Guide

Strategic steps towards organisational digital capability

Page 5 of 7 - Developing organisational approaches to digital capability

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Developing organisational approaches to digital capability

Here we suggest some of the steps you may wish to consider when developing approaches to building organisational digital capability.  The focus is on supporting you to equip your organisation, your staff and your students to operate effectively in an increasingly digital world.

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Four steps to embedded practice
©Jisc and Helen Beetham
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Develop an approach that works for you

Because each organisation differs in terms of size, priorities, structure, role composition and many other factors it is important to take the information and advice given in this guide to build a contextualised model appropriate to your needs. 

Case studies emerging from our building digital capability project show how several organisations have done just that, using both our own resources and those of others to develop an approach that works for them. We also summarise some of the lessons learned from case study participants in journeys towards digital capabilities (pdf).

Four practical steps

The advice has been divided into four practical groups of activities presented as steps for a variety of different stakeholders across the organisation and also highlights tools and resources to support you.

This version of our model for strategic steps towards organisational digital capability shows the four basic steps. You can download our more detailed action-focused poster (pdf) or an outcome-focused model (pdf). 

Step one - vision and intent

Establish the vision and intent that will drive forward your focus on developing your organisation’s digital capability.

Actions and responsibilities

Indicative responsibilities and actions for senior leaders might include:

  • Working with stakeholders (including student representatives) to identify the vision and the rationale for developing digital capabilities for your organisation
  • Focusing on what you would like to achieve and how digital capabilities can contribute to your vision
  • Aligning your aspirations for digital capability with other initiatives, policies and priorities - identifying where digital capabilities will enhance the performance and reputation of your organisation
  • Reviewing the organisation-focused digital capabilities framework (pdf) with stakeholders in relation to the current and desired situation
  • Working with stakeholders, using analytical tools such as our audit tool (Word) or checklist (Word) to ascertain the current situation and develop an outline action plan
  • Facilitating collaboration and the bringing together of all those who have a role or interest in developing digital capability including those responsible for the digital infrastructure of your organisation, estates teams and human resources teams
  • Reviewing the range of digital support options available to staff and students to create a holistic approach that makes the most effective use of resources
  • Signifying the intention to embed digital capability development throughout the organisation by leading, championing, supporting and communicating the objectives and benefits of the plan for each stakeholder group, illustrated by evidence-based examples

Supporting resources

Listed below are some tools and resources to consider using to support step one:

Outcomes

Likely outcomes, outputs and enablers that will arise from step one activities include:

  • The identification and formation of a stakeholder group who will steer the development of organisational digital capability with support from an identified senior sponsor
  • The establishment of a shared understanding, common purpose and goals
  • Greater understanding of the relevance of digital capabilities for your own organisation and community members
  • Identification of the current situation and the difference between the current and desired positions
  • Clearly articulated benefits for all stakeholders with evidence-based examples.
  • Action and implementation plans (including a review of structures, responsibilities, resources, KPIs and success indicators) that can be shared with heads of schools, departments and service teams for further refinement
  • Reflection on the digital leader profile and the personal development needs of your staff
  • Potential for increased organisational growth, reputation, business and student satisfaction

Step two - design and construct

Design and construct approaches and support mechanisms to bring the vision and intent established in step one to life.

Actions and responsibilities

Indicative responsibilities and actions for senior managers such as heads of school, heads of department, programme managers, directors and service leaders might include:

  • Promoting the concept of digital professionalism to your team members and students encouraging an exploration of what this means to different audiences
  • Reviewing data from organisational surveys that capture information relevant to digital capabilities or conducting your own survey if data is not available for this specific focus
  • Leading and engaging your teams - communicating and conveying the importance and relevance to curriculum or target audience, providing clear direction but encouraging development of own approaches
  • Initiating team digital capability profiling including profiling different roles within teams - senior managers could perhaps lead by example by sharing their profile with staff
  • Identifying desired student digital capabilities and graduate attributes appropriate for subject or specialist areas
  • Liaising with other stakeholders including students and staff, professional and curriculum teams, support services
  • Aligning digital capability ambitions with other departmental or service team priorities, organisational strategies, targets and key performance indicators
  • Reviewing the existing support offer for all members considering local and cross-organisational support mechanisms (for example HR, library and information services, technical teams, student services, NUS, student experience teams, special interest groups, communities of practice and networks
  • Embedding opportunities to develop, recognise, reward and accredit digital capabilities in HR, personal development and student award processes, ensuring adequate funding and time has been allocated for staff and student engagement
  • Establishing mechanisms for sharing, networking and collaboration - internally and externally including with specialist organisations
  • Embedding digital capabilities in curriculum review processes

Supporting resources

Listed below are some tools and resources to consider using to support step two:

Outcomes

Likely outcomes, outputs and enablers that will arise from step two activities include:

  • An understanding of digital professionalism in relation to your own professions, subjects and practices
  • The establishment of team, service or programme priorities
  • Clarity over the range of support options available to community members spanning basic to specialist needs - aim for a continuum from fully-supported to self-serviced
  • A tailored implementation plan that includes resource considerations
  • Digital capabilities are embedded in curricula activities
  • A range of recognition or reward opportunities have been identified and promoted to staff and students
  • The digital ambitions of teams and staff are addressed through professional development review (PDR) processes and wider departmental plans with links to associated professional development frameworks

Step three - explore and contextualise

Work with teams to explore what digital capabilities are appropriate for specific teams and build a contextualised implementation plan.

Actions and responsibilities

Indicative responsibilities and actions for teams including staff, students, professional, service, academic, curriculum and others might include:

  • Reviewing the digital capability framework and six elements model (individual)
  • Discussing the profiles most closely-related to the roles of team members (with those identifying in the same role as well as with mixed roles within the same team)
  • Researching subject and professional digital capabilities appropriate to role, subject and destination industries that students are likely to be seeking employment in
  • Encouraging individual team members to self-assess own digital capabilities using the discovery tool and identify personal development options for discussion with line manager or team leader
  • Aligning and mapping individual findings from discovery tool activities with other team priorities and development plans (for example: plans to review or refresh curricula, new or updated services etc)
  • Individuals aligning professional development review plans with relevant professional frameworks
  • Including opportunities to develop digital capabilities and digital graduate attributes in curriculum activities - make these clearly signposted with links to supporting resources
  • Collaborating with other team members and other teams on projects designed to improve your curriculum, service or learner experience (for example, if a team were exploring inclusive practice, one option might be to use our accessible content audit framework (Word) to assess, evaluate or ‘user test’ the accessibility of resources)

Supporting resources

Listed below are some tools and resources to consider using to support step three:

Outcomes

Likely outcomes, outputs and enablers that will arise from step three activities include:

  • The establishment of common language, goals and priorities for digital capability
  • A collegiate approach to ownership and development of digital capabilities
  • Individual teams develop their own construct of digital capability aligned to team, departmental, service and organisational priorities
  • Team strengths and weaknesses are identified and mapped against ideal or real-world requirements
  • Opportunities are identified to embed digital capabilities in a variety of curricula and student-focused activities
  • Digital capabilities development is included in individual and team plans for continuous professional development (CPD)
  • Potential collaborative development opportunities that align with or include digital capability targets are identified (for example, collaborative activities with students such as development work arising from use of the Jisc/NUS benchmarking the student digital experience tool (pdf) or the student digital experience tracker)
  • The establishment of collegiate support mechanisms for the development of digital capabilities

Step four - support and consolidate

Support and consolidate the development of digital capabilities across the organisation.

Responsibilities

Indicative responsibilities for all might include:

  • Reviewing and evaluating progress against goals set - at individual and at organisational level
  • Reporting on progress using established reporting structures and procedures as well as informal networks and communities of practice
  • Reviewing mechanisms for monitoring and evidencing success - amending and updating these as necessary
  • Gathering case studies and examples of best practice sharing ‘what works’ and lessons learned
  • Feeding successes into team meetings and staff and student development programmes, inviting those involved to lead sessions
  • Establishing and supporting networks and special interest groups - both internal and external, subject specific and themes that are applicable to more than one subject or topic - making use of existing channels where they exist
  • Promoting identified reward and recognition schemes to staff and students to encourage participation
  • Ensuring development of individual digital capabilities is recognised within individual performance and appraisal mechanisms

Supporting resources

Listed below are some tools and resources to consider using to support step four:

Outcomes

Likely outcomes, outputs and enablers that will arise from step four activities include:

  • Enhanced organisational reputation and the reputation of individual members of staff
  • Students prepared for living and working in a digital world
  • Staff empowered to make best use of digital technology within the organisation
  • Enhancements to quality measures (for example, NSS, Ofsted, Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and Research Excellence Framework (REF)
  • Developing the digital skills of leaders to lead, inspire and enhance organisational digital capability
  • More efficient use of digital tools and enhanced capacity throughout the organisation in core business functions

You can also read our quick guide on how to shape your digital strategy.