Mickie Rops Consulting

You hear often the mantra that a certifying body within a parent association has to be set up and governed in ways to prevent undue influence and conflicts of interest, but rarely do you hear realistic examples of potential issues.  Here are several:

A professional association is primarily interested in advancing a profession and meeting member needs.  When members complain that they are frustrated with the “hoops they are required to jump through” or angered at failing the exam, the association’s board may wish to change or decrease the standards.  In contrast, a certifying body’s primary interest is to enforce the objective certification standards in place.

A professional association with members predominately having a particular academic degree may have an interest in restricting certification to individuals with that specific academic preparation.  In contrast, a certifying body’s interest is to ensure the eligibility requirements are objectively determined and linked to actual job performance. 

A business unit that sells preparatory training to candidates may have an interest in influencing the test specifications.  In contrast, a certifying body’s interest is to ensure the test specifications are objectively determined and linked to actual job performance. 

A business unit that sells training to candidates who fail a certification exam may have a financial interest in the difficulty of the exam.  In contrast, a certifying body’s interest is to ensure the test’s cut score is objectively determined through industry-accepted methods.

A board of directors may have a financial interest in attracting more applicants through decreasing or eliminating the eligibility requirements.  In contrast, a certifying body’s interest is to ensure the eligibility requirements are objectively determined and linked to actual job performance. 

A board of directors may wish to approve an appeal of an influential member of the professional community based on that individual’s influence whereas the certifying body plans to deny the appeal based on the evidence presented and established precedents.

(Excerpted from Considering Certification?  Your Guide to Making the Decision. Be watching for the release announcement!  It's in final written form, but not yet through the publishing process.) 

Every once in a while, I encounter association executives who’ve identified certification as a strategy to turn around their decreasing conference attendance.  Their logic is that a certification program with mandated continuing education will encourage individuals to go to the conferences to get that education.  BAD idea.   Remember that certification is voluntary.  Here’s a better idea: improve your conferences!