Why digital literacy and skills are fundamental to a robust digital workplace
Digital literacy and digital skills are not merely a supporting act, but rather fundamental components of a robust digital workplace. They are essential for individual career advancement, organizational effectiveness, and organizational survival in the context of rapid and revolutionary change.
DWG has published several resources related to digital literacy. In this article, we’ve rounded up 5 points to help you close the digital skills gap in your organization.
1. Develop digital literacy to support adoption and change management
To adapt to the rapidly evolving digital workplace, organizations need to focus on closing the digital skills gap. Raising the level of digital literacy is essential to ensure employees stay on top of the latest trends and technologies. Training programmes, workshops and online courses can help develop these skills. The goal is to develop ‘digital dexterity’, enabling individuals to eventually retrain and upskill themselves as technology continues to evolve. Developing digital literacy is a key component of enhancing change readiness in organizations facing rapid and revolutionary change.
Read: Discontinuous change in the digital workplace: rethinking change management
2. Prioritize ongoing digital literacy needs within the organization
Organizations should offer digital literacy programmes to help employees keep up with constantly evolving digital tools. These should:
- Meet employees where they are in terms of digital skills.
- Offer intimate training sessions on best practices.
- Teach when to use specific digital channels for different purposes.
- Reinforce the message that continuous learning is necessary in the digital workplace.
Read: Working with intention and purpose in a hybrid working world
3. Invest in developing digital skills to ensure project success
Digital literacy is essential in modern project management. Individuals at all levels of an organization, including leaders, may lack the necessary digital skills when first engaging in projects.
Employees are often expected to ‘hit the ground running’ with new software, despite lacking familiarity. Yet, using project management tools effectively is not always intuitive – and poses a significant learning curve. This can lead to confusion and inefficiency in project execution. Organizations should provide adequate training or onboarding for project-specific digital tools.
Read: From leader to learner – navigating the convoluted world of project management as a novice
4. Consider not just where people work, but also when and how they work
Digital literacy is a prerequisite for hybrid working. Employees need to navigate various digital tools and platforms to collaborate and stay connected. Organizations should understand which activities and jobs are location agnostic (or ‘time agnostic’), which requires a certain level of digital literacy to navigate effectively.
Read: Advanced practices for hybrid working
5. Upskill leaders to develop digital leadership skills
Increasingly, much of the workforce may lie outside the boundaries of the organization. Digital skills will form a cornerstone for leaders to build a personal brand and communicate their vision, and for their influence to ripple across the organization.
Read: Why digital workplace transformation starts with digital leadership
Categorised in: → Digital literacy
