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Future Forums Use Visioning to See the Future
Life is uncertain. Yet, most of us never take the time to consider how the world will change and how this change affects the CPA profession.
The CPA Vision Process and its Future Forums will facilitate this complex, thought-provoking process by giving more than 4,000 CPAs the unique opportunity to pause and view our world 15 years from now. Future forums aren’t focus groups that concentrate on opinions about specific products or services. They are dynamic, interactive meetings of CPAs who use globally focused visioning tools to analyze how the roles, services and skills of the CPA will change.
Beginning in September and continuing through mid-December 1997, more than 170 Forums were held throughout the United States. Participants spent eight hours with peers in understanding how the visioning process contributed to insights about the future. Future Forums were hosted by state CPA societies, and professional facilitators moderated each session.
One of the most important aspects of the process is making certain all CPA voices are heard and recognized no matter where the individual works or lives, or what opinion each participant may have about the profession. State societies have gone to great lengths to ensure Forums have representation from members in public practice, industry, government and education, as well as an appropriate split of age ranges and gender.
Open minds are requisite to success. CPAs review, rank and discuss global forces, significant issues, core values, CPA services and core competencies—all components of the vision process. By looking at examples and scenarios, participants actually craft a model of the profession 10 years into the millenium.
For example, one exercise focused on services provided by all CPAs. Groups were asked to review a list of services and determine which ones will be the most important to the future of the profession. One group might confirm that tax compliance and assurance services are key, while others may argue that management consulting is the answer. In fact, there are no right or wrong answers; the goal is consensus-building to create a profession that must deal with life in the year 2011.
CPAs found themselves questioning the effect of the business marketplace, political and social concerns, and their own profession’s reputation and position as the day progressed. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Forums was the last exercise in which a vision statement was written based on the day’s discussions. Groups questioned weather the world can survive without the CPA profession, and what would participants not change even it meant a loss in income.
Forum participants and all Interested CPAs can involve themselves in the vision process by logging on to the CPA Process Web site, and using the site’s tools and discussion points.
The purpose of each Future Forum was to bring ideas and results to the National Future Forum. Data collected from all Forums was used to draft a CPA Vision Statement. After the national future forum, the statement was circulated for review and comment, culminating in a final report given to AICPA Council in October 1998.
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