Delivering future-fit support for the whole profession

It has been a busy month since my last update on Defining our Future. The working groups established by Governing Council to address key themes in members’ feedback from the consultation phase have been hard at work, and you may have seen group members giving their thoughts on the importance of this work on RICS social channels in recent weeks.

I have been greatly encouraged by the passion and commitment that members are bringing to these efforts, I am thrilled that working group members have risen to the challenge set by Governing Council in response to the feedback we received. I am also sure that this spread of members – representing a diverse range of specialisms, working locations and career stages – will help shape RICS support so that it remains relevant to the needs of all professionals and enables them to face the future with confidence.

Update on working group actions to address member feedback

I have outlined below some of the key actions that the working groups have already endorsed as well as further steps they will recommend to ensure RICS support remains future-fit. As you will see, they are already delivering tangible outputs that address the priorities members shared, and this will continue throughout their programme of work in the coming months:

1. Show what RICS does differently as a result of members’ feedback

Members said that when they give feedback, they want to see how RICS changes as a result. There will therefore be a renewed focus on developing initiatives that address member feedback gathered via valued initiatives like Survey of the Profession, as well as an increased emphasis in RICS communications on showing how members' views are making an impact. This will leverage many of the benefits of digital transformation, allowing tailored communications that highlight items relevant to an individual members’ situation and preferences. A new pillar dedicated to Member Engagement has also been added to the RICS annual business plan, ensuring RICS activity and communication is correctly oriented to fulfil this critical element of delivering member value.

2. Bring members together and leverage their expertise

Following on from this point, members said that they wanted more opportunities to connect with their fellow members. New digital communities will be created this year to provide a forum and events for this engagement, allowing members to network, seek advice and support, and pool insight from across our profession’s deep and diverse global expertise. These platforms will help foster a thriving professional community in a way that recognises both the opportunities and demands that global connectivity and hybrid working create, while ensuring RICS thought leadership and standards activity stay relevant by reflecting live developments taking place at the front-line of professional practice.

3. Be more transparent on how members’ fees are spent

Members said that they wanted a clearer picture of how RICS spends the revenue it receives from membership fees and other sources, as well as an understanding of how this spending benefits members. Following working group recommendation, RICS will soon publish a breakdown of its annual allocation of spend showing the proportion of spending across categories and the member benefits this delivers. This aims to deliver confidence in the value RICS generates for members of the profession, through spend on activity it undertakes on members’ behalf to deliver the vision set out by elected members of Governing Council.

I hope you will agree that marks real progress in delivering confidence in the future of RICS support to help members thrive. I look forward to providing further updates ahead of the November meeting of Governing Council where the group’s final recommendations will be considered.

Please feel free to share any questions or comments you may have about the working groups, or anything related to Defining our Future by emailing review2021@rics.org.