Digital Literacy: From a Perspective

The rise of technology in the modern workplace is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Needless to say, that organizations with the most digitally literate workforce are emerging as leaders. In a business context, digital literacy refers to the awareness, understanding and underlying abilities of enterprises to use digital tools for organisational purposes. It is an essential skill to navigate the challenging environments of the modern business world and achieve organizational goals.

?McKinsey & Company defines digital literacy as “the ability to handle digital data, use popular software, access digital services, and interact with AI.” Digital is a lot more than just technology. Digital literacy is about understanding new ways of doing things, innovative business models, and advanced methods of delivering services. We live in an increasingly digital society, where much of our world is filtered through a digital lens and runs on the internet. Everything is getting digitized - from finance and banking to communication. So, it goes without saying that having digital literacy will certainly give an edge to the individual.

According to a research report from Markle, 8 in 10 middle-skill jobs now require basic technology skills. Earlier digital skills were only necessary for staff in the IT department, but times have certainly changed. Today, digital literacy skills are vital for every employee to some extent. Whether it is spreadsheets, billing software, or digital platforms to track customers and orders, individuals require digital skills to perform well in the modern workplace. Most businesses use at least one digital platform, and employees who lack digital literacy might struggle to perform core tasks. Therefore, organisations could fail to realise the full value of their technology investments.

?As the digitalization trend continues to penetrate corporate infrastructures, the need for digitally literate employees will be magnified for all businesses. There are various benefits organisations can reap from improving the digital capabilities of their workforce. A digitally literate employee is more productive and efficient because they can readily identify and utilise crucial data, information, or patterns effectively. And in a world where new data is constantly being generated, having this capability is essential.

?Moreover, the recent shift toward hybrid and remote work models, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has added to the need for digital skills for both employees and leaders. From digital conferencing to online collaboration and project management, digital literacy skills are required for teams to function properly. Employees with digital literacy skills can also connect and collaborate more efficiently. Such skills can fill digital and generational gaps in a diversified workforce with up to four generations working together. To survive and thrive in this dynamic and evolving world, every organisation needs proactive, creative, and digitally literate leadership.

Good leaders don’t need to be experts in every emerging digital technology. All they need is an open mind to digital changes and a decent understanding of the skills they and their employees require to ensure that the business runs as effectively as possible. Nevertheless, there are still some digital literacy skills, like digital communication, that leaders must master. For both leaders and employees, skill development is a continuous process. Most leaders have realized that tech is an inevitable aspect of any business, and they must step out of their comfort zones to develop their digital skills. However, many organisations still overlook digital literacy when creating learning and development strategies.

?While new technologies are often intimidating when being introduced for the first time, digitally literate leaders can demonstrate the importance of digital skills to their employees and continued learning in the workplace. It can help them understand how digital literacy can enhance their performance and productivity, boost their general knowledge, and help them gain a better sense of empathy for their colleagues in other departments, paving the way for more effective collaborations in the future. Digital literacy can help leaders quickly adapt their approach to using digital skills, explore new technologies and introduce them to their workforce without much disruption.

?Just like technology is evolving continuously, new digital skills are also emerging constantly. As vital as digital literacy is to succeed in today’s world, unfortunately, very few organisations are taking measures to keep up with these changes. If you are a leader or employee looking to up-skill yourself or your team, then digital literacy should definitely be one of the key metrics. There are several ways to enhance your digital leadership skills, such as:

●?????Research your industry or niche to find out what your competitors are doing with digital innovation. Invest in the latest tools/technologies, as they can put your organisation ahead of the competition.

●?????Analyse the digital skill level in your workforce and try to find out if your employees are satisfied with the level of training they have received. Ask them what digital skills they would like to learn more about.

●?????Provide formal training on specific areas to the selected staff after identifying the need for training for those employees. You could even get them set up on tailored learning programmes designed to develop essential digital skills.

●?????Invite external speakers to your annual meetings to talk about digital literacy to add expertise and generate interest in the topic.

?Successful leaders are always curious and never afraid of bringing a change. However, it could be tough to strike a balance between making changes to enhance the digital skills of your workforce and simplifying processes by leveraging digital technologies. While some employees might think that machines are replacing them, machines cannot replace the business knowledge of an individual or establish relationships like humans. Digitally literate leaders can use the available data to identify areas where an individual can add more value to a business and let technology take care of some of the more menial jobs, like calculating invoices and other recurring tasks. Or in simple words, such leaders can help businesses be more productive, efficient, and dynamic. So, it’s better to prepare your organisation and employees by empowering them with digital literacy.