Peak bodies across all Australian industries range from the lacklustre to the outstanding when it comes to performance. Unfortunately, the implication is that most peak bodies fall into the middle – they are mediocre.
It is the underperforming bodies that are the source of wariness by businesses when it comes to weighing up the value of having a peak body and choosing to be part of it.
There are many reasons why a peak body can underperform. Most often, they either don’t have a compelling value proposition for the majority of industry businesses and the majority of production value.
Or their services don’t deliver on the promise.
Lack of scale and critical mass of representativeness is another common shortcoming. While businesses have tended towards consolidation and scale across value chains, in many cases this has not occurred with industry bodies.
Instead, fragmentation is common, along with excessive bureaucracy in the form of multiple committees, which slows decision-making and dilutes the impact and authority of a peak body.
Most industry bodies fall well short of what is possible, and for many good people in an industry, the implications of not having an effective peak body are quite serious.
On a positive note, there are examples of modern peak bodies that are having a powerful influence on the prosperity of their industries. It can and is being done.
The question is not so much whether to have a peak body, but how to ensure it is a highly effective body that will be valued by industry businesses.
The choice is always available to innovate with an existing peak body or create a new organisation that is modern, world class and has the capacity to exert a level of influence that truly reflects the scale and significance of your industry.
The good news is that leaders and members can choose to have a peak body that stands out from the crowd when it comes to creating true business value for members.
To find out how to succeed with innovation for your industry peak body, contact us.