GET THE BASICS
Enhancing the technical, human and process capacity of DiSSCo institutions COMPETENCIES, CAPABILITIES AND THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
THE BASICS OF TASK 3.1 OF DISSCO PREPARE
Reading time: 12 minutes
To navigate the contents, simply scroll down or click on the links below.
》 FACT 1
Take a look at DiSSCo right now and you will see a one-of-a-kind consortium bringing together a variety of organizations of all sizes and types that take different approaches to literally everything, from digitization priorities to team structure and management.
》 FACT 2
As DiSSCo moves on adopting common policies and frameworks on its way to the Operational Phase, a degree of alignment and standardization will be increasingly necessary for assuring effective data mobilization.
》 FACT 3
That being said, rather than squeezing us all in a “one size fits all” framework for best practices and lessons learned, finding a suitable approach that adapts to our different contexts sounds like a better option.
In other words: we need to try and reach excellence as a distributed infrastructure (it is in our logo!).
Now. We won't go very far unless we recognise that technological transformations are led and carried out by people who need the appropriate skills. That is the raison d'être of Task 3.1 of DiSSCo Prepare.
Now. We won't go very far unless we recognise that technological transformations are led and carried out by people who need the appropriate skills. That is the raison d'être of Task 3.1 of DiSSCo Prepare.
What does T3.1 try to achieve?
Task 3.1 aims to enhance DiSSCo's technical, human and process capacity, both in human and organizational terms:
□ Human: focusing not solely on digital and technology capacities but also organisational change and non-technical skills (communication, leadership, governance, etc.).
□ Organizational: addressing competencies for individuals but also for institutions (Digital Maturity. More on this later...).
□ Human: focusing not solely on digital and technology capacities but also organisational change and non-technical skills (communication, leadership, governance, etc.).
□ Organizational: addressing competencies for individuals but also for institutions (Digital Maturity. More on this later...).
So it is about human capabilities and organizational capabilities. That is perfect yet keep this in mind:
》While the scope of Task 3.1 is wide, some of the skills that DiSSCo demands may be found externally (e.g. outsourcing or contracting).
》Also, not all skills are needed at all institutions. Task 3.1 is about helping everyone to feel confident in understanding what’s right for them and their institution, and what support will be at hand.
Task 3.1 has two main pillars:
❶
In-depth analyses of insights from a variety of sources: previous DiSSCo-linked projects; existing
frameworks for competency and skills; existing tools for assessing digital capabilities and maturity in organisations; case studies... you name it. That is the scope of MS3.1,
and
MS3.3.
❷ Development of a DiSSCo Digital Maturity Self-Assessment Tool for teams and organisations to identify areas for improvement, but also for DiSSCo to understand key gaps, offer training and support, and measure progress in capability development (MS3.2, MS3.4).
Before we continue, let's talk about the Maturity Tool a bit more...
❷ Development of a DiSSCo Digital Maturity Self-Assessment Tool for teams and organisations to identify areas for improvement, but also for DiSSCo to understand key gaps, offer training and support, and measure progress in capability development (MS3.2, MS3.4).
Before we continue, let's talk about the Maturity Tool a bit more...
You might be wondering why Task 3.1 is working towards a Digital Maturity Tool rather than a Competency Framework.
You might be wondering why Task 3.1 is working towards a Digital Maturity Tool rather than a Competency Framework.
Fullscreen
Here is why:
A competency or competence framework is a model that specifies the skills and behaviours that are the key requirements for individuals working in an organization or sector.
It usually arranges these skills/behaviours at various levels (e.g. high / medium / low) or simply links them to job grades or roles. The important thing here is that it states what good or excellent looks like, sometimes also giving examples of what would be seen if the competency was lacking or negative.
---
》 Our analysis of over 10 of these competency frameworks suggests that the most successful ones are those integrated in key processes such as recruitment; performance management; individual skills development, training, etc.
Now, could DiSSCo provide such a framework to be embedded in this way across its countries and institutions?
It is unlikely... Many of them may be mandated to use a particular approach, while others may not have any previous experience of applying such a framework.
That at least is the experience of the EUColComp project (2013-2015) which aimed at transferring a set of universal competencies for collections management to institutions across the EU. We could not find any evidence of the framework being used in any systematic way after it was produced.
So Task 3.1 wants, instead, to develop a tool that is easy for anyone in DiSSCo to use and get value from.
A competency or competence framework is a model that specifies the skills and behaviours that are the key requirements for individuals working in an organization or sector.
It usually arranges these skills/behaviours at various levels (e.g. high / medium / low) or simply links them to job grades or roles. The important thing here is that it states what good or excellent looks like, sometimes also giving examples of what would be seen if the competency was lacking or negative.
---
》 Our analysis of over 10 of these competency frameworks suggests that the most successful ones are those integrated in key processes such as recruitment; performance management; individual skills development, training, etc.
Now, could DiSSCo provide such a framework to be embedded in this way across its countries and institutions?
It is unlikely... Many of them may be mandated to use a particular approach, while others may not have any previous experience of applying such a framework.
That at least is the experience of the EUColComp project (2013-2015) which aimed at transferring a set of universal competencies for collections management to institutions across the EU. We could not find any evidence of the framework being used in any systematic way after it was produced.
So Task 3.1 wants, instead, to develop a tool that is easy for anyone in DiSSCo to use and get value from.
So, let's go back to our two main pillars:
□ In-depth analyses of insights
□ Digital Maturity Self-Assessment Tool for DiSSCo.
KEY INSIGHTS FROM OUR ANALYSES
Although we decided not to produce a new DiSSCo Competency Framework within this task, there are still useful lessons from our competency analysis.
Our colleague Helen Hardy (NHM) explains them and why they are relevant for DiSSCo in this 3min video.
□ In-depth analyses of insights
□ Digital Maturity Self-Assessment Tool for DiSSCo.
KEY INSIGHTS FROM OUR ANALYSES
Although we decided not to produce a new DiSSCo Competency Framework within this task, there are still useful lessons from our competency analysis.
Our colleague Helen Hardy (NHM) explains them and why they are relevant for DiSSCo in this 3min video.
Here you can take a closer look at those key
competency clusters for DiSSCo that Helen
just mentioned:
The proposed DiSSCo Digital Maturity Tool (see
below) will seek to cover all of these except for 7,
where there is assumed already to be a high
level of maturity and of insights based
on previous work in DiSSCo and related
previous projects.
competency clusters for DiSSCo that Helen
just mentioned:
The proposed DiSSCo Digital Maturity Tool (see
below) will seek to cover all of these except for 7,
where there is assumed already to be a high
level of maturity and of insights based
on previous work in DiSSCo and related
previous projects.
Following our analysis of competency frameworks for individuals, we have also looked for existing approaches to digital capability and maturity for organisations. That takes us to Task 3.1's second pillar:
ORGANISATIONAL READINESS AND THE MATURITY TOOL
ORGANISATIONAL READINESS AND THE MATURITY TOOL
These are some of those approaches to digital capability and maturity that we looked at:
□ The Digitization Guide from the Atlas of Living Australia lists six digital maturity levels (from ‘0 – Disorganised’ to ‘6 - On the look out / continuous improvement’) against six core digitisation activities: Making digital; Databasing; Managing data; Sharing data; Using technology; and Governing digitisation.
□ The GBIF Capacity Self-assessment online survey helps assess capabilities in four key areas: Coordinating a national community of institutions and projects; Data mobilisation; Reusing of available data; and improving data management and quality. It focuses on national organisations but some of its features would be useful for DiSSCo.
□ The UK Arts Council Digital Culture Compass Tracker, although not specific to the Natural Sciences, allows the user to choose which sections are applicable to their organisation or circumstances. This is a useful tailoring for different organisations that could be relevant for a DiSSCo tool.
□ The Digitization Guide from the Atlas of Living Australia lists six digital maturity levels (from ‘0 – Disorganised’ to ‘6 - On the look out / continuous improvement’) against six core digitisation activities: Making digital; Databasing; Managing data; Sharing data; Using technology; and Governing digitisation.
□ The GBIF Capacity Self-assessment online survey helps assess capabilities in four key areas: Coordinating a national community of institutions and projects; Data mobilisation; Reusing of available data; and improving data management and quality. It focuses on national organisations but some of its features would be useful for DiSSCo.
□ The UK Arts Council Digital Culture Compass Tracker, although not specific to the Natural Sciences, allows the user to choose which sections are applicable to their organisation or circumstances. This is a useful tailoring for different organisations that could be relevant for a DiSSCo tool.
Apart from these and other references, building on the design blueprint for the proposed DiSSCo Digital Maturity Tool
(MS3.2)
has allowed us to come up with a more detailed specification for the Tool content, including among others:
❶ the levels against which users will assess their current and target capability;
❷ the categories/sections and subcategories that will form the structure of the assessment;
❸ examples of full category content;
❹ more depth about the requirements for accessing the tool and reporting; and
❺ an example of sections of the tool in Google Forms.
Find more about the Digital Maturity Tool in MS3.4 (in Teamworks).
❶ the levels against which users will assess their current and target capability;
❷ the categories/sections and subcategories that will form the structure of the assessment;
❸ examples of full category content;
❹ more depth about the requirements for accessing the tool and reporting; and
❺ an example of sections of the tool in Google Forms.
Find more about the Digital Maturity Tool in MS3.4 (in Teamworks).
NOTEThe right people for the job: Finding capability data
Needless to say, we need to understand how to find who or which institutions may have relevant skills and capabilities to provide for DiSSCo. That is why we decided to test five online resources -LinkedIn, ResearchGate, WikiData, GitHub and ORCID.
As expected, each system has a unique set of data and means of access - currently, none of the platforms have the full range of data or services to meet our needs, but implementation of consistent references and identifiers in DiSSCo such as ORCID and institutional identifiers will help to address this over time by ensuring data can be linked and searched.
As expected, each system has a unique set of data and means of access - currently, none of the platforms have the full range of data or services to meet our needs, but implementation of consistent references and identifiers in DiSSCo such as ORCID and institutional identifiers will help to address this over time by ensuring data can be linked and searched.
So, it's time to take a look at the Maturity Tool (mock version) and see what you will find in it.
》The tool is intended for current or prospective DiSSCo partners, and can be used to self-assess and to set your own areas for improvement within a team, organisation or national DiSSCo node.
》Considering that DiSSCo Prepare covers scientific, technical, data, financial and organisational readiness, digital maturity becomes a broad concept. This tool covers a variety of areas that contribute to an organisation’s flexibility and responsiveness to change, as well as the specific resources/skills you may need for digitisation, infrastructure and data mobilisation.
》The Maturity Tool also allows you to specify relevant areas or questions to your assessment, and to set your own priorities by choosing which areas to target for improvement.
》Considering that DiSSCo Prepare covers scientific, technical, data, financial and organisational readiness, digital maturity becomes a broad concept. This tool covers a variety of areas that contribute to an organisation’s flexibility and responsiveness to change, as well as the specific resources/skills you may need for digitisation, infrastructure and data mobilisation.
》The Maturity Tool also allows you to specify relevant areas or questions to your assessment, and to set your own priorities by choosing which areas to target for improvement.
How does Task 3.1 relate to other Work Packages?
Task 2.1 Training strategy
DiSSCo's training strategy will build on information gathered in previous and current projects and new information collected by Task 3.1.
Task 4.1 (Cost book)
Task 4.1 needs to define a limited number of job levels/types as a universal reference point for the staff costs of different institutions - as a result, definitions will be included for each suggested level for the Cost book spreadsheet. These definitions will continue to be developed through feedback as the Cost book is tested with National Nodes.
Task 7.3 DiSSCo Policies
The Digital Maturity Assessment Tool will be developed alongside Task 7.3's assessment tools for consistency in platform and approach.
DiSSCo's training strategy will build on information gathered in previous and current projects and new information collected by Task 3.1.
Task 4.1 (Cost book)
Task 4.1 needs to define a limited number of job levels/types as a universal reference point for the staff costs of different institutions - as a result, definitions will be included for each suggested level for the Cost book spreadsheet. These definitions will continue to be developed through feedback as the Cost book is tested with National Nodes.
Task 7.3 DiSSCo Policies
The Digital Maturity Assessment Tool will be developed alongside Task 7.3's assessment tools for consistency in platform and approach.
We need your feedback
The Binnacle aims to have us all up to speed and engaged in the latest developments of DiSSCo Prepare. This makes your contribution particularly important.
Please follow this link and leave us some feedback. It will take 2 minutes of your time. Thanks!!
Please follow this link and leave us some feedback. It will take 2 minutes of your time. Thanks!!
Scroll down to continue
Swipe to continue
Swipe to continue
COMPETENCIES, CAPABILITIES AND THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
We need your feedback