Search results

1 – 10 of over 16000
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 November 2023

Michał T. Tomczak, Paweł Ziemiański and Małgorzata Gawrycka

The study aims to examine the digital competence of young employees (under 30 years of age) who graduated from the technical university. Self-assessment of selected digital

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to examine the digital competence of young employees (under 30 years of age) who graduated from the technical university. Self-assessment of selected digital competencies was examined along with the determination of a self-efficacy level in the area of using digital competencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research was conducted using the computer-assisted web interview method on a sample of 4532 respondents.

Findings

Young employees' self-assessment of digital competencies and self-efficacy in the area of using them is high, and it can be assumed that they perceive themselves as digitally competent. Both digital self-efficacy and assessed digital competencies have a positive impact on satisfaction with the university.

Research limitations/implications

The research sample consisted only of employees who graduated from the technical university, but the results may provide feedback on the demand for digital competencies sought in the labor market and constitute valuable information useful in university curriculum development and in vocational education and training.

Originality/value

This is the first study that focuses on the Kozanoglu and Abedin approach to the concept of digital literacy in the context of research on self-assessment and self-efficacy in using digital competencies among technical university graduates, adapting the creative self-efficacy scale by Tierney and Farmer, for measuring digital self-efficacy.

Highlights/value

 

  1. Young employees' digital competencies self-assessment is high.

  2. Young employees' self-efficacy of using digital competencies is high.

  3. Graduating from a DT-focused department has a positive impact on satisfaction.

  4. Digital self-efficacy has a positive impact on satisfaction with the university.

  5. Assessed digital competencies have a positive impact on satisfaction.

Young employees' digital competencies self-assessment is high.

Young employees' self-efficacy of using digital competencies is high.

Graduating from a DT-focused department has a positive impact on satisfaction.

Digital self-efficacy has a positive impact on satisfaction with the university.

Assessed digital competencies have a positive impact on satisfaction.

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2017

Shakeel Ahmad Khan and Rubina Bhatti

The purpose of this study was to explore the essential digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries. The study identified useful training programs for…

3489

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the essential digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries. The study identified useful training programs for university librarians to acquire digital competencies. It examined their digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries in universities of Pakistan. This study also evaluates their digital knowledge in applying security measures to protect digital contents.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative research method was used to conduct this study. Research questions and hypothesis were developed to achieve the objectives. In-depth review of related literature was conducted to draft a list of essential digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries. It was circulated among the panel of experts to get their valuable feedback to make a final list of digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries. A questionnaire was developed to measure the status of digital competencies of university librarians in Pakistan. It was pre-tested on 20 respondents before applying to the whole population. SPSS software was used to analyze data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to achieve results.

Findings

The findings of the study showed that digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries fall into three main categories: digital competencies for developing digital libraries; digital competencies for managing digital libraries; and digital competencies to protect digital contents. The results revealed that training programs offered by Higher Education Commission (HEC), library associations, library schools, in-house trainings, use of online tutorials and trainings offered by skilled professionals are highly important and useful for university librarians to acquire digital competencies. The study concluded that the university librarians working in HEC recognized universities in Punjab province possess basic level of digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries. Their digital competencies vary on the basis of their university type, i.e. public and private sector.

Research limitations/implications

This study measures digital competencies of university librarians in Pakistan. The study has practical implications for librarians, library schools, library associations, university libraries and HEC.

Practical implications

This study has practical implications for librarians, information professionals, libraries and library schools. The results are useful for librarians to get knowledge of digital competencies which are essential for developing and managing digital libraries and protecting digital contents. They can develop their digital competencies in identified areas. This study has identified useful training programs for university librarians for acquiring digital competencies. The university librarians should use these programs to gain needed digital skills.

Social implications

Librarians can get knowledge of digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries to face the challenges of digital age.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous research work on investigating computer skills, information and communication technology skills, technological skills and general digital skills, this study particularly identifies the essential digital competencies for developing and managing digital libraries. It helps library and information science schools, library associations, training groups and university libraries to offer adequate training opportunities in identified areas to meet the challenges of the digital age.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 35 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 December 2023

Joseph Odhiambo Onyango

This chapter frames the digital age transformation journey for sustainability from the lenses of transformation skills and competencies required for future work. It provides a…

Abstract

This chapter frames the digital age transformation journey for sustainability from the lenses of transformation skills and competencies required for future work. It provides a synopsis of the digital transformation considering digital technologies, connecting digital transformation to future work and reflections on the new digital age to sustainability issues. In detail, this chapter comprehensively reviews digital technologies transformation skills, including digital skills and integrated skills for the digital economy linked to integrated skills. This chapter takes into consideration the possible effects from a competency point of view from the domains on issues like: global independence, trust, a shift in skills and ways of work, commitment to justice, improving the know-how, financial inclusion, data and data privacy that are critical imperatives for sustainability. Developing a digital economy requires integrated sustainable development competencies; this chapter considers combined skills for digital transformation in triple connecting points of human skills, business skills and digital building blocks skills to argue for sustainability. Because attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires input from different quotas globally, sustainable competencies are needed to ensure individuals work cohesively through new-age digital technologies. This chapter further highlights emerging competencies such as critical thinking, appreciative equity, open communication and acting on collective well-being as imperatives transforming digital disruptions. The final section of this chapter puts into perspective the implication of required digital technologies for the future of work and its significance on the need to reskill and retool. It concludes by reflecting on opportunities and challenges for crucial consideration towards creating a sustainable digital age.

Details

Fostering Sustainable Development in the Age of Technologies
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83753-060-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2019

Chukwuma Clement Okeji, Eriye Chris Tralagba and Ifeyinwa Calista Obi

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the digital literacy skills possessed by librarians working in university libraries in Nigeria.

1215

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the digital literacy skills possessed by librarians working in university libraries in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire was developed using SurveyMonkey to collect data from 111 librarians working in both public and private universities in Nigeria.

Findings

The study revealed the digital literacy skills that the librarians rated as very high and high, and those that they rated as moderate and low. The study also revealed the knowledge and competencies that they rated to be highly competent and competent, as well as also those that they rated to be neutral and not good. The librarians rated their knowledge of network and system security; ability to apply security software firewalls, filtering routers and ability to protect access to digital content by providing password or IP base access as neutral and not good. Overall, the study revealed that almost half of the librarians rated their level of digital literacy skills possessed to be moderate. Only few librarians rated their digital literacy skills to be excellent.

Practical implications

The findings will be helpful to librarians, information professionals, libraries and library schools. The results will inform librarians on the skills and digital competencies that are essential for developing and managing digital resources and protecting digital contents.

Originality/value

Findings will be helpful to explore the skills and competencies needed by information professionals and to act as a guideline for competency development and curriculum update in library schools in developing countries.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 69 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 March 2018

Yuanyuan Feng and Lorraine Richards

The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of professional competency in current digital curation literature through the lens of competency theories in management science…

2777

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the concept of professional competency in current digital curation literature through the lens of competency theories in management science and organizational studies. This paper also aims to provide recommendations to articulate and expand professional competencies in future digital curation research and professional education.

Design/methodology/approach

The outcomes presented in this paper are based on a multi-disciplinary literature review and a qualitative content analysis. The literature review explores theoretical foundations of professional competency in management science and organizational studies and how the concept of professional competency is used in digital curation literature. The content analysis scrutinizes 16 digital curation publications that have discussed professional competency, with an in-depth examination of seven empirical studies in these publications.

Findings

The findings include: the concept of professional competency is inconsistently used in digital curation literature, the digital curation literature exhibits disparate coverage of different types of professional competencies, and the digital curation empirical studies often narrowly operationalize the concept of professional competency but the empirical studies using multiple or in-depth qualitative methods yield more comprehensive findings reflecting a broader scope of the concept.

Originality/value

Although past research focused on the competencies required for digital curation, there is no research scrutinizing the conceptual construct of professional competency in the digital curation literature. This paper will be of value to digital curation researchers and educators to better determine the competencies needed for digital curators as an emerging profession.

Details

Records Management Journal, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-5698

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 April 2023

Jestine Philip, Katharina Gilli and Michael Knappstein

Even with the recognized impact organizational leaders have on the outcome of digital transformation (DT), a comprehensive scholarly understanding of the competencies that leaders…

4372

Abstract

Purpose

Even with the recognized impact organizational leaders have on the outcome of digital transformation (DT), a comprehensive scholarly understanding of the competencies that leaders must possess to lead a DT to success is lacking.

Design/methodology/approach

To derive and list the competencies considered by experts as necessary for managing DT, the authors recruited 18 international senior managers with relevant experience and applied the Delphi method to survey the managers. Upon the completion of three survey rounds and the authors modifying the response list until consensus was reached, 39 items were shortlisted as constituting key competencies for managing DT. Furthermore, the authors engaged in inductive theorizing to derive propositional statements using these findings.

Findings

The practitioners agreed on visionary thinking, agility, understanding the value of data, data-driven decision-making, knowledge of strategy and accepting change as the most important requirements for managing DT. Through inductive theorizing, the authors further derived that the seven discovered clusters fell into two broader competencies – behavioral and strategic – and that each behavioral competency would have varying importance depending on the country and industry that the organization operates in.

Research limitations/implications

As is typical for Delphi studies that involve multiple survey rounds, the study participant response rate was moderate. The implications of this study, in finding that a variety of leadership competencies are needed to ensure successful DT, validate prior research that people, not technology, drive DT.

Practical implications

This study helps mitigate assumptions that successful DT processes are only possible by hiring technological experts, as doing so highlights the importance of behavioral leadership competencies.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first to interlink digital leadership with DT by inductively theorizing behavioral and strategic competencies. The authors also establish that contexts are vital in determining which aspects of leadership competencies are deemed most important in driving DT.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 44 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2023

Faten Hamad, Maha Al-Fadel and Ahmed Maher Khafaga Shehata

Technological advancement has forced academic libraries to change their traditional services and routines by adopting emerging technologies to respond to the changing information…

Abstract

Purpose

Technological advancement has forced academic libraries to change their traditional services and routines by adopting emerging technologies to respond to the changing information needs of their users who are now more technologically inclined and prefer to access information remotely and in a timely manner. Smart technologies are the recent trends in academic libraries. This research aims to investigate the level of smart information service implementation at academic libraries in Jordan. It also aimed to investigate the correlation between the level of smart information services offered by the libraries and the level of digital competencies among the library staff.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is designed using survey design to collect comprehensive information from the study participants. A questionnaire was disseminated to 340 respondents, and 246 questionnaires were returned and were suitable for analysis with a response rate of 72.4%.

Findings

The results indicated a moderate level of smart information service offered by academic libraries, as well as a moderate level of digital skills associated with the advocacy of smart information services. The results also indicated a strong and positive relationship between the level of smart information services at the investigated libraries and the level of digital competencies among the librarians.

Practical implications

The findings will help other academic libraries understand how to respond to the emergent change in users’ information-seeking behavior by understanding their available human resources competencies and the requirement to undergo this emergent change.

Originality/value

This paper provides insights and practical solutions for academic libraries in response to global information trends based on users’ behaviors. This research was conducted in Jordan as one of the developing countries and hence it provides insights of the situation there. It will help academic libraries in Jordan and the region to handle and cope with the challenges associated with technology acceptance based on its staff level of digital competencies. The contribution of this research that it was done in a developing country where progress in the filed can be considered slow because of many factors, mainly economics, where institutions focus on essential library objectives, which are information resources development and databases subscriptions.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 August 2021

Dennis Schlegel and Patrick Kraus

Digital transformation of organizations has major implications for required skills and competencies of the workforce, both as a prerequisite for implementation, and, as a…

3008

Abstract

Purpose

Digital transformation of organizations has major implications for required skills and competencies of the workforce, both as a prerequisite for implementation, and, as a consequence of the transformation. The purpose of this study is to analyze required skills and competencies for digital transformation using the context of robotic process automation (RPA) as an example.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on an explorative, thematic coding analysis of 119 job advertisements related to RPA. The data was collected from major online job platforms, qualitatively coded and subsequently analyzed quantitatively.

Findings

The research highlights the general importance of specific skills and competencies for digital transformation and shows a gap between available skills and required skills. Moreover, it is concluded that reskilling the existing workforce might be difficult. Many emerging positions can be found in the consulting sector, which raises questions about the permanent vs temporary nature of the requirements, as well as the difficulty of acquiring the required knowledge.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to knowledge by providing new empirical findings and a novel perspective to the ongoing discussion of digital skills, employment effects and reskilling demands of the existing workforce owing to recent technological developments and automation in the overall context of digital transformation.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 31 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 October 2019

Ebikabowei Emmanuel Baro, Onyedikachi G. Obaro and Emetarom Doris Aduba

The purpose of this paper is to assess digital literacy skills possessed by library and information professionals working in university libraries in Africa.

1925

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess digital literacy skills possessed by library and information professionals working in university libraries in Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

Online questionnaire was developed to collect data from 214 librarians working in various university libraries in English-speaking countries in Africa.

Findings

The study found that librarians working in university libraries in Africa rated their database search skills, uploading documents to online platforms, skills in using different social media, sending and receiving e-mails skill, digital library development skills, skills in applying new technologies into library services, ability to create different file formats and ability to use open source software as very high. While, metadata development skills, and library website development skills were rated to be moderate and low. Overall, the librarians rated their level of digital literacy skills possessed to be moderate, and differences emerged between librarians in Nigeria and South Africa with regard to digital literacy skills possessed.

Practical implications

This study attempts to identify skills that are central to librarians working in university libraries. The study will be useful for trainers who want to arrange training for academic librarians in Africa and other developing countries. For some library schools, it may help them to review their curriculum in accordance with the required skills and competencies for academic librarians in the market.

Originality/value

Findings will be helpful to explore the skills and competencies needed by information professionals and to act as a guideline for competency development and curriculum update in library schools in developing countries.

Details

Digital Library Perspectives, vol. 35 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5816

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 February 2021

George Papageorgiou, Simona Mihai-Yiannaki, Myria Ioannou, Despina Varnava-Marouchou and Stelios Marneros

Entrepreneurship education should catch up with the current developments in today’s digitally interconnected and virtual world. As all forms of conducting business become digital

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education should catch up with the current developments in today’s digitally interconnected and virtual world. As all forms of conducting business become digital, essentially entrepreneurship needs a new digital competence-based learning approach. This chapter proposes a Digital Communications competency profile that every modern entrepreneur should possess. The proposed profile incorporates digital marketing (DM) as it recognises the need for major changes in entrepreneurship educational programmes. The proposal is based on an extensive literature review, which reveals that future demand for competencies goes beyond basic traditional entrepreneurship skills to include digital communication. It is shown that future entrepreneurs should possess advanced communication skills, in DM, which includes social media marketing, digital marketing strategies, search engine optimisation, content marketing and E-mail marketing. These competencies would facilitate customer involvement and open innovation. As a result, via the process of co-creation creative ideas can be transformed into successful products and services. The modern entrepreneurship profile underlines the paramount role of digital communications skills, which should be incorporated in entrepreneurship educational programmes.

Details

Universities and Entrepreneurship: Meeting the Educational and Social Challenges
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-074-8

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 16000