Over the last few months, APA’s Board of Directors, Council of Representatives, boards and committees, and divisions have had the opportunity to meet and participate in initial efforts to gather data on potential updates to the strategic plan.
I am pleased to share with you what we have done so far, where we are, and where we are heading with the process of updating APA’s strategic plan.
- We began 2023 in conversation with APA’s Board of Directors at their January retreat. We shared both examples (PDF, 1.78MB)opens in new window of the momentum the association is gaining because of the strategic vision that Council adopted in 2019, and the evolving challenges we have experienced in advancing these goals. The Board participated in a future-focused exercise and affirmed the importance of this year’s strategic plan update process being inclusive, iterative, engaging, and critically, forward-looking.
- In February, Council took part in a strategic visioning tabletop exercise (PDF, 211KB)opens in new window during its February meeting. One clear takeaway was that Council members see APA as having impact both through the issues we work on and the different ways in which we are working. Also, there was recognition of the challenges inherent in representing the entire field of psychology and leveraging the expertise of our broad membership.
- Boards and committees took part in a strategic visioning exercise, immediately following APA’s Spring Consolidated Meetings in March. These leaders provided feedback on the aspects of the strategic plan that have been most useful, as well as those that have presented challenges. They also identified the issues they see as most important to psychology in the coming years and how these issues can be addressed through the association’s strategy.
- Through meetings with cohorts of division leaders, we have sought their insights on the key issues facing psychology over the next 3–5 years. They noted several important topics, including misinformation, disinformation, and social media; training and pipeline issues; equity, diversity, and inclusion; basic science and research; and the relationship between masters- and PhD-level psychologists.
The rich input collected in all of these sessions and conversations will both inform the update to the plan and shape further questions. Next in the data collection phase is gathering information from additional leaders and members (through a member survey, conducted in June 2023) to determine where changes to the plan will fuel greater effectiveness, efficiency, and impact. As we continue to gather input from across the association, we are synthesizing what we hear and will be returning to groups to ensure that we have a solid understanding of the feedback they have provided.
There will be multiple upcoming opportunities to inform APA’s strategic plan update. In the months leading up to August’s Council meeting, we will hold focus groups, individual interviews, and survey the broader APA membership, as well as staff. You can also provide your input to us directly at any time.
Given all the challenges we face as a society, assessing our strategic progress is an important opportunity to recalibrate and optimize our work as we move forward. Thanks to those who have already shared their thoughts—to everyone else, we look forward to your input, as it is critical to ensuring APA continues to gain momentum in achieving our strategic goals, advancing our field, and having a positive impact on people’s lives and our broader society.