A New Operating Policy Growth causes complex problems, but ACS continues to balance business efficiency against prompt, personal service Associated with the growth of the American Chemical Society from 85 founding members in .1876 to over 91,000 members in 1901 has come a eontmuuin of formidable administrative challenges-financial, organizational, editorial, scientific, arid professional, Always interwoven among these is the intricate problem of charting a bal anced course for AC'S headquarters operations which conforms to sound business practices and at the same time pro\ ides a maximum of prompt and friendly professional scientific, and personal service to the membership. During the early period of the Society's growth, when the number of members was comparatively small, both business and professional con tacts with them could be handled on a relatively informal and personal basis. Through a small, closely knit staff using hand operations, attention could be given to detail and strict adherence to prescribed regulations while providing personal arid almost individual service to each member. Growth of the Soviet)" to its current size (members, local sections, divi sions, publications, eteA has brought great volume and even greater com plexity to headquarters operations. Few members understand fulh the ex tent of these changes, especially the complexity. Adding more "hands" through increased stall has not in it self provided, and likely will not in the future provide, for the maintenance of the degree of individualized member service of the past and that desired for the future. Mechanization of many operations heretofore (lone by hand became an oh\ ions necessity a few years ago. While this will result in a faster han dling of volume, it will also produce some member discontent because of
its impersonal nature. It is only hu man for people to resent being what used to be referred to as a "cog in a wheel** but more recently as **a punched card/' The change will be most evident to members of long standing because of past intensive efforts to personalize contacts of all kinds. Self-Kvaluation
Program
Headquarters staff has recognized that what is needed along with our conversion to mechanized operations is a careful and thorough icview and evaluation of operation procedures. This has been a periodic exercise for 25 years. An organized, comprehen sive, and intensified program of this kind has been an integral part of our conxersion from manual to mechanical operations. This is not a program of self-criticism but rather a program of self-evaluation—a thoughtful question ing of why we are earning out certain operations in the present manner. If this questioning brings an answer that an operation is perfectly sound from both a business and member-service point of \iew. then it should be con tinued. If the answer is not satisfac tory, then the operation should be studied more carefully and eliminated or revised. Viewing our total staff operations from the inside one can ask a number of questions-flow many complaints and misunderstandings do we bring upon ourselves through faulty com munications?: how many of our pro cedures are "operation" oriented rather than "member" oriented?; how many unnecessary restrictions do we have?; how main" of our Bylaws. Regulations, or procedures are difficult or costly to enforce?; how much time do we spend
This report was prepared by Alden H. Emery. Executive Secretary, for the members of the Board of Directors for their meeting on June 9. It is included in this issue at the suggestion of the Board of Directors and takes the place of the regular "Secretary's Office."
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on detail as compared with major mat ters? In the answers to these ques tions well may lie the key to continued smooth. economical, and orderh growth, lour Executive Secretary recently became a "Quarter Century' employee of the AC'S, fie and a few others in this category have observed many changes in the Society during their time oi service. The current selfevaluation program is but one of many hi which headquarters staff has ou traged during the past 25 years. Al most invariably these reviews and eval uations have been prompted by the iZrow th in ACS membership and acthities. But always important in the studies lune been chanm'ng needs and altered personal desires of the mem bers. The growth curve of the American Chemical Society shows the steepest slope during the past 15 to 20 years. Two decades ago the ACS was an or ganization of considerable stature, yet small enough for Society officials, both elected and appointed, to know a sub stantial proportion of the members. Today it is the world's largest Society devoted to a simile science. With this urowth came many changes. In the area oi operations, one of the most re cent is the introduction of electronic data processing equipment and the new procedures thereby necessitated, mainly in the Financial and Business Di\ isions. Cost Studies Be-fore converting to machine opera tions, the Society made a careful study of the economics involved. On at least two occasions, the proposal to change over was delayed because cost studies by consultants showed that machine operations would be significantly more expensive than manual. Filially, in 1958. the decision was made to mech anize certain operations because it ap peared to be feasible to do so and manual methods in certain areas wore about to break down because of the volume and growing complexity of these operations.
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Those who are closest to the prob lems now feel that we waited too long before starting the conversion. We do not deny that the practical application of machine operations has been en tirely different from the theoretical situation visualized three years ago. For that reason, there have been un foreseen difficulties in the transition, serious difficulties. Discouraging ex periences have been common during the past winter and, as a result, mem bers have been irritated, and justifi ably so. They have not hesitated to remind us of the "good old days," but the "good old days" never can return in the same form. No one regrets this more than your Secretary. Since it seems apparent that more and more mechanical operations must be employed in the future, staff is pre pared to make the best possible use of them and to explain to members some of the idiosyncrasies of the "electronic machine era." This may not be so difficult as first anticipated because the ACS certainly is not the only place in which our members are exposed to machine operations.
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Mechanization
What are some of the unusual and unforeseen problems caused by our new machines? One has been "person nel." This has been a double-barreled problem in that (1) it has been very difficult to find and hire people ex perienced in machine operation and such persons lack ACS background and (2) some of those who have im plemented the manual procedures for years and have the desired Society ex perience cannot switch suddenly to the new7 methods. Another problem has been the con tinual need for readjusting and modify ing the machine operation procedures during the transition period because of large new demands introduced by the expanding ACS program. While it was anticipated in 1958 that some new journals would be added and some new subscription combinations would be tried, no one at headquarters visual ized the speed and magnitude of these additions. By 1962, when the transi tion now contemplated becomes com plete, the number of ACS publications served will be more than double those when planning began. Three years ago the Society published eight periodicals. In 1962 it will still pub lish those eight plus the Journal of
Chemical and Engineering Data, Chemical Reviews, Journal of Chemi cal Documentation, Biochemistry, In organic Chemistry, Journal of Medici nal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chemical Titles, at least one separate section of Chemical Abstracts, and an International Edition and three special sections of Industrial i? Engineering Chemistry, In addition, many special subscrip tion offers to our Applied Journals have been introduced. Also, if one is interested in calculating the permuta tions involved, don't forget that every publication has both a member and nonmember rate, Chemical Abstracts adds a college and university charge, and applied journals have special stu dent and multiple-year rates. Last but not least has been the acquisition of fulfillment activities carried out hereto fore by the Mack Printing Company. Thus, many new responsibilities have been assumed at headquarters at the same time we were converting to elec tronic processing, thus multiplying difficulties. While all this speaks well for the vigor and vitality of the ACS and the profession and science it serves, it has presented to those responsible for the mechanization program, greater and more unusual problems than expected. We have been told by mechanization experts, visitors from other publishing firms, and the auditors from the Audit Bureau of Circulations that the ACS has the most involved and difficult publications fulfillment program of any organization in the U.S.A., perhaps in the world.
No Cause for Alarm This situation is described solely as a statement of fact, not to alarm any one, not to alibi for member complaints (many of which are fully justified), and certainly not to indicate a feeling of defeatism. On the contrary, we are becoming increasingly aware that the ACS has no alternative other than to increase its mechanization. It is neces sary to point out, however, that transi tion has not progressed as smoothly and rapidly as had been hoped, for reasons which we can identify and which explain, but do not justify, some unsatisfactory service. The significant change in procedures caused by mech anization, and many of the irregulari ties resulting from the transition, led naturally into a need and desire for
self-evaluation of all Lead quarters operations. We hope that these studies will lead to the careful de\eiopmenl of procedures that will handle volume rapidly and give the benefit of doubt to a small percentage of exceptions in order to provide prompt and efficient service to the great majority. Streamlining Under the situation which exists, streamlined procedures and operating efficiencies must be developed directly in proportion to the growth of member ship and Society activities even at the cost of adverse reactions to less per sonalized, high-level handling, it rippears that the required "streamlining" will involve not only the revision ot many procedures but also, and more important, change in certain philoso phies of carrying out operations. This is why we are now asking ourselves such questions as: Why is this activity or operation be ing done? Is it necessary that it be done? How well does it serve the members? (Jan it be integrated more efficiently into other activities and opera tions at headquarters? flow much does it cost? Can it be done for less? Is it worth the lowest cost possible? flow can we improve it to give most benefit to the member with the least possible delay, thereby mini mizing irritations and improving member relations? In the past, all routine procedure:» have been developed to be as nearly proper in conception and as nearh correct in execution as was humanly possible. Time required for execution was a secondary consideration. Some of this must remain, hut it is necessary to be more cost and speed conscious, We ask the members to assess these changes as they are affected personally in the light of the foregoing. They should lead to economies, something often supported on philosophical grounds. Now we ask that the phil osophical considerations govern mem bers' reactions when personal involve ment results.
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