Community + collaboration = member value
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report January 2020
An STLE success formula for 75 years.
Books and movies about science or technology romanticize the myth of the lone genius, that man or woman making a breakthrough discovery working alone in a laboratory or workshop. Think Albert Einstein or maybe Steve Jobs in a more recent context.
While there’s no denying that these inspiring storylines do exist, new research emphasizes that the innovation more often happens when people work together in a community. Why does community and collaboration matter so much?
A survey of professional society members, conducted by the technical journal publisher Wiley, notes, “Aside from how good it feels to make connections, research communities are also spaces to share information that could lead to the next great breakthrough.” The value is enhanced when that collaboration supports information sharing with the widest possible community, including people from many different countries.
Over the last five years of the survey, belonging to a community (and the opportunities that come with it) consistently ranks as one of the most important benefits of membership. That’s likely because most members (85%) also believe that creating a research community is a key part of a society’s role.
The Wiley study concludes, “Collaboration is at the heart of what society members want; 88% told us societies should promote greater collaboration between their members conducting research.”
STLE’s efforts to serve the tribology and lubricants community, which have been a priority for 75 years, continue to emphasize this benefit in 2020. This year’s STLE Annual Meeting, May 3-7 in Chicago, where we’ll celebrate our diamond anniversary, features a record 500 technical presentations. Reflecting STLE's international scope, about half of those presenters come from 30 countries outside the U.S.
Other places where STLE is supporting research through information exchange and community building include our Tribology Transactions journal, the Tribology Frontiers Conference and regular STLE local section meetings throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Collaborative relationships between societies in the same or similar disciplines also increase research activity and member value, according to the Wiley research. This finding tracks with STLE’s strategic vision statement, which commits the organization “to be a leader in the global network of individuals, institutions, societies and corporate entities with a common interest in advancing the science of tribology and the practice of lubrication engineering.”
STLE’s many collaborative relationships with complementary technical groups in the U.S. and around the world are too numerous to list here. But worth noting is our role as a supporter of the September 2021 World Tribology Congress in Lyon, France. With more than 1,500 people expected to attend, this may be the ultimate example of collaborative tribology research.
We know this activity is of value to members, and we view it as a motivator for individuals to join STLE. We are a welcoming community that encourages all non-members to investigate the value of being a participant in a vibrant research community. That’s the best way to discover that genius doesn’t need to be a solitary exercise!
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.