---
title: "Knowledge Center: A Trip on the Road to Relevance"
id: "16115"
type: "post"
slug: "knowledge-center-a-trip-on-the-road-to-relevance"
published_at: "2013-03-01T07:30:57+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:45:08+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/03/01/knowledge-center-a-trip-on-the-road-to-relevance/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/03/01/knowledge-center-a-trip-on-the-road-to-relevance.md"
excerpt: "A New ASAE book, Road to Relevance: Five Strategies for Competitive Associations, maps the strategic journey beyond the Race for Relevance."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Organizational Strategy"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "competitive advantage"
  - "Leadership"
  - "Strategic Planning"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
  - "Executive Team"
  - "VP"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Executive Leadership"
---

[Home](https://associationsnow.com/)
 » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/)
 » Knowledge Center: A Trip on the Road to Relevance

The winds of change won’t blow us back to a kinder, gentler past but increasingly into a much tougher competitive environment in which the disciplined and strategic will gain advantage and make a difference. In their new book, *Road to Relevance: Five Strategies for Competitive Associations*, published by ASAE’s Association Management Press, authors Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers, CAE, ask readers a pointed question about achieving competitive advantage: “What is your organization doing about it?”

Coerver and Byers are the authors of *Race for Relevance* (2011, Association Management Press), the bestseller that defined a forever-altered universe in which associations no longer enjoy a lock on member loyalty and in which many organizations, they argued, had fallen far behind in how they govern, bring value, and serve a niche. The authors offered solutions in the form of five marked changes they termed radical for associations.

Road to Relevance is the strategic complement to Race, detailing five concepts—among them a focus on strengths, fit, and purposeful abandonment—that are closely adapted to associations and well illustrated with examples from the field. The bottom line, write Coerver and Byers: “Associations that focus on helping members work less stressfully, more productively, and more profitably will remain competitive. Those that don’t will simply be a footnote in the annals of history.”

*Road to Relevance*, available beginning this month at $23.95 for ASAE members and $29.95 for nonmembers, can be purchased at www.asaecenter.org/bookstore. Quantity discounts are available.

[Keith Skillman, CAE](https://associationsnow.com/author/keith-skillman-cae/)

Keith Skillman, CAE, is a freelance writer and principal in Skillman Media Strategies.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/keith-skillman-cae/)

Tags: [#competitive advantage](https://associationsnow.com/tag/competitive-advantage/)
 [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/)
 [#Strategic Planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/strategic-planning/)

**Stay Informed**

[Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/)
, *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day.

## You Might Like

- [ArticleKeys to Innovation at Long-Running AssociationsNovember 3, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/03/keys-to-innovation-at-long-running-associations/)
- [ArticleThree Habits Association Leaders Should Adopt for Agile Strategic PlanningOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/three-habits-association-leaders-should-adopt-for-agile-strategic-planning/)
- [ArticleThe Bigger Risk Is What Associations Won’t StopMay 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/27/the-bigger-risk-is-what-associations-wont-stop-2/)
- [ArticleDesigning How Your Organization KnowsMay 21, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/21/designing-how-your-organization-knows/)

## Comments

**Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/)

[Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F03%2F01%2Fknowledge-center-a-trip-on-the-road-to-relevance%2F%23comments)
 to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/)
!