Learning and development is essential for an organisation to become digitally mature, and it needs to happen at all levels.

That means identifying the digital skills needed for different roles and the behaviour that will lead to an effective digital culture. Good quality, relevant digital training needs to be available for staff, all managers and members of the board.

For example, staff at every level need to be clear about the purpose of digital change for their organisation and have a shared understanding of terms like digital transformation, digital mindset, digital maturity, agile principles, etc.

Staff also need to understand the competencies of a digitally mature organisation, such as what information data can provide, how it will help them make decisions, and what data the technology can and cannot deliver.

Learning can come from formal training, as well as informal information exchange in communities of practice, from stories and case studies shared between colleagues in the organisation or across the non-profit network of organisations.

Too often, digital leads aren’t given the learning support they need to develop into leaders. But the development of digital leaders will help guide the organisation towards digital maturity. An investment in influencing and leadership skills of digital leads and teams is essential to create a good organisational mindset and culture.

Things to think about

• Is there a budget for digital training which can be used by anyone in the organisation?
• Are there regular occasions when people can learn about digital trends and definitions?
• Is your learning team developing a programme to build digital skills and behaviours?