewhere in this newsletter to learn how you can contribute.) 

In November, I will be passing the President’s gavel to Charlotte Sutton. Charlotte has been instrumental in initiating and facilitating this year’s strategic planning efforts. Given her drive and commitment to enact the new initiatives, SMA’s future is very bright indeed. I am also grateful to Anson Seers, who as Past President is completing five years of dedicated service to SMA. Anson paved the way for SMA’s sophisticated manuscript submission process by being the first Program Chair to accept electronic submissions. His perspective, insights, and hard work have been invaluable. As the 2007 Program Chair, Allen Amason, along with his track chairs, has worked tirelessly to assemble a first rate program. Congratulations to the conference team for a job well done!  

Russell Cropanzano, who is completing his final year as Editor of the Journal of Management, deserves a big thank you for his excellent editorial service.  Submissions for the past year approached 700 manuscripts, and the impact factor of the journal continues to climb, both in absolute numbers, and relative to peer management journals. We are very grateful to Russell and his editorial team for continuing to raise the scholarly stature and international reputation of JOM. 

In completing her second term as SMA’s conference coordinator, Geralyn Franklin has once again gone above and beyond by helping SMA finalize the site for the 2008 meeting. I am pleased to announce that the meeting will be held at the Trade Winds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach, Florida, October 28-November 2. This is a great location and a first- rate resort. As a further indicator of Geralyn’s dedication to SMA (as if we needed one), she has agreed to serve in the conference coordinator role another year. We are very fortunate as her knowledge of the hospitality industry, attention to detail, and time commitment to SMA are exemplary. She is truly amazing!

Among the many partners who contribute to SMA’s success is Aquinex Services which provides extensive technological support that includes maintenance of the SMA webpage, coordinating electronic communications with members, and managing the electronic submission process.  I am especially grateful for the hard work by Rahul Sawhney of Aquinex, whose technical expertise made the job of the program committee the past three years much easier, while delivering unprecedented levels of service to our membership. Thanks, Rahul.

We have three outgoing Board Members who will rotate off the board this year: Melanie Lankau, Ben Tepper, and Ethlyn Williams. We are very grateful for their devotion and commitment. We are also appreciative of the many contributions of Sharon Topping, who is completing her term as SMA Treasurer, and Sherry Moss, who is wrapping up her term as SMA Secretary/Membership Chair. Sharon has been instrumental in providing sound fiscal guidance and stewardship to SMA. Sherry has contributed immensely to SMA’s record membership tally through her efforts to market SMA to new members and bring back lost members. All of these individuals have contributed admirably to SMA and keep on giving through their volunteer efforts.

Many others continue in ongoing roles, and the new additions—Mark Gavin (Vice President/Program Chair-Elect), Chuck Pierce (Treasurer), Amy Henley (Secretary/Membership), Hetty van Emmerik (Board Member), Marcia Simmering (Board Member), and Christopher Shook (Board Member)—have already been very involved in SMA in a variety of ways. They are all people who will seek out and find ways to serve our membership.

Finally, I would like to thank all of our members for the trust, support, and friendship you have shown to me over the years. Our 2007 member survey found that the top three adjectives used to describe SMA are professional, friendly and fun. How true. Like so many others, I’ve experienced tremendous professional growth in SMA, made many, many friends, and had a whole lot of fun. It’s been an honor and a privilege to have served as your president.

Bill Gardner
SMA President