Transition

Discover how IBA's ambitious transition plan is driving innovation and strengthening our mission to protect the world's bears—built on science, collaboration, and the passion of a dedicated global community. Using adaptive management, IBA Councils have a foundation put in place with the Structural Evolution Plan to increase capacity for members to help bears.

What's on this page

What is the IBA Transition Process?

IBA has begun the process of an ambitious initiative to greatly expand programs in the realms of conservation implementation, scientific voice, and capacity building, thus improving its ability to execute its mission. In 2014 at the Council meeting in Thessaloniki Greece, as a result of the continued growth and unsustainable workload on IBA’s all-volunteer Council, Committees, and IBN staff, a committee was formed to develop a strategic plan. The first step of this process was a survey in 2015 and IBA members were asked to provide input and guidance for IBA going into the future. The message from that survey was clear: IBA members value the organization, especially its conferences, publications, its grants programs, and its collegial almost family-like culture. In 2017, IBA was fortunate to be offered pro-bono services of the world-renowned management consulting firm, Oliver Wyman. The Oliver Wyman Management Consulting firm spent three months interviewing IBA members and other similar non-profits to develop a plan for IBA to move forward with growth while maintaining the core values of a professional scientific organization. This became known as the transition process and its purpose is to increase our ability to deliver on our core goal: conservation and restoration of the world’s bears through science-based research, management, and education.

Using the material provided to IBA from Oliver Wyman, Council and several other IBA members participated in a facilitated workshop for beginning the process of implementing Oliver Wyman’s transition plan. The workshop was conducted by Diana Pound of Dialogue Matters on 15 September 2018 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. From this workshop, the Structural Change Working Group developed a plan for the Structural Evolution of IBA. This plan was adopted by Council on 24 June 2019.

This page is dedicated to providing members and the public with information about the evolving Structural Plan and transition process. IBA is committed to implementing this plan for the good not only of bears around the world but also for the professionals that dedicate their lives to understanding, managing, conserving, researching and helping bears! We always welcome member feedback and questions, please don’t hesitate to contact either Jennapher Teunissen van Manen (Director of Operations) or any Council member with any questions.

What is the timeline?

2014

Thessaloniki Conference

  • Strategic Planning Committee formed
2014
2015
  • Membership survey
2015
2016

Anchorage Conference

  • Membership survey results presented and discussed
  • Pro-bono offer from Oliver Wyman
2016
2017

Quito Conference

  • Evaluation of pro-bono offer
  • Round-table discussions on the evaluation results
2017
2018

Ljubljana Conference

  • IBA secured grant to fund transition
  • Committess get to work
  • Transition-planning workshop held
2018
2019
  • Director of Transition starts to work
  • Structural plan accepted
  • Another grant to cover transition is secured
2019
2020
  • Executive Director starts to work
  • Financial audit
  • Professional accountant hired
  • Development of new IBA mission and vision statements
  • Program Development Plan adopted
2020
2020

COVID-19 Pandemic

2020
2021
  • Implementation of Council standing committees
2021

Summary Structural Plan