EXPANDING NAPCRG’S LEADERSHIP CAPACITY

Over the past 2 years, the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) has undergone an intentional transformation of its leadership engagement and governance structure. NAPCRG’s mission statement states “NAPCRG is committed to a nurturing, informative and inspiring environment for all members.” One approach to meeting this commitment is to engage members in organizational activities, and specifically leadership activities. In March 2013, with this priority as a guide, Norman Oliver, MD, MA, chair of NAPCRG’s Nominations Committee, set about developing goals to increase membership engagement and leadership capacity.

One recommendation approved by the Board of Directors was a policy modification changing the terms of all members of the board from 3 two-year terms to 2 two-year terms. Limiting the number of terms creates frequent turnover in leadership positions allowing more members to get more involved. The board also approved a change in the term for the president of NAPCRG from a 2-year term to a 3-year term—a year as vice president, president, and immediate past president. The Nominations Committee suggested that one of the best ways for members to get involved is to serve as members of committees. Potential leaders can be identified leaders through several mechanisms including signup sheets for leadership roles and committees at the NAPCRG Annual Meeting.

During the NAPCRG 2013 Annual Meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, members expressed concerns about a lack of transparency regarding elections to the NAPCRG Board of Directors. Traditionally, outgoing members nominated their replacements, rather than placing an open call for nominations. Concerns were also expressed about a lack of diversity in board and committee chair positions. The board asked Dr Oliver and the NAPCRG executive director to draft recommendations for a new, fair, and transparent process for soliciting nominations and electing members to the Board of Directors. In February 2014, the board adopted a diversity statement affirming its commitment of a diverse membership, leaders, meetings, programs, research, and employment. In addition, the Nominations Committee proposed a transparent nominations process with job descriptions for every position on the board, and a revamped nominations and elections process. The board sought additional feedback from members on the policy and delayed adoption of the new process until the board met in April of that year. On April 7, 2014, the NAPCRG Board of Directors approved an election process where board job descriptions and open positions are publicized to the membership; the Nominations Committee reviews, screens, and prioritizes nominees based on the relevance of their qualifications; and finally the final slate of nominations are approved by the NAPCRG Board of Directors. NAPCRG is now in its second cycle of the transparent and open nominations and election process, resulting in positive feedback thus far.

Furthermore, in an effort to increase awareness of leadership opportunities within NAPCRG, a special session was held during the NAPCRG Annual Meeting in New York, NY on November 24, 2014. The goal of the session was to inspire and inform NAPCRG members about how to get more involved in the organization. The session provided an overview of NAPCRG’s history, culture and personal testimonials from current and past leaders about the importance of the organization. Information was shared on how to get involved in special interest groups, committees, and the Board of Directors. The session was well attended and will be repeated at future Annual Meetings.

The final stage of the expansion of NAPCRG’s leadership capacity is improvement to the committee and subcommittee structure. Historically, each committee chair determined who was on their committees, and often members who expressed interest in serving on a committee were never contacted regarding their interest. As a result, the board approved a new policy that will require each committee chair to determine the optimal size of their committee and type of members they need to meet their needs. Chairs will also determine a fair and transparent election or selection process. Members will serve on committees for 2 two-year terms and during the open call for nominations to the board there will now be an open call for nominations for all open seats on committees. Nominations for committee positions will be sent to each committee chair to elect nominees.

The Board of Directors and the Executive Director will regularly evaluate and refine these new processes and procedures for improving NAPCRG’s leadership capacity, and every effort will be made to identify opportunities to further the mission of creating an environment for all members that is nurturing, informative and inspiring.

• © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.