Organizing
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP
Professor and Chair
Department of Exercise Physiology
Director of Exercise Physiology
Laboratories
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Office
Duluth, MN 55811
What does it mean to organize?
In this article, organizing is the act of coming together and working as
a community to get things done. "Working together" is the key to getting
others to listen and act.
The point is simple. Individuals
and other organizations do not listen to just one person. This is true
even if the person refuses to shop at a particular store or even should
the person write the president of the store. The lost of one person's money
really is not all that bad.
On the other hand, if the
person gains the support of 10 additional shopers and they, collectively,
report to others about the poor quality of the store. Then, there is an
increased likelihood that someone is going to listen. There is power in
numbers. There is little to no power when it is just a single person seeking
change.
Making waves is possible
with numbers. Two hundred exercise physiologists can get things done faster
than 100. Three hundred exercise physiologists have more power than 200.
Society listens to groups of people while very little attention is given
to one person even should that person be right.
The fact is, If you want
change for whatever reason, then the chance is better in creating change
if you have power. Power is best acquired by organizing. Hence, when exercise
physiologists are well-organized, they will be in position to compete with
other healthcare professionals.
Power is presently concentrated
in the hands of sports medicine organizations. They are well-organized
with the power to make decisions that reflect poorly on the future of exercise
physiologists. This is exactly what is going on in the United States today.
Sports medicine is steadily
and systematically chipping away at the freedoms that all of us have. The
rights that we are guaranteed, as a function of our academic preparation,
are being taken away by actions dedicated to the development of sports
medicine.
We see our lack of power
as exercise physiologists in many areas. We see it in the jobs we do not
get or the pay that is too little to buy food, clothing, utilities, and
housing. In many cases, the cost of living is beyond the economic worth
of the job.
Power is realized through
the control of professional resources. The question is, What resources
do we own? The answer is unfortunately not as many as we might think. Then,
too, ownership of what we were prepared to do is all too frequently supplied
by other healthcare workers.
Interestingly, sports medicine
did not just happen. It was organized (and in a major way by exercise physiologists).
The professionals who organized it held meetings, planned strategy, developed
leadership, set up systems of communication, defined issues, raised funds,
and built coalitions. They learned something about themselves and their
strengths.
However, some of the participants
failed to learn who they are. They joined sports medicine without questioning
it, and as such it seemed appropriate for the time. Not all members of
sports medicine are athletic trainers, physical educators, medical doctors,
and so forth. A lot of the members were (and still are) exercise physiologists
caught up in the health and fitness revolution.
Today, exercise physiologists
are faced with certain professional issues. Organizing is the means to
reclarify themselves as exercise physiology professionals. It is "the"
way to move in the same direction by learning to work together to accomplish
the goals that they feel important for professional survival and personal
growth.
Hence, the reason for the
existence of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) becomes
even more valued. It represents the first professional opportunity for
exercise physiologists to work together to get results. It is the American
way, and it is logical given the reasons to do so.
Think about your own work
place. Is there a need to organize? If so, more often than not, if you
will take that first step, other people will follow.