"Digital citizenship in the company: How to get an education on the digitization of the company population and promote resilience to change"
Fosway Group, one of the most authoritative HR Industry Analysts in Europe, conducted a research analyzing the impact that the The Covid-19 pandemic has had on corporate Learning & Development .
The focus has been on understanding how I changes in the world of work and learning have influenced R&D budgets and expenditures (research and development) but above all on understanding what has worked or not in supporting people in this period of uncertainties.
The research results have shown that Digital Transformation has offered important opportunities for corporate training but also highlighted the difficulty that many organizations have encountered in adopting a strategic and innovative approach in the design of modern corporate training. That's because fit to change and choosing the best solutions for training in line with company values and needs is neither easy and not even immediate. Areas for which up-to-date training in step with the times is a priority are those of marketing and sales, followed by product design and development (+26%), information technology (+25%) and production processes (+24%).
What about company trainers? Where are they in the collected data? Who has taken care to know and recognize their capacity for resilience to change? At a global level, the dichotomy "digital native - digital immigrant" is overlapping the binomial «learner-trainer». Today learners are largely "digital natives" while on the other hand, among the trainers, we find to a large extent the so-called "digital immigrants", representatives of a generation that is called to adapt to change and is called to do so in " digital mode», often acquiring skills independently, observing others who are already doing it, without real training and contents to draw from.
TR.Off project : Between digital citizenship in the company and resilience to change”, therefore wants to embrace two pressing needs:
1. on the one hand, transferring digital skills to company trainers that are functional to the new training needs and in line with the tools available and with the balance between teaching methods (traditional/"technological");
2. on the other hand, to avoid the danger for companies (especially medium-small ones) of remaining out of the next job market and business because they are unable to lead the whole organization towards technological and digital innovation.
TR.Off therefore wants to offer training to company trainers on two levels: (1) training in ICT, so that digital skills can be effectively transmitted to adult workers and (2) training aimed at integrating ICT in teaching/learning methods, so that digital technology is not only a goal but also a vector for the development of all skills, as well as the development of integrated skills of corporate digital citizenship and resilience.
In today's corporate world, digitization has become a priority to stay competitive and meet the challenges of the ever-changing market. To adapt to this rapidly changing environment, companies need to invest in the training and education of their employees to promote "corporate digital citizenship", i.e. the ability to effectively use digital technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness of the organization.
But digitization education is not limited to learning the technical skills needed to use digital tools or online platforms. It also includes the development of a change-oriented mindset and attitude, the so-called "resilience to change", which is essential to adapt to digital transformations and manage the transformation process within the organization.
During the project implementation, we took care of the following key steps to get a digitization education of the corporate population and promote digital citizenship in the company, together with resilience to change:
1. Understand the importance of digitalization: The first step in promoting digital citizenship in the company was to make employees understand the importance of digitalization for the success of the organization. This involved explaining the benefits and opportunities offered by digitalisation, such as process automation, access to real-time information and the possibility of improving operational efficiency.
2. Create a culture of continuous learning: Digitization is an ever-changing process and requires continuous learning. Companies have realized the importance of creating a culture of continuous learning where employees are encouraged to continuously improve their digital skills through training, self-learning and knowledge sharing. The creation of internal training programs, access to online resources and the promotion of communities of practice have been suggested .
3. Providing specific training on digital skills: It was essential to work in agreement with companies to provide specific training on digital skills required for the work performed by employees. This could include training on specific digital tools, such as productivity software, project management platforms or data analysis tools. Training shall be tailored to the specific needs of employees and shall be continuously updated to reflect changes in the technological landscape.
4. Encourage the use of new technologies: To promote digital citizenship in the company, it was important to encourage the use of new technologies by employees. This was done through the integration of digital tools into daily business processes.
The role of the corporate trainer has therefore been fundamental to create a digital citizenship in the company resilient to change.
Here are some of the main roles, tools and methodologies that TRADE-OFF company trainers have been able to apply to promote digital citizenship and resilience to change among employees:
a) Identification of training needs: The company trainer identified the specific training needs of the employees in relation to digitization and change, through the assessment of the current digital skills of the employees and the identification of skills gaps. This helped the trainer design customized training programs that address the specific needs of the employees.
b) Goal-Based Training Program Design: Training programs, after Trade-Off, will be based on clear and defined goals. The corporate trainer will design structured training programs covering a wide range of digital skills, including the use of specific digital tools and platforms, understanding key concepts related to digitalisation and promoting resilience to change. Training programs will be tailored to specific employee needs and include measurable learning objectives.
c) Using different training methodologies: The company trainer will use different training methodologies to meet the different needs of the employees. This will include classroom training, online training, self-learning, field training and project-based training. The use of different training methodologies will help to actively engage employees and foster practical learning and application of digital skills in the company context.
d) Use of digital tools and resources: The corporate trainer will use digital tools and resources to support the training process. This includes using online learning platforms, video tutorials, simulations, educational games and other digital resources that foster interactive and engaging learning. The use of digital tools will also allow employees to become familiar with the digital technologies themselves and will encourage them to actively use them in their daily work.
e) Promoting resilience to change: Resilience to change will be a key element of digitization education. The business trainer will promote resilience to change through teaching change management skills, such as flexibility, adaptability, stress management and the ability to deal with change in a positive way. This can be done through specific training sessions on change management, the promotion of a corporate culture open to change and the creation of spaces for discussion and sharing.
The results of our project are:
- Two face-to-face training courses for company trainers on how to implement digital citizenship in companies and be resilient to change;
- A self-study course in 5 training sessions to create your own digital curriculum for working in the company and transfer skills useful for creating a corporate digital population;
- Three studies for self-training in the use of virtual and digital tools and methodologies;
All the results are available on the Erasmusplus page space of Epale :
