International Society of Sport Psychology

STRATEGIC PLAN

2022 - 2025

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From the President

I am very proud to be a member and leader of the International Society of Sport Psychology. The past several years have been focused on growth for ISSP and this Strategic Plan not only solidifies that work but also helps to accelerate it. The strategic planning process provided the Managing Council with the needed opportunity to evaluate all aspects of the Society and determine where we are excelling and where growth and improvement are possible.

The responses to the member survey in June were invaluable. More than 50% of members weighed in on everything from career status to their thoughts on the World Congress of Sport Psychology. You let us know how you prefer to interact with the Society, what benefits you would like to see added to your membership, what you love about ISSP, and what is not working so well. Thank you for your immensely valuable input.

The Managing Council, led by Executive Director Nicole Brandt, spent time reviewing the results of the survey, matching those up to the S.W.O.T. (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats) Analysis that we conducted, and goals and strategies began to emerge from the data.

Overall, the Managing Council met for nearly 17 hours over 18 weeks and spent many more hours outside of meetings reviewing surveys, fine-tuning goals and strategies, and brainstorming new initiatives. Thank you to my fellow leaders for your dedication to this process.

What follows is the final plan, a roadmap for our future, one that will lead us to growth, to increased support for sport psychologists around the world, to greater collaboration and education – in short to a stronger society for our members.

Dr. Robert Schinke
ISSP President

ISSP VISION

The value ISSP aspires to provide in sport psychology

Advancing the profession of sport psychology by creating and facilitating international scientific and practical engagement for the betterment of athletes, coaches, practitioners, and organizations.

ISSP MISSION

ISSP’s unique role in sport psychology

ISSP aims to be a leading global voice for sport psychology. With this voice, ISSP will:

Promote the value and identity of sport psychology
Articulate and disseminate scientific and practical knowledge
Provide definitive professional standards for sport psychologists
Stimulate and support international scientific research and scholarship on major issues in sport psychology
Provide an inclusive and diverse network

Guiding Values

The core values that inform everything ISSP does

Science: Make the best available psychological science the cornerstone of every program, publication, and service.

Value: Provide value to and engage with members at every stage of their careers.

Equity, Inclusivity, and Diversity: Reject all forms of discrimination, include perspectives and practices from all parts of the world, and work to increase the participation of women and people of color in the field of sport psychology.

Integrity: Strive for integrity and transparency in decision-making processes. Ensure the actions of those acting on behalf of ISSP demonstrate the utmost standards of personal integrity.

Professionalism: Set the international benchmark for professional and ethical competencies in sport psychology. Precisely and rigorously communicate the science and best practices of sport psychology.

THE PLAN

LEADERSHIP

Establish ISSP as a collaborative global leader in sport psychology

GROWTH

Build a dynamic and diverse society that fulfills the needs of members around the world

SUPPORT

Foster the psychological knowledge and professional skills of our members

STABILITY

Establish financial and organizational stability to allow for a society that can respond to a changing world

GOAL 1: LEADERSHIP

Establish ISSP as a collaborative global leader in sport psychology

Objective 1.1: Continue to enhance and diversify IJSEP offerings to make it a leading publication

Tactics:

Increase papers from emerging countries (training, emerging country co-authors, emerging country editor, ISSP editing support) by 5%
Develop a plan to diversify coverage to include a mix of practical, theoretical, and tactical research and increase coverage of specializations
Regularly ensure the best-suited classification of the journal
Work with the publisher to establish effective promotion of the jour¬nal
Establish a succession plan to ensure effective staffing and restaffing of the journal
Evaluate and provide feedback to the publisher on the working relationship
Determine options for translation of papers into multiple languages

Objective 1.2: Serve as a leading resource for scientific and practical knowledge of Sport Psychology

Tactics:

Host at least one webinar/podcast per quarter on science to practice around the world
Host at least one interactive Think Tank per year
Create a curated list of resources on the ISSP website with established criteria for inclusion

GOAL 2: GROWTH

Build a dynamic and diverse society that fulfills the needs of members around the world

Objective 2.1: Create active engagement within the ISSP community

Tactics:

Develop a quarterly digital publication to share members' work
Utilize social media to create interaction between ISSP and members, increase followers 5% annually
Establish a monthly email newsletter with a submission function

Objective 2.2: Use technology to enhance the member experience

Redevelop the website to allow for functionality and interaction
Provide more language translation on the website and in publications
Pursue relevant discounts for ISSP members

Objective 2.3: Attract, develop, and support the next generation of sport psychologists

Tactics:

Create at least 3 annual mentorship and networking opportunities for Students and Early Career Psychologists
Establish a Student and Early Career Psychology Special Interest Group
Provide networking opportunities and early career-specific programming at the World Congress
Create a student/early career managing council position

Objective 2.4: Champion underrepresented regions of the world

Tactics:

Establish regional Special Interest Groups to engage members in all parts of the world and advocate for regional skills and practices
Disseminate information about techniques, policies, and practices in each region of the world
Hold region-specific sessions at the World Congress

GOAL 3: SUPPORT

Foster the psychological knowledge and professional skills of our members

Objective 3.1: Establish ISSP as a top provider of innovative, high-quality professional and educational programming

Tactics:

Increase and diversify the number of position statements each year, publishing at least 2 per year
Expand World Congress lectures to include visionary speakers from related fields
Diversify the format of World Congress presentations to allow for more interaction (panel discussions, Q&A sessions, meet the expert, hot topics, individual presentations, etc)
Establish connections with regional psychology associations, government organizations, international federations, and foundations
Advocate for inclusion of Sport Psychology offerings at the University level
Foster participation with other associations at the World Congress, through workshops, meetings, events, etc

Objective 3.2: Become a first-stop resource for job openings, funding opportunities, and networking

Establish a jobs and internships board, including ISSP-R designation
Create a database of funding opportunities
Create a networking space on the ISSP website
Create regional live networking opportunities
Develop strategic partnerships with universities and potential employers to promote job opportunities

Objective 3.3: Grow the ISSP-R with a focus on diverse and culturally appropriate education

Tactics:

Increase the number of ISSP-R training modules
Make ISSP-R a self-guided study
Create a plan to increase the visibility of ISSP-R through strategic partnerships and traditional marketing
Increase the number of members who are ISSP-R certified by 20% each year
Establish income-sensitive fees or a scholarship program

GOAL 4: STABILITY

Establish financial and organizational stability to allow for a society that can respond to a changing world

Objective 4.1: Provide effective, transparent, and accountable governance consistent with best practices and the highest ethical standards

Tactics:

Ensure that the Statues align with the modern organization
Diversify the leadership team to represent all genders and a wide range of nationalities
Employ a professional management team
Establish clear guidelines and expectations for Managing Council members
Evaluate and fine-tune the committee structure to meet the needs of a growing organization
Establish a committee to explore the future timing, locations, and delivery of the World Congress
Establish committee guidelines and term limits

Objective 4.2: Strategically build financial reserves to ensure stability and capability

Tactics:

Grow current revenue streams and add new revenue streams to cover annual operating expenses
Develop an investment policy to allow for maximum returns
Institute an annual budgeting process
Explore sponsorship opportunities and packages for conferences

Objective 4.3: Develop a leadership succession plan and mentoring program to ensure consistent management

Tactics:

Create an annual call for volunteers to serve ISSP
Institute a President-Elect position to allow for a smooth transition between leaders
Create a process for filling leadership positions, drawing from all parts of the society

The ISSP Managing Council unanimously adopted the plan on August 5, 2022. This plan marks the start of a new chapter for ISSP.

The implementation of the plan will be comprehensive and extensive, with the society aligning its work with the new strategic priorities. Throughout implementation, ISSP will continue to seek input and feedback from members and stakeholders on the programs and activities the society undertakes.

Thank you for your participation in the strategic planning process and for being a member of ISSP.

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