Effective Officer Transition

1
Effective Officer Transition

• USCA- Office for Student Organization Development

2
Benefits of Officer Transitioning

• Provides for transfer of significant
  organizational knowledge.
• Minimizes the confusion of leadership changeover.
• Gives outgoing leaders a sense of closure.
• Utilizes the valuable contributions of
  experienced leaders.
• Helps incoming leadership absorb the special
  expertise of outgoing leadership.
• Increases knowledge and confidence of the new
  leadership.
• Minimizes the loss of momentum and
  accomplishments of the group.

3
Suggestions for an Effective Transition

• Arrange a training session or retreat with the
  outgoing and incoming officers.
• Include your advisor.
• Discuss the status of your organization including
  accomplishments, current issues, finances, and
  membership.
• Review your organizations constitution, by-laws,
  policies, and procedures.
• Review officers job descriptions.
• Create permanent informational resource binders
  for every leadership position and have outgoing
  officers go over it with incoming officers.
• Establish goals for each officer.
• Create semester calendar of meetings and events.
• Introduce incoming officers to advisors and other
  contact people around campus.
• Allow time for questions.

4
Stages of the Transition

• ONE
• Review progress of chapter goals.
• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the
  outgoing executive council.
• Discuss standard operating procedures.
• TWO
• Breakout sessions matching each outgoing officer
  and incoming officer.
• Examine, in-depth, the responsibilities of each
  officer.
• Pass on relevant materials.
• Discuss recent accomplishments and the top
  priorities that require immediate attention.
• Question and answer period.
• Outgoing officers leave.
• THREE
• Incoming officers group back together for team
  building activities.
• Brainstorm and identify the top priorities of the
  chapter.
• Set some goals based on where the chapter wants
  to be.
• Establish a general calendar.

5
Stage Two

• Information to be passed on from outgoing officer
  to incoming officer
• A historical perspective of the organization
• Constitution and by-laws
• Policies and procedures
• Officer job descriptions
• Officer background information
• Meeting minutes, historical records
• Previous years goals, projects and activities
• Status report on current and continuing projects
• Evaluation of previous projects
• Previous years budget, financial records
• Suggested changes
• Roles and Relationship
• Resource or contact list
• Roles and expectations of officers and advisor in
  coming year

6
Stage Two - Continued

• Outgoing officers should reflect on the following
  questions to pass on to the new
• officer
• What did you struggle with in your position?
• What worked/what did not?
• How to improved significant programs?
• Who have you collaborated with outside of the
  organization?
• Which officers did you work with the most?
• What would you have done differently?
• What did you want to accomplish, but didnt have
  enough time to?

7
Stage Three

• Together, the incoming officers should discuss
  the following questions to begin
• creating a sense of open communication and
  understanding.
• What are your goals for the organization?
• What do you expect from each other?
• What are your priorities for the coming year?
  (academic courses, work, other organizations)
• What are your recruitment strategies?
• How often do you, as officers, expect to meet and
  how often will the organization meet?
• Develop a clear understanding of each others
  officer duties.

8
Stage Three

• The new group of officers should take time to
  think about the
• relationship they want to have with their
  advisor. Forms and other
• tools can be found in the Advisor Manual.
• What goals do you both have for the organization?
  
• What do you, as an officer, hope to gain from
  this experience?
• How much and what type of support do you need
  from the advisor?
• How involved has the advisor been in the past and
  how involved do they desire to be and what do you
  need?

9
Transition Retreat

• Many organizations find that a mandatory retreat
  can be a great way
• to transition officers. A retreat can be designed
  to fit the needs and
• goals of your group. Some prefer to host an all
  day retreat while
• others find a half day useful.
• The Stages of Transition slide can be used to
  outline the agenda of
• the retreat. It might be best to hold the retreat
  in a get-away
• location, so participants won't be distracted or
  disturbed and spend
• an afternoon engaged in training activities.

10
Conclusion

• A positive officer transition provides a helpful
  starting point for new
• officers. It gives them an opportunity to ask
  questions, exchange
• ideas, and plan for their term. It also helps
  them to feel like they are
• prepared and organized.

Content Borrowed From Pi Kappa Alpha
Fraternitys Officer Transition Retreat Manual
11
Contact Information

• Office for Student Organization Development
• 907 Floyd Avenue, University Student Commons,
  Suite 018
• [phone]
• studentorgs_at_vcu.edu
• www.usca.vcu.edu/studentorgs