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12 - Transforming the Workplace Through Digital Literacy
- from Part IV - Digital Citizens and Workers
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- By Bonnie Cheuk, strategic, hands-on, business-and-results-driven executive with strong expertise in digital transformation, web‘digital channel management, information and knowledge management, collaboration, social media and Enterprise 2.0., Katharine Reedy, Open University Library before joining the Open University Learning Design team in 2016.
- Edited by Katharine Reedy, Jo Parker
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- Book:
- Digital Literacy Unpacked
- Published by:
- Facet
- Published online:
- 24 September 2019
- Print publication:
- 07 August 2018, pp 169-178
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Introduction: technology, digital literacies and culture change
Computing power is growing at an exponential speed. In the consumer world, new digital tools appear every day. Keeping up with the new technologies can be exciting for some and exhausting for others. In the workplace context, while the pace of technology change tends to be slower than in our personal lives, unfamiliar and disruptive technologies that change the way people work are increasingly being introduced. As more and more technologies are being embedded in the workplace, what kind of digital literacies are required to be effective and productive at work in this ever-changing world?
In this chapter digital literacies are defined as the capabilities required to maximise the benefits that technology can bring to oneself as an individual employee, a team, across the company, the customers and even suppliers. This implies the ability to cope with and avoid stress caused by the prevalence of technologies.
In the next two sections we explore digital literacies from the perspective of two dimensions:
• What kind of digital literacies – aptitude, mindset, behaviours, leadership, skills and competencies – are required for employees to help to deliver company strategy in order to stay relevant in the market and achieve its strategic objectives?
• What kind of aptitude, mindset, behaviours, leadership, skills and competencies are required to reap the full benefits of new digital technologies?
Dimension 1: the spectrum of workplace digital literacy
What kind of digital literacies are required for employees to get their work done to deliver company strategy? There is no ‘one size fits all’ requirement. Different levels of digital literacies are required depending on how employees see a situation at any particular time, the goals and outcomes they are trying to achieve, and the constraints imposed by the company and work environment. Digital literacy in the workplace is presented as different levels of digital aptitude, mindset, behaviours, skills and competencies:
1 At the most basic level, digital literacy is knowing what tools exist to do the current job.
2 Following from there, digital literacy is about knowing how to use the tools, and using them effectively to do the job.
3 The next level is knowing why you should use the tool, when to use it and for what purpose.
10 - The ‘hidden’ value of Information Literacy in the workplace context: how to unlock and create value
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- By Bonnie Cheuk
- Edited by Marc Forster
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- Book:
- Information Literacy in the Workplace
- Published by:
- Facet
- Published online:
- 08 June 2018
- Print publication:
- 30 April 2017, pp 131-148
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- Chapter
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Summary
This chapter will discuss:
• how there are many knowledge workers in the business world who are not traditionally considered information professionals but use information as part of their day-to-day work.
• how information professionals might play a business-driven, strategic yet pragmatic role in the enhancement of the Information Literacy (IL) capabilities of knowledge workers of all types and levels.
Introduction
The job titles of information professionals are numerous and varied: from strategist, information/knowledge manager, intranet/internet manager, professional support lawyer, to CRM administrator, researcher, analyst, marketing and communication manager, product manager, training manager and many more. In this chapter, information professionals are defined as those key employees of whatever label who consciously consider how best to help the company leverage information and/or create information systems, service and marketplace to create value for their employees, clients or business stakeholders. There are many knowledge workers who are not traditionally considered information professionals but use information as part of their day-to-day work.
As the advancement of technology empowers all knowledge workers with affordable digital tools at their fingertips, information professionals are increasingly providing coaching and training services on the effective use of information systems (where the information is stored) or communication tools (where ideas and information are exchanged). They offer advice on how to create, share, search, organize, visualize, analyse and present information. Simply speaking, they show themselves to be those pivotal individuals who introduce ‘Information Literacy’ to the workplace context.
So how important is IL in the workplace context? This chapter examines knowledge workers in different roles, functions and levels, who work under different operating models and company cultures, to understand if and when IL adds value to the business, and if it does, how might information professionals play a business-driven, strategic yet pragmatic role to enhance knowledge workers’ IL capabilities.