|
 By
David Honour, editor, Continuity Central.
The next few months will be vital ones for
the BCI. It is going through an unprecedented level of change, precipitated
by the resignation earlier this year of its chief executive officer,
John Sharp, who is due to leave his post by the end of May.
John and his wife Ann, the BCI’s administration
manager, will be replaced by three new staff members, testament
to their hard and successful work running the Institute over the
past few years and the significant growth that has occurred. The
role of CEO will be split into two, with interviews commencing last
Tuesday (4th May) for a senior executive with responsibility for
membership services and an administration officer. Initial recruitment
has focussed on the maintenance of membership services and consequently
an executive director will be appointed at a later date. The new
staff are expected to be based in a new BCI office in Reading (UK)
which will be let under commercial arrangements.
The current changes have proved the catalyst
for much general discussion within the business continuity industry
about the future of the Institute. Concerns can be roughly categorised
as follows:
1) Leadership
Although there are those within the industry who disagree with some
of the decisions he has taken on behalf of the BCI, there is no
doubt that John provided strong leadership and direction for the
BCI. It appears that the role of CEO is being diluted in the new
appointments and, if this is the case, the BCI board will now have
to give a stronger lead and will need to be deeply involved in day-to-day
decision making, especially until the executive director is appointed.
However, there are two clear risks with this approach. The first
is that since the BCI board changes regularly, there may be lack
of continuity and long term vision in directing and managing the
Institute. The second is that decision making will inevitably take
longer, since the BCI board is made up of volunteers who have their
own ‘real’ job to attend to and since, inevitably, important
decisions will be referred to committees.
Asked to comment on the above, the BCI’s
communications officer Julia Graham, stated: “As you might
expect of those who are associated with business continuity and
the BCI Board and Executive, we are considering these issues and
making relevant plans - in terms of day to day management and contingent
arrangements. We are also progressing a replacement for the CEO
role.”
2) Lack of value
One of the biggest challenges that the BCI Board needs to address
is the perception by some members that the Institute presents poor
value for money. Although this isn’t an issue that I can see
personally, it is a perception that needs taking seriously since
the long term future of the BCI relies on retaining existing members.
Julia Graham: “I agree that
this is a perception and one sadly I think from my experience that
many professional institutes recognise, share and must manage.”
Some corporate members have also expressed
disquiet about the value for money they receive for their sponsorship
money. Understandably, companies want their ‘pound of flesh’
and while they are prepared to be altruistic up to a point, they
also want to see a return in terms of marketing opportunities to
BCI members and support in reaching new prospects.
Julia Graham: “We are a professional
institute and must not cross the ethical line.
We are proud of our position in this respect and make no apology
for this.
That said, I am personally unaware of such disquiet but would be
very happy to know what this is and to address with those that make
such comment.”
3) Lack of communication
Another bugbear for some members is the lack of regular information
that comes out of the Institute. It is felt that both e-mail and
the BCI website could be utilised much more effectively for regular
activity updates and for obtaining feedback from members on important
developments. For example, there is still some bad-feeling that
the PAS 56 guidelines were developed without sufficient input from
BCI members [Update: see clarification at end of article]
. With a full time staff member devoted to membership services many
members will expect to hear much more frequently from their Institute.
Julia Graham: “Always happy
to receive constructive comment and will try harder. However you
do of course explain a key reason for our recruitment policy.”
4) Financial stability
The BCI is currently in a reasonably healthy situation, but it is
certainly not a cash-rich organisation. Its current reserves have
mainly been generated because it has been operated very cost effectively
from a home office. Once the new arrangements are put in place and
once the executive director role is filled, the Institute will be
significantly more expensive to run. A strong revenue growth strategy
will need to be quickly forthcoming if the coffers are not to rapidly
run dry.
Julia Graham: “The BCI is sound
but not cash rich, and finances are realistically raised and managed.
The fixed costs going forward will be higher but we need to invest
to grow.”
5) Global issues
The BCI has faced criticism in the past for being too UK-oriented,
and to some extent this has probably been fair comment. It was born
out of Survive, at a time when that organisation was extremely UK-focussed,
and has always been located and managed in the UK. The decision
to recruit for its current new staff and to locate its new head
office in the UK will do nothing to dispel the perception. However,
if the BCI is to grow and prosper, the need to be seen to be a truly
international Institute will become ever greater and, again, members
will expect to see the board offer a clear strategy for taking the
BCI forward in this area. There have been suggestions that the BCI
and the Disaster Recovery Institute International should hold discussions
on working more closely together and even that they should consider
merging.
Julia Graham: “We have to grow
within our ability to deliver. We are an international institute
but realistically with a staff of three we need this team to be
located in one country.
“Longer term if our plans and the delivery
of these indicate we can sustain growth of a support infrastructure
outside the UK then we will clearly investigate and may pursue this.
Meanwhile we use and will continue to use technology to communicate
our messages and support our members internationally, underpinned
by our active overseas "chapters" and their members. You
will have noted that our Board membership is not UK-centric.”
The business continuity industry needs the
BCI. It needs a strong Institute with a clear vision built from
a good understanding of the needs and desires of its members. It
needs an Institute that will continue to be active in leading the
development of business continuity standards around the world and
whose opinions are respected by governments, vendors and members
alike. Members need an Institute that will resource their continued
professional development. And the business world in general needs
an Institute that can clearly, loudly, and consistently make the
case that business continuity management should be taken seriously
by every organisation.
Julia Graham: “Hear, hear !!!!”
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UPDATE: CLARIFICATION
"I would like to clarify the position
regarding the BCI involvement in the development of PAS 56 which
is British Standards Institution's Guide to Business Continuity
Management. The BCI were one of the sponsors of PAS 56 which is
owned and published by BSI. This guide was developed by representatives
from central and local government, retail, logistics, insurance,
telecommunications, information technology and consultancy services.
63% of the representatives were BCI members. The BSI require that
those working on such projects represent a broad cross industry
sector. I was delighted that the BCI was able to have such a major
influence on the development of this important BSI document which
has achieved considerable national and international sales."
John Sharp, CEO BCI
•Date:
14th May 2004 •Region: UK/World •Type:
Article •Topic: BC
general
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