When you are a leader or aspire to be one, you need to stay on top of the trends impacting your profession. Within accounting and finance, digital transformation, DE&I, sustainability, and small business competitiveness are emerging as leading trends, according to a recent CFO.com article by former IMA Chair, Steve McNally. The pace of change in those areas is rapid and dynamic; some have compared these changes to the world-altering events of the Industrial Revolution. So how is one supposed to stay informed about change while advancing in their career?
It takes a community with shared interests to tackle challenges like this. With one of the most talented and engaged member communities of any professional association, IMA has created four new Shared Interest Groups or SIGs, focused on key areas impacting accounting and finance:
- Technology Solutions & Practices
- Sustainable Business Management
- Small Business
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
When you become a member of any of these SIGs, you can pose questions, ask for help finding resources, post blogs, and share news and insights with other members of these online communities. For example, did you know the Society of Human Resource Management recently announced they will be leading with inclusion and thus have renamed their approach, I&D (inclusion & diversity)? I didn’t know this until I went on IMA’s DE&I SIG to read about it in their discussion forum.
If you wonder what your peers think about topics like AI or carbon accounting, SIGs are a great place to take a pulse check. For example, a recent discussion topic in the Technology Solutions & Practices SIG focused on the question, “If AI is your very capable assistant, what would you delegate?” Answers ranged from travel arrangements to FP&A. SIGs also take on more controversial questions, like the ethical considerations of ChatGPT.
Whether you are a CFO for a small to medium-sized enterprise or a financial analyst starting your career at a public company, SIGs have robust content, applicable to your role and your career aspirations. The best part about IMA’s SIGs is the trust factor. As well-respected thought leaders in accounting and finance, the members of IMA’s SIGs are people just like you who want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends affecting their field.
Among the areas where a SIG is most needed is in the realm of sustainable business management. A topic in this SIG’s recent discussion forum focused on the SEC’s March 2024 Climate Change Disclosure ruling and where to find resources to help accounting and finance professionals understand what the new rules may mean for their reporting requirements.
After spending just 10 minutes in each IMA SIG, I learned about the need for standard operating procedures (SOPs) in small business, proposed internal control frameworks to keep pace with shifting regulations in sustainability reporting, the purpose of corporate social responsibility statements, and how DE&I programs can improve organizational ethics.
When you share your interests with those in the IMA community, you create a sense of connection and play a part in building thought leadership everyone in the profession can use. SIGs can help play a supporting role in your career as well as the careers of others. Join one (or all four) of IMA’s SIGs and you’ll see.