At the Fall meeting of the SIOP Executive Committee, the Executive Committee and Committee Chairs began a process of strategic planning for SIOP. Our goal is to develop and articulate a vision of where SIOP should be heading over the next 10 years, and what sort of an organization we want to be 10 years from now. We plan to continue this process at our Winter meeting, and we have been soliciting input from members through a variety of media, including a call for input that was posted on the SIOP Web site shortly after our Fall Meeting (See http://www.siop.org/siop2007.html). We will continue to seek your input and suggestions at a strategic planning session at the upcoming SIOP conference.

Our previous efforts at strategic planning have yielded considerable benefits (the Society Conference and the Frontiers and Professional Practice series grew in part out of these efforts), and we have high hopes for the current effort. The stimulus for this strategic planning effort is the tremendous success of SIOP, and more generally of the field of I/O psychology. SIOP is growing at an amazing rate (the current count of Fellows, Members, Associates, Foreign Affiliates and student affiliates exceeds 5,000). Our annual conference is bigger and better each year. Sales of books in the Frontiers and Professional Practice series are robust, and the combined income from the conference and book sales has put us in a very sound financial position. The SIOP administrative office is a model of efficiency and effectiveness. The SIOP Foundation is raising funds to support a wide range of possible initiatives. All of this gives us the resources and capability to do many things we have only talked about over the years. Our task now is to identify the goals and objectives that SIOP should most actively pursue.

One way to think about what SIOP should do for its members is to take stock of what SIOP currently does. As you will see from the partial listing below, SIOP is active on a number of fronts; our strategic challenge is to maintain and build on a record of success.

The Bylaws of SIOP note that the Society undertakes a variety of activities to: advance the science and practice of I/O psychology, facilitate the exchange of information and experience among members, improve opportunities and standards for training and development, facilitate the growth and development of the field, foster cooperative relations with allied groups and professions, and contribute to the broad advancement of psychology. These activities include scientific and professional conferences (e.g., annual SIOP conference, high-quality programs at annual conference of APA), workshops, books dealing with issues in both science and practice (e.g., the Frontiers and Professional Practice series), activities in support of graduate education and professional training (e.g., consortia, training guidelines, brochures such as The Science and Practice of Industrial and Organizational Psychology), and reports on issues of importance to science and practice (e.g., Affirmative Action: A Review of Psychological and Behavioral Research). SIOP issues important and influential statements about the practice of psychology in organizations (e.g., Principles for Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures). Its committees monitor laws, regulations, and public policies affecting I/O psychology, and it recognizes and encourages excellence in the science and practice of I/O psychology (e.g., fellowships, awards). The newly created SIOP Foundation is extremely active in building a substantial endowment to support SIOP’s present and future activities. The SIOP Administrative Office provides an extremely wide range of services to members, including developing and maintaining a Membership Directory and a web site (www.siop.org), book sales, and providing information and referral to members and nonmembers interested in our activities.

This list of activities above is far from comprehensive. Several hundred Members and Fellows are involved in SIOP Committees and Task Forces, providing a wide range of information and services to our members. Outside observers often note that SIOP is a model for effective and efficient professional societies, and I think they are right. In part because of the success of many of the activities outlined above, SIOP is now in a position to significantly expand its services to the membership and the profession.

We have received a number of suggestions for new ventures, including a more substantial involvement in undergraduate education, electronic publishing, and providing financial support for students (e.g., scholarships), research, and for activities aimed at increasing the links between science and practice in I/O psychology. Over the next few months, we will attempt to integrate the many proposals and suggestions we have received and develop a broad vision of where SIOP should be heading over the next 10 years, and how the Society can best serve its members. We ask for your continuing input (the web site noted at the beginning of this article provides information for submitting suggestions), and look forward to discussing strategic plans for the society at this year’s conference.