Learning content

Section 1

1. 1. The benefits of being enthusiastic about new approaches and initiatives in a workplace environment:

There are many benefits of being enthusiastic in the workplace:

1. Enthusiasm helps you to prioritise: Have you ever been given an assignment that you were completely disinterested in? While it is highly doubtful that you'll always enjoy the tasks we must complete, it will be easier to keep track of everything if you can show enthusiasm for the project. It is important to recognize something you enjoy about the task that you are doing. Have you ever been given an assignment in which you were completely disinterested? While it is highly doubtful that you'll always enjoy the tasks we must complete, it will be easier to keep track of everything if you can show enthusiasm for the project. It is important to recognize something you enjoy about the task that you are doing. If you're at a loss regarding what to do, consider how you could contribute your unique perspectives and skills towards the project.
2. Enthusiasm reflects a positive attitude: Enthusiasm tends to attract things to it. Merely being enthusiastic will make individuals desire to be around you. Enthusiasm makes you an individual people like to work with and be around.  Likewise, your enthusiasm will draw the attention of your superiors too. Everyone wants a worker who possesses a positive attitude. Motivating others is challenging when working in a team. Everyone will become a little more enthusiastic about what you are doing if you can show enthusiasm. This passionate energy invigorates everyone and assists in accomplishing goals.

1. 2. Women4IT:

A multi-stakeholder partnership called Women4IT has secured funding from the EEA (European Economic Area) as well as the Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. Nine partners from nine different sectors throughout Europe are promoting the project (Women4IT, 2020). The initiative will be conducted in seven countries:

• Greece,
• Latvia,
• Malta,
• Ireland,
• Spain,
• Lithuania,
• Romania,
• and, supported by two expert partners: The Europe Centre for Women and Technology and DIGITALEUROPE.

By improving their employability, the project partners hope to improve the digital competences of young women who may be in jeopardy of being excluded from the labour market. Women4IT aims to improve the inclusion of vulnerable girls and young women in the EU in the digital agenda by trying to promote practical, creative partnerships and solutions. It also aims to raise awareness of the gender divide and digital skills (Women4IT, 2020).

According to Women4IT (2020), the project's goal is to help a thousand young women to enter the workforce successfully in the 21st century. This is extremely important if the European economy is to keep its competitiveness in the face of competitors' rapid advancements in technology and if European society is to proceed to be inclusive in the digital era.

VICUÑA (2021) believes that Women4IT brings numerous benefits, such as:

• promoting youth employment,
• downsizing the gap for digital specialists,
• participation of women and girls in digital jobs and ICT-related professions is rising.

According to Udała (2022), 90% of careers in the EU will require digital skills in the coming years. Only one out of every five ICT experts is female, and men are much more likely than women to exhibit basic ICT skills. At least 1,000 women's ICT skills will be assessed as part of Women4IT's first pilot project, and 700 of them will receive specialist training based on the market demand and learner needs.

1. 3. Implementing new digital technologies to make work processes more efficient:

Every workplace must conduct digital transformation, and most likely multiple transformations, to keep up with the accelerating rate of technological advancement. Nevertheless, to profit from technological advances, you first must successfully adapt to this transition. This is a significant obstacle to digital transformation (Malik, 2022).

According to Malik (2022), in this digital-first era, effective workplaces have developed digital innovation strategies that put the change management mindset first. This shift in thinking implies that workplaces should actively look for ways to enhance work processes effectively.

According to Teem (2022), there are five steps for implementing new technologies in the workplace. These include:

Step 1: As new technology is evaluated and selected, keep everybody in the workplace informed.

Step 2: Understanding why the new technology is required in the first place.

Step 3: Use technology to enhance everyone's quality of life.

Step 4: Split the workplace into groups to improve end-user implementation.

Step 5: Give people training with enough time to study.

Section 2

2. 1. Barriers to new approaches and initiatives in the workplace:

Lau (2022) reports that digitalisation is here to stay. The new norm is now remote and hybrid working. As an outcome, collaborative technologies such as cloud computing, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and AR (Augmented Reality) have developed quite quickly (Augmented Reality).

Technological innovations can scale your workplace and increase efficiency in the workplace, among several other operational aspects. But even so, according to Statista, roughly 50% of workplaces implemented cutting-edge technologies in 2020, which include cloud computing and SaaS (software as a service) advertising strategies. Less than 30% of individuals were employing other technological innovations. Worker resistance may be among the factors that cause this (Lau, 2022).

Lau (2022) believes that there are various reasons that workers resist new technology in the workplace. These include:

• Feeling left out of the decision-making process.
• Lack of communication from management.
• Not understanding the advantages that technology can bring to the workplace.
• Not feeling confident in their ability to use technology.
• Feeling replaced or underappreciated by technology.

It might seem unrealistic to get past worker resistance to introducing new technologies in the workplace, but it is not! With the right approaches, you can assist your peers in adopting new technology and succeeding using it. And then, if your peers succeed, so too will your workplace (Lau, 2022).

2. 2. Influencing peers to become enthusiastic about new approaches and initiatives:

So, how can we influence peers to become more enthusiastic about new approaches and initiatives regarding technology in the workplace? Lau (2022) believes that are eight strategies established to help with this. Some of these include:

1. To be completely honest:

• Even when using technology that will benefit the workplace, transparency is necessary when attempting to implement new strategies and initiatives. The most effective way to promote transparency and smoothen the transition from old to new would be through open conversation.
• Teaching others about the benefits of modern technology and encouraging their concerns and questions will assist you in addressing any potential issues or barriers.
• If the "What's in it for me?" question can be successfully answered, your peers are much more likely to adopt innovative technology. Since less tech-savvy peers will likely be the ones who feel the most uneasy about new technology in the workplace, this is extremely critical for influencing them.

1. Independent Learning:

• Each step of implementing new initiatives and strategies in the workplace requires the support of some people. Others find that self-directed learning is better. Lau (2022) claims that all age groups of workers want to learn fully independently. Therefore, encouraging self-guided learning is crucial. This is achievable by:

1. Providing peers with access to digital resources so that they may review them when they require a recap. A wide range of resources, which include step-by-step instructions, infographics, audio files, and videos, can keep peers updated on the latest technological advances and encourage them to start embracing innovative approaches and workplace initiatives.
2. Producing a quiz that workers can take on their own time to assess what they still must grasp.

Case study

Context:

The context of this scenario is a technology company where a group of women employees are facing a new challenge as the organisation is implementing a new software system that they are not familiar with. This new system is expected to greatly improve their workflow and productivity, but the women are intimidated by the prospect of having to learn how to use it. The human resources department is taking initiative to provide training sessions for these women to help them develop their digital skills and become proficient in using the new software.

Description:

A group of women working at a technology company are facing a new challenge as their organization is implementing a new software system that will greatly improve their workflow and productivity. However, many of the women are not familiar with the technology and feel intimidated by the prospect of having to learn how to use it. They are curious about developing their digital skills, but they don't know where to start.

To address this issue, the company's human resources department decides to organize a series of training sessions specifically targeted at the women in the organization. The sessions are led by experienced trainers who are experts in the new software and have experience teaching it to others.

The women are excited to attend the training and are eager to learn. They are given hands-on experience with the software and are encouraged to ask questions and explore different features. The trainers also provide tips and tricks for using the software more efficiently.

As the training progresses, the women begin to feel more confident in their abilities and can apply what they have learned in their day-to-day work. They are also able to assist their colleagues who are also trying to learn the new software. The training is a success, and the women feel more empowered and motivated to continue developing their digital skills.

The company also benefits as the women are now able to use the new software more effectively, which improves their productivity and the overall efficiency of the organization.

Lesson Learnt:

• Providing training and development opportunities for workers can help them feel more confident and capable in their roles, which can lead to improved productivity and efficiency for the organisation.
• Targeted training sessions can be beneficial for specific groups of employees, such as women in this scenario, who may have unique needs or concerns when it comes to learning new technology.
• Empowering workers to develop their skills and knowledge can lead to a more motivated and engaged workforce.

Questions and answers

Q1: Name an EU-funded initiative that promotes women's digital skills and how they plan to do this.

A1: A multi-stakeholder partnership called Women4IT has secured funding from the EEA (European Economic Area) as well as the Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. Nine partners from nine different sectors throughout Europe are promoting the project (Women4IT, 2020).

By improving their employability, the project partners hope to improve the digital competences of young women who may be in jeopardy of being excluded from the labour market. Women4IT aims to improve the inclusion of vulnerable girls and young women in the EU in the digital agenda by trying to promote practical, creative partnerships and solutions. It also aims to raise awareness of the gender divide and digital skills (Women4IT, 2020).

According to Women4IT (2020), the project's goal is to help a thousand young women to enter the workforce successfully in the 21st century. This is extremely important if the European economy is to keep its competitiveness in the face of competitors' rapid advancements in technology and if European society is to proceed to be inclusive in the digital era.

Q2: The organisation you work at decides to bring in new digital technology so that they can improve work processes effectively. What are the best steps for implementing these new technologies in the workplace?

A2: According to Teem (2022), there are five steps for implementing innovative technologies in the workplace. These include:

Step 1: As new technology is evaluated and selected, keep everybody in the workplace informed.

Step 2: Understanding why the new technology is required in the first place.

Step 3: Use technology to enhance everyone's quality of life.

Step 4: Split the workplace into groups to improve end-user implementation.

Step 5: Give people training with enough time to study.

Q3: What might be some reasons that workers may resist new technology in the workplace?

A1: Lau (2022) believes that there are various reasons that workers resist new technology in the workplace. These include:

• Feeling left out of the decision-making process.
• Lack of communication from management.
• Not understanding the advantages that technology can bring to the workplace.
• Not feeling confident in their ability to use technology.
• Feeling replaced or underappreciated by technology.

References

• Lau, G. (2022). 8 Strategies To Help Employees Adapt to New Technology in the Workplace. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.spiceworks.com/hr/future-work/guest-article/8-strategies-to-help-employees-adapt-to-new-technology-in-the-workplace/
• Malik, P. (2022, November). 8 Examples of Innovative Digital Transformation Case Studies (2023). Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://whatfix.com/blog/digital-transformation-examples/
• Smith, D. (2021, October 04). 7 ways your enthusiasm benefits you at work. Retrieved January 16, 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-ways-your-enthusiasm-benefits-you-work-dr-j-thomas-smith/?trk=articles_directory
• Teem. (2022). 5 Steps to Successfully Implement New Workplace Technology. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.teem.com/blog/implement-new-workplace-technology
• Udała, K. (2022). WOMEN4IT. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://www.digitaleurope.org/women4it/
• VICUÑA, C. (2021). Women4IT - Spain. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en/inspiration/good-practices/women4it-spain
• Women4IT. (2020). About Us. Retrieved January 24, 2023, from https://women4it.eu/about-us/

Additional resources

https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9041 - Open-Mindedness Culture, Knowledge-Sharing, Financial Performance, and Industry 4.0 in SMEs

https://ispe.org/initiatives/pharma-4.0 - best case practice in new ways of working in the 4.0 industry – Pharma 4.0

https://impactotic.co/en/the-5-leading-countries-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-Colombia/ - The 5 Leading Countries in The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Colombia’s Position in The Ranking