The Digital
Innovations for Growth Academy operates as a Strategic Partnership from seven
member states and is involved in the enhancement of digital competencies of
entrepreneurs and owner-manager through the provision of appropriate small firm
context digital training programmes. The development of such training
programmes is underpinned by an informed understanding of the current status
and practices of digital in the entrepreneurial context. To achieve this
objective an empirical research study was undertaken with a sample of
entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial educators and trainers and entrepreneurial
learners to ascertain the predicaments they encounter in the adoption of
digital and what their needs are in terms of addressing these quandaries. The
multi country study (United Kingdom; Ireland; Slovenia; Spain; Lithuania;
Bulgaria and Finland) returned a response of 482 usable surveys.
Overall, survey
results show that many small businesses are engaging with digital technologies
and demonstrate intent to increase their usage of tools to extend into online
selling, online networking and ecommerce to a lesser extent.
There was a lack of a
strategic perspective of integrating digital technology as part of the broader
strategy for their enterprise where digital was viewed on the periphery and
undertaken when needed.
A challenge for the
surveyed firm, was how to more fully capitalise on the ever increasing
opportunities presented by social and digital technologies, whilst balancing
the use of those most relevant and appropriate ones to reduce a fragmented and
piecemeal approach to achieving a non-measured set of tasks. Related is the lack of clear measurement or
tracking of performance from digital efforts and resources extended to digital
media – this lack of measurement perhaps is linked to the absence of a clear
set of objectives and fear and confusion as to the potential of digital for a
small enterprise.
The ability and need
for integrating digital into mainstream business activities is an area
requiring attention and is a fundamental foundation on which any successful
digital strategy is built on.
Entrepreneurs decide on training on a haphazard basis which may reflect
the current or immediate needs of the entrepreneur and the stage of their
company rather than a holistic and future planned approach.
Therefore capability
and competency development are fundamental to enable and embed a digital mind
set in the entrepreneurial context and should incorporate a digital learning
pedagogy, which contains views on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of digital as it
applies to an entrepreneurial context, and which provides opportunities for the
learner to experience and learn ‘with’ and ‘from’ the entrepreneurial
application of digital, thus instilling real world and relevant digital ‘know
how’.
Dr. Briga
Hynes,
Kemmy Business SchoolFurther reflections from DIGA findings so far can be downloaded in two summary reports also prepared by Briga Hynes:
- Going Digital in the Small Firm – Is it all about technology!!!
- Adopting Digital – Digital Dilemma’s Encountered in the Entrepreneurial Context
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