Membership
New members are elected by the Academy membership in recognition of their outstanding technical accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the business. It is a significant personal honor for an employee to be elected to the Academy, but the Academy is not an honor society. Membership also carries with it an obligation to be an active participant in Academy activities and to promote IBM's technical growth - in addition to the members' regular work responsibilities. Membership is balanced across both technical skills and geographic distribution.
The Academy also has established 44 regional or technical affiliate groups, with over 8,000 affiliate members. These Academy Affiliate groups are located around the world and, like the Academy, are largely self-managed. Affiliate membership includes Academy members and other senior and up-and-coming technical leaders. Affiliate activity varies, being a mixture of site-specific studies, technical education, and community networking.