I once went for a consulting workshop where the instructor, Mr Danon Gabriel - an SMU alumnus who spent 3 years honing his skills at Dragonfly Consultants - compared student clubs to businesses. And although the long-term goals of student clubs and their incentive structures resembles that of a civil society organisation or an interest group, Danon is right to point out that there are many similarities between student clubs and businesses.
Here are some similarities:
(1) Competing for talent
Just as businesses compete for talent, student clubs compete for members. Membership in certain clubs does require specific skills, attitude and goals, which explains why certain clubs head-hunt for members or have interview processes to screen potential applicants. Think you are not engaging your members sufficiently? Don't be surprised if they "jump-ship" to another student club where they bring along their skills, and more importantly, their commitment.
(2) Competing for customers
Businesses have their customers but student clubs have their target audience as well: ranging from the public and supporters of their cause, to clients (especially for groups providing specialised services) and sponsors. As such, they need to continuously provide a value proposition for their target audience, and develop certain competencies to distinguish themselves from other similar clubs. This also means creating a certain brand identity.
(3) Watching the bottem-line
All organisations run on budgets. They can afford to splurge when there's a surplus, or tighten their belts when cashflow is low. But what people fail to recognise is that student clubs often adhere to the same accounting standards that businesses have in place. For instance, they have to submit their yearly budget and account for all profits (if any) and expenditure to the school administration that provides them with the bulk of their funding.
(4) Managing operations
Businesses have their chain of command and designated departmental roles. Student clubs have their hierarchy and their specialisation of labour such as marketing, logistics, events and so on. The President acts as a CEO and oversees a team of managers who are his executive committee (EXCO) members. Members within the club also function as employees who are answerable to the EXCO.
Also, student clubs do face the same internal challenges as businesses: the dangers of groupthink, existence of information silos, creating a suitable culture and set of values, and so on.
(5) Incentive structures
Wages aside, members join student clubs to meet new people, learn new skills or to apply current ones, gain experience and recognition for their contribution, or simply join out of interest. In the corporate world, there are many employees who go beyond wages and work for the above reasons.
Since most student clubs resemble businesses, they can also adopt strategies and management techniques that businesses use. Here are some recommendations student clubs can use to beat the competition and strengthen their operations:
(1) Understand one's value proposition - and strengthen it!
It's important to know what your club is good at, or what distinct services you can contribute to the public. If your club is advocating a specific cause like environmentalism, your value may lie in organising workshops and forums for the public on conservation, or leveraging on industry contacts to give talks on eco-friendly technology. By having a consistent vision and core competency, your club will remain relevant to your target audience.
Of course, it also pays off to strengthen your value-addedness by improving the quality of services or diversify into providing new services. Often, it helps to have a system of continual dialogue with all your stakeholders to get constant feedback to improve your club's branding, services and operations.
(2) Build a brand to win over partners, supporters and the target audience
If a student club is well-managed, delivers services that are relevant and professional, and has projects that are seen to be effective and sustainable, why shouldn't its stakeholders continue to support it? After all, I have always believed that having a good brand will help a student club increase, or at least retain, her stakeholders.
What makes a good brand then? I believe it all boils down to the professionalism of the club in delivering excellent services, and communicating their value proposition and vision to its stakeholders.
(3) Practise market segmentation
Many student clubs perceive their target audience to be just...students. However, does that mean that the faculty and staff are irrelevant? As always, there is value to be tapped by customising the message to suit the right audience or market.
Or why not leap-frog the immediate school market to target the public? There are many avenues for student clubs to publicise their events and activities, namely online channels, the media, and also the use of social networks.
(4) Utilise power of social networks
What are social networks? They are social structures consisting of individuals or organisations linked by values, ideas, interests, and so on. Your network of friends is a valuable social network, and so are the friends of your club members, and so are the friends of their friends. Build up those social networks and you will find a ready pool of supporters that you can turn to.
While it's common nowadays to advertise events on face-book and online forums, the corresponding amount of spam and information limits the effectiveness of such impersonal channels. Word-of-mouth by friends and the personal touch of telling your friends about your club or project remains a viable and powerful channel for communication.
(5) Unlock the power of partnership marketing
Partnership marketing, like relationship marketing, focuses on building sustainable partnerships for your student club to create a stronger brand by leveraging on the identity and core competencies of your partners.
Often I realise that many student clubs are loft to partner each other, or to venture out of their comfort zones to partner external organisations. Often, this means that they will lack access to specific audiences or core competencies that these potential partners can offer.
A project run with many partners can potentially lead to loss of autonomy over the project direction and focus, but it does contribute to your club's branding by indicating that there's plenty of involvement, interest and cooperation in your project. The public tends to notice more of such projects, while potential partners might want to join in the bandwagon (since we are all driven by herd mentality).
The key to a successful student club also lies in intangible factors that shape how members communicate and work with one another. Creating a distinct organisational culture is part of the approach to retaining members and talent, and unleashing the full potential of your members to contribute. I will examine more of this in a separate post.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
20 Random Things About Me
(1) I respect the mind and how essential it is to help one to analyse situations and problems, solve puzzles, absorb information and so on. As I grew older, I've come to respect the heart and how superior it is to the mind. With the determination and the will to go on, one can overcome hardships and achieve so many things in life.
(2) Having good conversations with people is daily therapy to me, amidst the rush during school. In my breaks, I look forward to just grabbing coffee with a friend and sitting down to have a good chat. I think that human touch helps to clear the clutter from your mind and destress.
(3) Late-night supper is a must for me, given how late that I stay awake at night. Char Kway Teow and Korean Ramyun noodles are extremely unhealthy, but also extremely appetising.
(4) I never learnt to drive, despite its obvious benefits. When I look at the "disadvantages" of driving (i.e. car maintenance, car value depreciation, having to run errands for the family, drive friends home etc.), I decided to postpone taking my driving lessons indefinitely, even though my advanced theory pass lapsed after 2 years.
(5) Running is a sport that makes me feel "free". I love to run at night especially. Plugged into my Ipod, absorbing the sights around me, and feeling the cool night air on my skin, I don't feel inhibited at all. Freedom on earth.
(6) I used to think that Corporate Communications is bull-shit, until I realised how important it is to sustaining a brand, and how related it is to journalism. It's all a matter of perspective and "educating" people on that perspective. Still, I do not wish to build my life on creating a facade that may never last the test of time.
(7) On pt 6, I used to want to become a journalist until it occurred to me how censored and lope-sided our media is. During a stint at ST, I've met people who are rebels who tried to push the boundaries of what they can report on. Unfortunately, even with more people like this, they still can't beat the system. Call it the Uniquely Singapore System.
(8) Even as a Christian, I still believe that everyone is entitled to their own views and beliefs. I've spent enough time defending my faith for 2 years in the army to know why some people perceive Christianity and Christians in a negative light. I've also spoken to enough people of other faiths to understand that just as I have made my peace with God, they have made their peace with theirs.
(9) As the Chinese saying goes, trouble really comes from the mouth. People say that I can be too diplomatic in my words and accommodating at times, and I agree. I just think that when it comes to many topics, people should agree to disagree. And contrary to what people think, I often shoot my mouth off and have gotten myself into enough trouble to know how bad that feels.
(10) I have trouble relating to Accountancy students. Apart from some exceptions, I think most of them are quite stuck-up, narrow-minded, grades-obsessed, tend to hang around in cliques, and are rather shallow. I'm curious to know more Accountancy students to prove myself wrong!
(11) I think "consultancy" is a very prestigious and expensive word. Companies pay a fortune to sort out their operations and find experts to reassure them that they are in "good hands". No wonder so many companies call themselves "consultancies" and so many professionals term themselves "consultants". I guess if you man an IT helpdesk, that makes you an "IT consultant" too.
(12) Sometimes, I wonder how my life now is different from that of a working adult. I return home at ungodly hours because I work until late in school, and devote so much of my time outside, whether I'm busy with academic or CCA stuff. There are fast days, and there are slow days. But it is, as always, satisfying because it keeps me focused in life.
(13) Through AIESEC, I have met some of the most passionate people in my life. That is why I am still a member after 2.5 years, with many more years to go. Many of my close AIESEC friends have left but the thought of inspiring the new members and to contribute to their growth is something that keeps me coming back for more.
(14) Growing up in secondary school in SJI, I was quite a loner. Apart from the occasional outing with a few close friends and joining 2 intense CCAs (Fencing & St Vincent De Paul), I would go home straight after school almost everyday to play computer games. My classmates would also tease about how I keep wetting my hair to keep it down (I was super vain in the past), causing the gel to drip from my hair to my uniform. In hindsight, I thought it was a very silly and disgusting thing to do. So glad I grew out of it.
(15) Based on my past records, I have an 85% chance of acing an interview, be it an application for a prestigious student club, or an internship. I always believe that it all boils down to knowing what you want, who you are as a person, how you can contribute and how to market yourself to the right people. Contact me if you want some pretty good tips!
(16) I've come to believe that as much as we like to think that people and the world run on logic, arguments are often won not by logic but by who the person making the argument is and how fast he can overwhelm you with his words that may not necessarily make sense. This explains why some governments introduce policies that have their logic flushed down the gutter, and why some companies hire the wrong person for the wrong job. 'Nough said.
(17) I think schools do to some extent kill creativity. If the system jam-packs your kid's life with classes and exams to get him to "learn more" and "prep him" for the "big one", then he will never have the time and space to explore himself through alternative means, apart from doing well in school. Think home-schooling is a bad thing? Think again! I think students who are home-schooled may emerge happier than the average student who comes out of the system as "factory output".
(18) I prefer to travel to emerging markets like India, China and the countries in South-east Asia than to the US and Europe (apart from Eastern Europe) because these places have a more exotic charm and have more places to "discover". That's why I'm particularly excited to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE this coming December for my Business Study Mission (BSM) Middle East module.
(19) I can't understand how people can enjoy drinking beer. It looks like piss, tastes like piss, and eventually becomes piss. Ok, I'm not that great a drinker myself and friends can testify that I get drunk after drinking 1 pint of beer. That's why I drink sparingly and would rather choose wine over beer.
(20) I originally wanted to write "15 random things about me" but decided that I have more things to write, and I'm too unmotivated to finish my assignment which is due the next morning anyway. Hence, here's a "20 random things about me".
(2) Having good conversations with people is daily therapy to me, amidst the rush during school. In my breaks, I look forward to just grabbing coffee with a friend and sitting down to have a good chat. I think that human touch helps to clear the clutter from your mind and destress.
(3) Late-night supper is a must for me, given how late that I stay awake at night. Char Kway Teow and Korean Ramyun noodles are extremely unhealthy, but also extremely appetising.
(4) I never learnt to drive, despite its obvious benefits. When I look at the "disadvantages" of driving (i.e. car maintenance, car value depreciation, having to run errands for the family, drive friends home etc.), I decided to postpone taking my driving lessons indefinitely, even though my advanced theory pass lapsed after 2 years.
(5) Running is a sport that makes me feel "free". I love to run at night especially. Plugged into my Ipod, absorbing the sights around me, and feeling the cool night air on my skin, I don't feel inhibited at all. Freedom on earth.
(6) I used to think that Corporate Communications is bull-shit, until I realised how important it is to sustaining a brand, and how related it is to journalism. It's all a matter of perspective and "educating" people on that perspective. Still, I do not wish to build my life on creating a facade that may never last the test of time.
(7) On pt 6, I used to want to become a journalist until it occurred to me how censored and lope-sided our media is. During a stint at ST, I've met people who are rebels who tried to push the boundaries of what they can report on. Unfortunately, even with more people like this, they still can't beat the system. Call it the Uniquely Singapore System.
(8) Even as a Christian, I still believe that everyone is entitled to their own views and beliefs. I've spent enough time defending my faith for 2 years in the army to know why some people perceive Christianity and Christians in a negative light. I've also spoken to enough people of other faiths to understand that just as I have made my peace with God, they have made their peace with theirs.
(9) As the Chinese saying goes, trouble really comes from the mouth. People say that I can be too diplomatic in my words and accommodating at times, and I agree. I just think that when it comes to many topics, people should agree to disagree. And contrary to what people think, I often shoot my mouth off and have gotten myself into enough trouble to know how bad that feels.
(10) I have trouble relating to Accountancy students. Apart from some exceptions, I think most of them are quite stuck-up, narrow-minded, grades-obsessed, tend to hang around in cliques, and are rather shallow. I'm curious to know more Accountancy students to prove myself wrong!
(11) I think "consultancy" is a very prestigious and expensive word. Companies pay a fortune to sort out their operations and find experts to reassure them that they are in "good hands". No wonder so many companies call themselves "consultancies" and so many professionals term themselves "consultants". I guess if you man an IT helpdesk, that makes you an "IT consultant" too.
(12) Sometimes, I wonder how my life now is different from that of a working adult. I return home at ungodly hours because I work until late in school, and devote so much of my time outside, whether I'm busy with academic or CCA stuff. There are fast days, and there are slow days. But it is, as always, satisfying because it keeps me focused in life.
(13) Through AIESEC, I have met some of the most passionate people in my life. That is why I am still a member after 2.5 years, with many more years to go. Many of my close AIESEC friends have left but the thought of inspiring the new members and to contribute to their growth is something that keeps me coming back for more.
(14) Growing up in secondary school in SJI, I was quite a loner. Apart from the occasional outing with a few close friends and joining 2 intense CCAs (Fencing & St Vincent De Paul), I would go home straight after school almost everyday to play computer games. My classmates would also tease about how I keep wetting my hair to keep it down (I was super vain in the past), causing the gel to drip from my hair to my uniform. In hindsight, I thought it was a very silly and disgusting thing to do. So glad I grew out of it.
(15) Based on my past records, I have an 85% chance of acing an interview, be it an application for a prestigious student club, or an internship. I always believe that it all boils down to knowing what you want, who you are as a person, how you can contribute and how to market yourself to the right people. Contact me if you want some pretty good tips!
(16) I've come to believe that as much as we like to think that people and the world run on logic, arguments are often won not by logic but by who the person making the argument is and how fast he can overwhelm you with his words that may not necessarily make sense. This explains why some governments introduce policies that have their logic flushed down the gutter, and why some companies hire the wrong person for the wrong job. 'Nough said.
(17) I think schools do to some extent kill creativity. If the system jam-packs your kid's life with classes and exams to get him to "learn more" and "prep him" for the "big one", then he will never have the time and space to explore himself through alternative means, apart from doing well in school. Think home-schooling is a bad thing? Think again! I think students who are home-schooled may emerge happier than the average student who comes out of the system as "factory output".
(18) I prefer to travel to emerging markets like India, China and the countries in South-east Asia than to the US and Europe (apart from Eastern Europe) because these places have a more exotic charm and have more places to "discover". That's why I'm particularly excited to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE this coming December for my Business Study Mission (BSM) Middle East module.
(19) I can't understand how people can enjoy drinking beer. It looks like piss, tastes like piss, and eventually becomes piss. Ok, I'm not that great a drinker myself and friends can testify that I get drunk after drinking 1 pint of beer. That's why I drink sparingly and would rather choose wine over beer.
(20) I originally wanted to write "15 random things about me" but decided that I have more things to write, and I'm too unmotivated to finish my assignment which is due the next morning anyway. Hence, here's a "20 random things about me".
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