Posts
Once you've finished casting your ballot in the Federal election, don't forget to cast your ballot in Equity elections! Voting closes October 30.
And, while you're at it, don't forget to contribute to our Council Focus survey. How do we know what's important to the membership? You tell us.
Finally, just in case you might be thinking "Council, what??", here is a link to some useful topics on Council basics. Everything you ever wanted to know, and then some.
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections. Show all posts
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
Council Elections - Looking for your input
Council is
currently in planning mode for the next round of elections this fall, and we have an idea
on which we'd like your input. In short, we're considering a return to rotating elections, where we would renew Council over the course of several years, instead of all at once.
The winter EQ should be arriving in your mailbox or inbox any day now, and there is more information provided in that issue. Please give it a read, and get in touch if you have any ideas or concerns you'd like to share.
Nothing is decided yet, but we do need to get moving on any changes within the next few months. It's your association, so please take the time to help us make it better.
Nothing is decided yet, but we do need to get moving on any changes within the next few months. It's your association, so please take the time to help us make it better.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Officer Job Descriptions
Who (and what) the heck are the “officers” of Council? We thought you might like to know.
One of the principal items on the agenda for the first meeting of the term is the election of a slate of Council officers: Council President (Chief Governance Officer), First Vice-President (Advisory Coordinator), Second Vice-President (Member Liaison) and Secretary-Treasurer.
Officers, including the President, are not über-Councillors, nor do they form an Executive Committee with special decision-making powers. They are ordinary Councillors to whom Council has delegated some specific responsibilities to help Council do its work, and each position entails consistent time commitment beyond regular meetings.
Despite what one might assume from the title, the Council President is not the head of Equity, nor even the head of Council. The President is best understood as the “servant-leader” of Council – he or she “leads” Council by taking instruction from Council. In summary, the job is to organise, coordinate, enable and support Council's work, and that has bee done for the past while by Stage Management Councillor Allan Teichman (me).
Probably the most basic responsibility of the President is chairing Council meetings. That’s fairly simple, and it's not much different from the same task in any other setting. However, the lion’s share of the work is done between meetings: managing the Council calendar and agendas, arranging for Council education on upcoming topics, communicating with staff and others as required, and acting on motions that were passed. In addition, all of the material that Council needs for each meeting must be written, compiled or arranged for in time for the monthly package mailing deadline.
At the moment, the President is also Council’s main communications link, requiring a column for each EQ, two or more Council Link reports to the members each year, as well as regular blog posts, various reports, and the like. All told, it’s roughly the equivalent of a part-time job.
The First Vice-president of Council acts as the Advisory Coordinator, whose purpose is to assist Council’s advisory committees to effectively carry out their responsibilities. The job generally involves helping to set up new advisory committees, making sure that they are informed of resources at their disposal, have access to them, and that there is follow up to ensure timely completion and/or reporting on progress related to each committee mandate.
The Second Vice-president of Council is the Member Liaison, and provides a direct point of contact for members who would like to make Council aware of emerging issues, concerns, and trends. The primary focus for this position is in the area of Owner Linkage – ensuring Council stays connected to the members who own the Association, and enabling input on the many things that are important to them.
Council is looking at a review of this position. One of the main upcoming topics of discussion on the Council agenda is member communication – how we can best reach out to them (and they can connect in), on the topics members want to talk about, and through the most effective avenues. While this work is not yet complete, it is expected that the 2nd VP’s job description will change to reflect future directions in this area.
Lastly, but not leastly, the Council Secretary-Treasurer is in charge of ensuring the integrity of Council’s documents and various other governance materials. Because all of Council’s business is recorded in minutes, and all its decisions are written into policy and bylaws, this work is pretty much ongoing throughout the term. Staff handle most of the minute-taking and document updating, but the Sec-Treas is involved all along the line to ensure that these documents are kept current and are an accurate reflection of Council business. From time to time, the Sec-Treas is also called upon to sign documents as required by law or the expectation of outside agencies, such as our auditor.
Another of the key responsibilities of the Sec-Treas is to track the various monitoring reports received throughout the year, since these will form the basis of Council’s annual evaluation of the Executive Director. The Sec-Treas also helps Council track its own self-evaluation, so that we ensure we behave consistently with our own rules over time. And, of course, the Sec-Treas tracks agenda proposals we receive from the members.
One of the principal items on the agenda for the first meeting of the term is the election of a slate of Council officers: Council President (Chief Governance Officer), First Vice-President (Advisory Coordinator), Second Vice-President (Member Liaison) and Secretary-Treasurer.
Officers, including the President, are not über-Councillors, nor do they form an Executive Committee with special decision-making powers. They are ordinary Councillors to whom Council has delegated some specific responsibilities to help Council do its work, and each position entails consistent time commitment beyond regular meetings.
Despite what one might assume from the title, the Council President is not the head of Equity, nor even the head of Council. The President is best understood as the “servant-leader” of Council – he or she “leads” Council by taking instruction from Council. In summary, the job is to organise, coordinate, enable and support Council's work, and that has bee done for the past while by Stage Management Councillor Allan Teichman (me).
Probably the most basic responsibility of the President is chairing Council meetings. That’s fairly simple, and it's not much different from the same task in any other setting. However, the lion’s share of the work is done between meetings: managing the Council calendar and agendas, arranging for Council education on upcoming topics, communicating with staff and others as required, and acting on motions that were passed. In addition, all of the material that Council needs for each meeting must be written, compiled or arranged for in time for the monthly package mailing deadline.
At the moment, the President is also Council’s main communications link, requiring a column for each EQ, two or more Council Link reports to the members each year, as well as regular blog posts, various reports, and the like. All told, it’s roughly the equivalent of a part-time job.
The First Vice-president of Council acts as the Advisory Coordinator, whose purpose is to assist Council’s advisory committees to effectively carry out their responsibilities. The job generally involves helping to set up new advisory committees, making sure that they are informed of resources at their disposal, have access to them, and that there is follow up to ensure timely completion and/or reporting on progress related to each committee mandate.
The Second Vice-president of Council is the Member Liaison, and provides a direct point of contact for members who would like to make Council aware of emerging issues, concerns, and trends. The primary focus for this position is in the area of Owner Linkage – ensuring Council stays connected to the members who own the Association, and enabling input on the many things that are important to them.
Council is looking at a review of this position. One of the main upcoming topics of discussion on the Council agenda is member communication – how we can best reach out to them (and they can connect in), on the topics members want to talk about, and through the most effective avenues. While this work is not yet complete, it is expected that the 2nd VP’s job description will change to reflect future directions in this area.
Lastly, but not leastly, the Council Secretary-Treasurer is in charge of ensuring the integrity of Council’s documents and various other governance materials. Because all of Council’s business is recorded in minutes, and all its decisions are written into policy and bylaws, this work is pretty much ongoing throughout the term. Staff handle most of the minute-taking and document updating, but the Sec-Treas is involved all along the line to ensure that these documents are kept current and are an accurate reflection of Council business. From time to time, the Sec-Treas is also called upon to sign documents as required by law or the expectation of outside agencies, such as our auditor.
Another of the key responsibilities of the Sec-Treas is to track the various monitoring reports received throughout the year, since these will form the basis of Council’s annual evaluation of the Executive Director. The Sec-Treas also helps Council track its own self-evaluation, so that we ensure we behave consistently with our own rules over time. And, of course, the Sec-Treas tracks agenda proposals we receive from the members.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Advisory Committee Survey Summary
In prep for the inaugural meeting, Council got its first look at the detailed Council Advisory Committee survey results. We still have to work our way through them, but we wanted to share the overall picture with you right away.
331 submissions were received from a total of 216 members, which is great. Up to three suggestions were solicited per response – half of submissions included at least two, and one-quarter included three. Even better, almost half the respondents indicated that they would be willing to serve on at least one of the advisories.
Here are the results ranked by frequency.
Each submission was assigned a short topic heading based on the main point being made. Then, related and compatible categories were combined – the top two suggestions are good examples of this. The "miscellaneous" item at the end includes all those for which only a single submission was made, and where none of them combined easily with a higher-ranking category.
Along with the committee proposals, general comments were also requested at the end of the survey, and we received 59 of these. In a few cases, they were used to reiterate or expand on the suggestions already made. Almost all of the remainder commented on the change in advisory structure, and responses were overwhelmingly favourable. Council is pleased to see the new system meet with such a positive response, both in the number of proposals received and the enthusiasm for the idea.
Council will be reviewing the overall patterns in these results as a priority item and making a determination on which committees will be struck as part of the initial slate. Committee mandates will be developed from the proposal material, and members can expect to see the first committees formed early in the new year. Finally, Council will set up an ongoing application procedure, so that advisory suggestions may be submitted at anytime going forward. You'll hear more about that once it's in place.
As always, we welcome your comment and feedback. You can contact me at president@caea.com, or Aaron Willis, Second Vice-president at councilcontact@caea.com,or either of us through the national office.
331 submissions were received from a total of 216 members, which is great. Up to three suggestions were solicited per response – half of submissions included at least two, and one-quarter included three. Even better, almost half the respondents indicated that they would be willing to serve on at least one of the advisories.
Here are the results ranked by frequency.
Topic Category
|
Submissions
|
Independent/Small Scale Theatre (action/monitoring/flexibility/help)
|
55
|
Communications (general/transparency/social media/simplify/inbound PR)
|
33
|
Stage Management issues
|
19
|
Director/Choreographer/Fight Director issues
|
16
|
Insurance
|
15
|
Member Education (general)
|
13
|
Audition conditions
|
13
|
Diversity issues
|
10
|
Agreement Ratification (eligibility to vote)
|
8
|
Merging with ACTRA
|
7
|
Engagement opportunities (increasing)
|
7
|
Working conditions
|
6
|
Rehearsal Models
|
6
|
Regional/local support committees (various)
|
6
|
New Members (welcome and education)
|
6
|
CTA/Level 2 Monitoring
|
6
|
Senior Artists
|
5
|
Guest Artist Policy
|
5
|
Concessions (to working terms)
|
5
|
Advocacy
|
5
|
Opera
|
4
|
Member Linkage
|
4
|
Cost reduction
|
4
|
Women's issues
|
3
|
TYA issues
|
3
|
Professional development
|
3
|
Producer's issues
|
3
|
New media
|
3
|
Dues
|
3
|
Discipline based (none specified)
|
3
|
Cultural community outreach
|
3
|
Western office
|
2
|
Fees
|
2
|
Child performer's issues
|
2
|
Miscellaneous
|
43
|
Along with the committee proposals, general comments were also requested at the end of the survey, and we received 59 of these. In a few cases, they were used to reiterate or expand on the suggestions already made. Almost all of the remainder commented on the change in advisory structure, and responses were overwhelmingly favourable. Council is pleased to see the new system meet with such a positive response, both in the number of proposals received and the enthusiasm for the idea.
Council will be reviewing the overall patterns in these results as a priority item and making a determination on which committees will be struck as part of the initial slate. Committee mandates will be developed from the proposal material, and members can expect to see the first committees formed early in the new year. Finally, Council will set up an ongoing application procedure, so that advisory suggestions may be submitted at anytime going forward. You'll hear more about that once it's in place.
As always, we welcome your comment and feedback. You can contact me at president@caea.com, or Aaron Willis, Second Vice-president at councilcontact@caea.com,or either of us through the national office.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Start of new Council term and handover
With the start of a new term of Council, perhaps this is an opportune time to talk about how that whole thing happens…
The election process itself begins 18 months in advance of the end of the term. Council strikes a committee to handle this job, and their first task is to review the membership numbers to confirm the distribution of seats across the various regions.
Next, the election committee gets the mechanics of the election in hand, including choosing a voting provider and an independent auditor to ensure the integrity of the process. All major voting paperwork is reviewed and revised as well.
A couple of months in advance of nominations, the logistics aspect of the vote is handed off to staff, since it will need ever-increasing daily attention through to the end. The committee does, however, continue to monitor the process regularly through to the completion of the vote, and if there are any issues needing our immediate attention, we convene to decide them.
Most of the rest you know about. Nominations open, are solicited throughout the membership, and close. Candidate lists are generated and circulated, ballots are sent out, and the actual voting is conducted.
During this time, the committee's attention shifts to compiling the orientation package for the incoming Council. Aside from basic informational stuff, there will also be a number of agenda items that need to carry over, and Councillor training has to be arranged. Although the last bits of the package will not be finalised until the outgoing Council has met for the final time, most of the material is complete even before the results are in, so that it can be sent out as soon as possible.
In the same period, the committee starts drafting its final report, along with any recommendations for future process improvements, or rule changes. This report will be presented to the new Council at its first meeting. Following that, the committee is dissolved and the committee members breathe a sigh of relief!
It's not all about the committee, though…
At the end of each term, Council prioritises completion of any major initiatives that are in the works. Rather than hand over something 95% complete that would require significant recap and review time in order to bring the new Council up to speed, and to facilitate staff planning for any upcoming changes, Council tries to hand over as clean a slate as possible. Consequently, the last few meetings are jam-packed with major decisions to be made.
Of course, there are always future issues to which Council has committed for the upcoming year, but it's best if a new Council can take them on from square one instead of half-way through – we rarely start anything new at that late point in the term.
The outgoing Council has its final meeting in late October, and continues to serve up until the day the incoming Council first meets. I'll talk more about that in a future post.
The election process itself begins 18 months in advance of the end of the term. Council strikes a committee to handle this job, and their first task is to review the membership numbers to confirm the distribution of seats across the various regions.
Next, the election committee gets the mechanics of the election in hand, including choosing a voting provider and an independent auditor to ensure the integrity of the process. All major voting paperwork is reviewed and revised as well.
A couple of months in advance of nominations, the logistics aspect of the vote is handed off to staff, since it will need ever-increasing daily attention through to the end. The committee does, however, continue to monitor the process regularly through to the completion of the vote, and if there are any issues needing our immediate attention, we convene to decide them.
Most of the rest you know about. Nominations open, are solicited throughout the membership, and close. Candidate lists are generated and circulated, ballots are sent out, and the actual voting is conducted.
During this time, the committee's attention shifts to compiling the orientation package for the incoming Council. Aside from basic informational stuff, there will also be a number of agenda items that need to carry over, and Councillor training has to be arranged. Although the last bits of the package will not be finalised until the outgoing Council has met for the final time, most of the material is complete even before the results are in, so that it can be sent out as soon as possible.
In the same period, the committee starts drafting its final report, along with any recommendations for future process improvements, or rule changes. This report will be presented to the new Council at its first meeting. Following that, the committee is dissolved and the committee members breathe a sigh of relief!
It's not all about the committee, though…
At the end of each term, Council prioritises completion of any major initiatives that are in the works. Rather than hand over something 95% complete that would require significant recap and review time in order to bring the new Council up to speed, and to facilitate staff planning for any upcoming changes, Council tries to hand over as clean a slate as possible. Consequently, the last few meetings are jam-packed with major decisions to be made.
Of course, there are always future issues to which Council has committed for the upcoming year, but it's best if a new Council can take them on from square one instead of half-way through – we rarely start anything new at that late point in the term.
The outgoing Council has its final meeting in late October, and continues to serve up until the day the incoming Council first meets. I'll talk more about that in a future post.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
What does it take to be a Councillor?
[The following items were posted in the run-up to the 2012 elections, and arose in a series of online information meetings.]
Thanks to all those who turned out to get more information about running for Council. Best of luck to each of you in the election.
A number of questions came up repeatedly over the evening. At the risk of discouraging attendance at the final session, I've posted the questions and answers below. If you have further questions to which you'd like to see answers posted, please get in touch.
What is the core time commitment for Council?
What about missed meetings due to contracts?
What about the time commitment between meetings?
What about committee work?
I run a small theatre company – is that a conflict of interest?
What are the big issues on the horizon?
Will there be a steep learning curve to participation on Council?
Do I need a "platform" to run on?
What is the core time commitment for Council?
The principal time commitment is to attend meetings. There are ten meetings per year; seven are 2-hour conference calls / web-conferences, and the other three are two-day in-person meetings, generally held in Toronto. Travel and accommodation expenses for the in-person meetings are covered, of course. If you are unable to attend in person on occasion, Council also arranges telephone conferencing participation for those meetings. However, in-person attendance is encouraged if at all possible; those are the meetings where Council digs into its biggest and most complex topics, and being present in the room is greatly preferable for efficient and effective discussion.
The not-so-fine print: serial non-attendance (missing three entire meetings in a row) will result in automatic removal from Council – it is important that your constituency receives the representation it deserves.
What about missed meetings due to contracts?
Obviously, we're all in the same boat in that regard, so occasional absence is accommodated. First off, our usual meeting day is Mondays, which works well with the majority of contracts. If you know that you will be unavoidably absent for three meetings in a row due to contract obligations, you can ask for a leave of absence for that period. However, this accommodation can only be used once per term. Because of the conference call option, Councillors generally find the attendance requirement quite manageable, even if work obligations mean they miss a couple of meetings each year.
What about the time commitment between meetings?
In general, the largest between-meeting time obligation will be preparing for each meeting. Councillors are sent the meeting package 10 days in advance of the meeting, so they have ample time to review the information; it can generally be done in less than an hour.
What about committee work?
Council operates with very few standing committees, and a couple of cyclical ones (the election committee, for instance.) Additional committees will occasionally be struck to tackle specific topics, but presumably if you put your hand up for one of those, you will already have an investment in the topic. Council does not have any "habitual" committees that need to be filled just so that we can say we have one. If we need one for something, we create it. When it's done its work, we dissolve it. As well as preventing the usual proliferation of board committees, it helps keep Councillor committee work much more manageable.
I run a small theatre company – is that a conflict of interest?
Several current Councillors are in the same position. As a general rule, Council has found them to be in a "manageable" conflict, which essentially means that they are expected to withdraw from discussion or debate if the topic strays into the realm of conflict. They can otherwise fully take part in the business of Council.
In practice, recusal is very rarely needed, since Council's discussion is generally at such an "umbrella" level, that conflict of interest for an individual theatre is unlikely. Either way, Councillors are expected to represent the membership as artists engaged for various productions, and the ability to set aside one's "engager hat" when serving on Council is essential. Candidates expecting to serve in an engager capacity are likely to find councillor-ship very unsatisfying.
What are the big issues on the horizon?
The past three Councils have worked very hard to clear the agenda of issues that have been pending for a long time: insurance, diversity, reevaluation of the joining process, independent theatre, greater involvement of the membership in the negotiation/review of scale agreements, safe and respectful workplaces, etc.
Coming up, we want to improve how Council communicates with the membership - electronic communication is a much larger element than it used to be, but we still can't ignore the direct contact and outreach. Finding a new balance in that area, with guidance from the membership, will be important.
Beyond that, it's largely an open question. It will definitely be time in the next term to go back out to the membership with a general "Now what?" question, to chart the course forward on what the membership tells us are the current priorities for them. And then, of course, for Council to act on what it learns.
Will there be a steep learning curve to participation on Council?
A bit: steep-ish, but no more than a couple of meetings, and navigated with lots of help. Unlike many boards, where one is expected to pick it up as one goes along, Council prioritises training right off the bat. The first meeting will be three days long, which will largely be devoted to learning about how Council operates (the practical mechanics as well as the general principles) and other key aspects of governance. With that training under your belt, and a bit of guidance from returning Councillors, you'll feel comfortable with the process and responsibilities in no time.
Thanks to all those who turned out to get more information about running for Council. Best of luck to each of you in the election.
A number of questions came up repeatedly over the evening. At the risk of discouraging attendance at the final session, I've posted the questions and answers below. If you have further questions to which you'd like to see answers posted, please get in touch.
What is the core time commitment for Council?
What about missed meetings due to contracts?
What about the time commitment between meetings?
What about committee work?
I run a small theatre company – is that a conflict of interest?
What are the big issues on the horizon?
Will there be a steep learning curve to participation on Council?
Do I need a "platform" to run on?
What is the core time commitment for Council?
The principal time commitment is to attend meetings. There are ten meetings per year; seven are 2-hour conference calls / web-conferences, and the other three are two-day in-person meetings, generally held in Toronto. Travel and accommodation expenses for the in-person meetings are covered, of course. If you are unable to attend in person on occasion, Council also arranges telephone conferencing participation for those meetings. However, in-person attendance is encouraged if at all possible; those are the meetings where Council digs into its biggest and most complex topics, and being present in the room is greatly preferable for efficient and effective discussion.
The not-so-fine print: serial non-attendance (missing three entire meetings in a row) will result in automatic removal from Council – it is important that your constituency receives the representation it deserves.
What about missed meetings due to contracts?
Obviously, we're all in the same boat in that regard, so occasional absence is accommodated. First off, our usual meeting day is Mondays, which works well with the majority of contracts. If you know that you will be unavoidably absent for three meetings in a row due to contract obligations, you can ask for a leave of absence for that period. However, this accommodation can only be used once per term. Because of the conference call option, Councillors generally find the attendance requirement quite manageable, even if work obligations mean they miss a couple of meetings each year.
What about the time commitment between meetings?
In general, the largest between-meeting time obligation will be preparing for each meeting. Councillors are sent the meeting package 10 days in advance of the meeting, so they have ample time to review the information; it can generally be done in less than an hour.
What about committee work?
Council operates with very few standing committees, and a couple of cyclical ones (the election committee, for instance.) Additional committees will occasionally be struck to tackle specific topics, but presumably if you put your hand up for one of those, you will already have an investment in the topic. Council does not have any "habitual" committees that need to be filled just so that we can say we have one. If we need one for something, we create it. When it's done its work, we dissolve it. As well as preventing the usual proliferation of board committees, it helps keep Councillor committee work much more manageable.
I run a small theatre company – is that a conflict of interest?
Several current Councillors are in the same position. As a general rule, Council has found them to be in a "manageable" conflict, which essentially means that they are expected to withdraw from discussion or debate if the topic strays into the realm of conflict. They can otherwise fully take part in the business of Council.
In practice, recusal is very rarely needed, since Council's discussion is generally at such an "umbrella" level, that conflict of interest for an individual theatre is unlikely. Either way, Councillors are expected to represent the membership as artists engaged for various productions, and the ability to set aside one's "engager hat" when serving on Council is essential. Candidates expecting to serve in an engager capacity are likely to find councillor-ship very unsatisfying.
What are the big issues on the horizon?
The past three Councils have worked very hard to clear the agenda of issues that have been pending for a long time: insurance, diversity, reevaluation of the joining process, independent theatre, greater involvement of the membership in the negotiation/review of scale agreements, safe and respectful workplaces, etc.
Coming up, we want to improve how Council communicates with the membership - electronic communication is a much larger element than it used to be, but we still can't ignore the direct contact and outreach. Finding a new balance in that area, with guidance from the membership, will be important.
Beyond that, it's largely an open question. It will definitely be time in the next term to go back out to the membership with a general "Now what?" question, to chart the course forward on what the membership tells us are the current priorities for them. And then, of course, for Council to act on what it learns.
Will there be a steep learning curve to participation on Council?
A bit: steep-ish, but no more than a couple of meetings, and navigated with lots of help. Unlike many boards, where one is expected to pick it up as one goes along, Council prioritises training right off the bat. The first meeting will be three days long, which will largely be devoted to learning about how Council operates (the practical mechanics as well as the general principles) and other key aspects of governance. With that training under your belt, and a bit of guidance from returning Councillors, you'll feel comfortable with the process and responsibilities in no time.
Back to the top
Yes and no.
The no part... When you agree to serve on the board, you agree to serve on behalf of the entire membership, not just on behalf of people from your region or personal theatre community. It's most accurate to think of Councillors as serving "from" a constituency, rather than "for" a constituency.
Any member, regardless of whether or not they sit on Council can propose topics for Council consideration, so sitting on Council is not one's sole opportunity to bring forward a specific issue. Everyone has that opportunity, year round. Besides, focussing on a specific platform tends to attract a very narrow band of voters, and Equity is nothing if not diverse in its views and approach to theatre.
The yes part... By serving on Council, you will be part of helping to make Equity better, and work better, for all members, so that is really the core of every Councillor's platform. Council takes its direction from the whole spectrum of the membership. For a broader exploration of the panoramic approach that Council and its members take to the work of governance, see my earlier post on Council Basics.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
"Virtual Green Room" election chats scheduled
Thinking of running for Council?
Serving on Council is an important commitment. If elected, your colleagues will be counting on you to help govern Equity on their behalf, and that is no small responsibility. If you’re on the fence about running and there is something you desperately need to know before you make the leap, here is your chance.
Join President Allan Teichman for an informal online/telephone chat to learn about how Council works, what is expected of Councillors, and…really to field any questions you may want to have answered before you throw your hat into the ring. (Or even if you already have!) It’s just me, my phone and my webcam (you don’t need one yourself) and probably a cat or two. Heck, you could even join the conversation just to find out what my basement looks like.
Log in or phone in at any point during the times below, and I’ll take questions as long as the coffee holds out.
Monday, August 13
8:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Tuesday, August 28
9:00 p.m.- midnight ET
By phone: 1-888-289-4573 / participant code: 9390733#
Online: caea.adobeconnect.com/election2012/
Note:If you choose to join the online version, select "guest" on the log in screen.
Serving on Council is an important commitment. If elected, your colleagues will be counting on you to help govern Equity on their behalf, and that is no small responsibility. If you’re on the fence about running and there is something you desperately need to know before you make the leap, here is your chance.
Join President Allan Teichman for an informal online/telephone chat to learn about how Council works, what is expected of Councillors, and…really to field any questions you may want to have answered before you throw your hat into the ring. (Or even if you already have!) It’s just me, my phone and my webcam (you don’t need one yourself) and probably a cat or two. Heck, you could even join the conversation just to find out what my basement looks like.
Log in or phone in at any point during the times below, and I’ll take questions as long as the coffee holds out.
8:00-11:00 p.m. ET
9:00 p.m.- midnight ET
Online: caea.adobeconnect.com/election2012/
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
New Council Advisory Structure Planned
The following is an expanded reprint of the Spring 2012 EQ and Council Link columns on this topic. Those who have already read both will find the additional material in the Q&A section toward the end.
Historically, Council has been assisted by a slate of elected regional advisories, currently named Council Policy Advisory Groups, or CPAGs. Over the years, the role of the advisories has changed considerably, and the CPAGs themselves have been asking Council to reconsider their structure and goals for a while now. Something else has evolved over time as well, and that is Council’s increased ability to consult directly with the membership on a national basis. The traditional idea that the only way to hear from members is to get them together in a room is long overdue for re-evaluation.
Members seem to come together far better around issues of interest, and those advisories that were the most successful in engaging with the membership during the past two terms had chosen a topic around which to focus their work. Another impetus for change arose during the recent dues referendum, when members clearly indicated to Council that they need us to reappraise our traditional choices.
At its most recent in-person meeting, Council decided to take a bold step away from “but, we’ve always done it that way” thinking, and to implement a new member input approach. Beginning in November, Equity will move to a more flexible system of issue-based advisories.
These advisories will no longer be elected as a matter of course, but will instead be formed when and where the members tell us one is needed. Council can either create one itself (such as the Independent Theatre Review Committee), or representative groups can apply to create one on a topic of their choosing (such as for repertory theatre, diversity, small-scale opera, or even for a geographical region). Either way, Council will facilitate and provide resources for advisory work, and the advisories will report directly to Council. We expect that the slate of committees will change over time as needs dictate, but the list of advisories will now be determined by what you tell us is necessary, and not by rote adherence to a static structure.
Council anticipates that this new approach will be far more effective than the traditional one, and will allow members to come together around important topics of common interest. As part of our election process, we will be asking for proposals for advisories to be created right off the top of the term, but they can also be created at any point during a term upon application by a representative and reasonable number of members at large.
Council expects that members may have some questions regarding the new format, so I’ve tried to anticipate a few of them here.
Q: Why is Council making this change?
A: Council is moving to a different advisory structure because the CPAG members from the past two terms have consistently told us that our traditional approach is no longer effective, and needs to change. While the regional advisories have long had a general assignment to connect with the members about, well, whatever they wanted to talk about, the CPAGs find that mandate to be far too vague to be useful. The most productive committees over the past two terms have always chosen a core topic around which to focus their discussion and efforts. When you think about it, even at the traditional members’ meetings, what is most likely to encourage good attendance is a hot topic, not hot hors d’oeuvres. By changing to a series of issue-based advisories, we’re taking our cue from what years of experience have taught us is most effective.
Q: What is the difference between the old system and the new?
A: Put in blunt terms, the current situation is that, every three years, we go out and beat the bushes to try and gather 73 members willing to fill the seats on the 13 regional advisories that bylaws tell us we need to have. With some additional recruiting after the elections, we generally manage to get about 80-85% of the people required, however some seats remain vacant for the full term. Of those we do get, most are acclaimed to the position, so there are relatively few people actually elected in the first place. Then, when the CPAGs first get together to meet, they are presented with a rather vague agenda, the key element of which is that the CPAG has to exist because…um…well, that’s what bylaws say needs to happen. The rest is largely up to the CPAG to figure out.
In short, we populate 13 regional committees with several dozen people, who all arrive with their own individual interests, many of whom were cajoled into participating in the first place, and who are then expected to fulfil an ill-defined mandate. On top of that, because of the long commitment required, there is a fair amount of churn over the course of a term. This is not exactly a recipe for organisational success, and their effectiveness has been pretty much what one would expect under those circumstances.
As noted earlier, the CPAGs that achieved the greatest member engagement were the ones who succeeded in identifying an issue of common interest and focussing on it. Moving to a flexible set of issue-based advisories builds on that approach and has the following benefits:
A: The new advisories will be created and composed in a very similar way to the current Directors, Choreographers and Fight Directors CPAG, and the recent Independent Theatre Review Committee. Either Council or the membership at large may call for the creation of an advisory to deal with matters related to a particular topic. Those issues may be discipline-related (such as the current DCFD advisory), national (such as the ITRC), or issue-oriented (such as a Diversity advisory). They can even be regional or local, where the will and need to create such an advisory exists. A Councillor will be appointed as a liaison, and then the committee will be created from the membership at large, with the representation appropriate to the topic.
Q: If the traditional CPAGs no longer exist, won’t that make it more difficult for members to connect with Council?
A: This change will actually create a much more direct and focussed input mechanism than we have had in the past. As always, members can connect with their Councillor(s) any time. Contact information is available via the Governance link on the main page of EQUITYONLINE, or by calling either office.
Members can also directly propose a topic for the Council agenda, using the Request for Council Consideration (RfCC) form found at EQUITYONLINE, or by mailing it into the national office. This option is available year round. Members will receive a follow-up contact within 2 business days of receipt, and immediate email confirmation if the request is submitted online.
If there is a specific issue that may need to be addressed in detail, members will now have the ability to propose and form a Council advisory for that express purpose. Previously, there was no formal mechanism for doing such a thing. Applications will be handled online, or by calling either office. It’s easy, and can usually be arranged by the next Council meeting.
Sometimes the most effective way to connect with members is still to collect a bunch of them together in the same room, and we’ll facilitate that, too. Regional Councillors will continue to have the ability to organise membership meetings as the need arises.
Q: Sounds good – why on earth didn’t Council think of this earlier?
A: Actually, we did. Council first considered a change similar to this back in 2005, but we figured it would be a tough sell for the membership. Our members are no different than most people – we have a strong attachment to existing approaches, and tend to view change with suspicion. However, after two terms’ worth of CPAG members asking us to fix the system, we figure if they know it’s not working, maybe it’s time to take the plunge.
It is.
Historically, Council has been assisted by a slate of elected regional advisories, currently named Council Policy Advisory Groups, or CPAGs. Over the years, the role of the advisories has changed considerably, and the CPAGs themselves have been asking Council to reconsider their structure and goals for a while now. Something else has evolved over time as well, and that is Council’s increased ability to consult directly with the membership on a national basis. The traditional idea that the only way to hear from members is to get them together in a room is long overdue for re-evaluation.
Members seem to come together far better around issues of interest, and those advisories that were the most successful in engaging with the membership during the past two terms had chosen a topic around which to focus their work. Another impetus for change arose during the recent dues referendum, when members clearly indicated to Council that they need us to reappraise our traditional choices.
At its most recent in-person meeting, Council decided to take a bold step away from “but, we’ve always done it that way” thinking, and to implement a new member input approach. Beginning in November, Equity will move to a more flexible system of issue-based advisories.
These advisories will no longer be elected as a matter of course, but will instead be formed when and where the members tell us one is needed. Council can either create one itself (such as the Independent Theatre Review Committee), or representative groups can apply to create one on a topic of their choosing (such as for repertory theatre, diversity, small-scale opera, or even for a geographical region). Either way, Council will facilitate and provide resources for advisory work, and the advisories will report directly to Council. We expect that the slate of committees will change over time as needs dictate, but the list of advisories will now be determined by what you tell us is necessary, and not by rote adherence to a static structure.
Council anticipates that this new approach will be far more effective than the traditional one, and will allow members to come together around important topics of common interest. As part of our election process, we will be asking for proposals for advisories to be created right off the top of the term, but they can also be created at any point during a term upon application by a representative and reasonable number of members at large.
Council expects that members may have some questions regarding the new format, so I’ve tried to anticipate a few of them here.
Q: Why is Council making this change?
A: Council is moving to a different advisory structure because the CPAG members from the past two terms have consistently told us that our traditional approach is no longer effective, and needs to change. While the regional advisories have long had a general assignment to connect with the members about, well, whatever they wanted to talk about, the CPAGs find that mandate to be far too vague to be useful. The most productive committees over the past two terms have always chosen a core topic around which to focus their discussion and efforts. When you think about it, even at the traditional members’ meetings, what is most likely to encourage good attendance is a hot topic, not hot hors d’oeuvres. By changing to a series of issue-based advisories, we’re taking our cue from what years of experience have taught us is most effective.
Q: What is the difference between the old system and the new?
A: Put in blunt terms, the current situation is that, every three years, we go out and beat the bushes to try and gather 73 members willing to fill the seats on the 13 regional advisories that bylaws tell us we need to have. With some additional recruiting after the elections, we generally manage to get about 80-85% of the people required, however some seats remain vacant for the full term. Of those we do get, most are acclaimed to the position, so there are relatively few people actually elected in the first place. Then, when the CPAGs first get together to meet, they are presented with a rather vague agenda, the key element of which is that the CPAG has to exist because…um…well, that’s what bylaws say needs to happen. The rest is largely up to the CPAG to figure out.
In short, we populate 13 regional committees with several dozen people, who all arrive with their own individual interests, many of whom were cajoled into participating in the first place, and who are then expected to fulfil an ill-defined mandate. On top of that, because of the long commitment required, there is a fair amount of churn over the course of a term. This is not exactly a recipe for organisational success, and their effectiveness has been pretty much what one would expect under those circumstances.
As noted earlier, the CPAGs that achieved the greatest member engagement were the ones who succeeded in identifying an issue of common interest and focussing on it. Moving to a flexible set of issue-based advisories builds on that approach and has the following benefits:
- Advisories get created because the current members tell us one is needed, not because a decades-old bylaw says one has to exist in case it is needed.
- There are never any empty seats, because the advisory doesn’t exist unless the members tell us it needs to.
- Members don’t have to be strong-armed into filling the seats, because each committee will be born of an issue we already know to be a hot topic for the members.
- Members don’t need to agree to serve for 3-year terms. If the work of the committee can be completed in less time, then the committee dissolves when its work is done.
- No committee has a vague mandate – the existence of a clear issue and expected committee product on that issue is the precursor to the committee’s very existence.
- Support resources do not need to be split 13 ways. We anticipate having around 4-6 active committees on the go at any point, so as each topic comes to a head, it can expect to have the resources necessary to complete its work.
A: The new advisories will be created and composed in a very similar way to the current Directors, Choreographers and Fight Directors CPAG, and the recent Independent Theatre Review Committee. Either Council or the membership at large may call for the creation of an advisory to deal with matters related to a particular topic. Those issues may be discipline-related (such as the current DCFD advisory), national (such as the ITRC), or issue-oriented (such as a Diversity advisory). They can even be regional or local, where the will and need to create such an advisory exists. A Councillor will be appointed as a liaison, and then the committee will be created from the membership at large, with the representation appropriate to the topic.
Q: If the traditional CPAGs no longer exist, won’t that make it more difficult for members to connect with Council?
A: This change will actually create a much more direct and focussed input mechanism than we have had in the past. As always, members can connect with their Councillor(s) any time. Contact information is available via the Governance link on the main page of EQUITYONLINE, or by calling either office.
Members can also directly propose a topic for the Council agenda, using the Request for Council Consideration (RfCC) form found at EQUITYONLINE, or by mailing it into the national office. This option is available year round. Members will receive a follow-up contact within 2 business days of receipt, and immediate email confirmation if the request is submitted online.
If there is a specific issue that may need to be addressed in detail, members will now have the ability to propose and form a Council advisory for that express purpose. Previously, there was no formal mechanism for doing such a thing. Applications will be handled online, or by calling either office. It’s easy, and can usually be arranged by the next Council meeting.
Sometimes the most effective way to connect with members is still to collect a bunch of them together in the same room, and we’ll facilitate that, too. Regional Councillors will continue to have the ability to organise membership meetings as the need arises.
Q: Sounds good – why on earth didn’t Council think of this earlier?
A: Actually, we did. Council first considered a change similar to this back in 2005, but we figured it would be a tough sell for the membership. Our members are no different than most people – we have a strong attachment to existing approaches, and tend to view change with suspicion. However, after two terms’ worth of CPAG members asking us to fix the system, we figure if they know it’s not working, maybe it’s time to take the plunge.
It is.
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