Stage 2: Assess

The Assess stage (reviewing the current state of the organisation) is crucial for an organisation to identify its existing strengths and what needs to change. This assessment lays the groundwork for informed decision-making in conducting digital change. 

At this stage, two interrelated tools - the Contextual Resources and Digital Attitudes tool (CResDA) and the Socio-technical Scenarios tool - can be used which help to

• Assess the current situation: how organisational processes and technology currently work, what jobs and attitudes exist and what the organisational environment is like. This stage enables the benefits and costs of the current ways of working to be considered which sets the scene for the following Vision stage.

• Identify opportunities and risks: What are the opportunities that the organisation can leverage, and what risks do the organisation need to mitigate during the digital change?

It is recommended that the CResDA tool is used first, to gain a broader insight to employees’ attitudes which can inform the work conducted with the Socio-technical Scenarios tool.

The CResDA tool is a questionnaire that assesses employee attitudes towards technology (Digital Attitudes) and their perceptions of multi-level support within the organisation (Contextual Resources) during digital change. Digital Attitudes are a range of beliefs and perceptions that employees hold towards new technologies consisting of both positive and negative attitudes. Positive digital attitudes include Trust in Technology, Personal Innovativeness (desire to explore technology), Technology Self-Efficacy (belief in their ability to work with technology), and Win-Win Mindset (belief that new technology makes jobs more meaningful and provides opportunities). Negative digital attitudes include Fixed Digital Mindset (an employee’s belief that their technology abilities are fixed and not changeable) and No-Win Mindset (belief that new technology displaces or degrades their job). Understanding employees’ attitudes at the Assess stage is important as those with positive digital attitudes are more likely to adopt and use new technologies, whereas employees with detrimental digital attitudes are more likely to resist the change. Contextual Resources represent the support available for digital change at the Team, Line Manager, Change Leadership and Organisation levels. Assessing employees’ perceptions of these contextual resources is important as they can influence the development of positive digital attitudes and impact the success of digital change. The findings from CResDA can facilitate understanding of which attitudes need to be improved in order to promote positive digital attitudes and facilitate responsible and sustainable digital change. 

Learn more about the CResDA tool

The Socio-technical Scenarios tool is a workshop-based tool that engages stakeholders in assessing the current situation, envisioning preferred future scenarios, and creating action plans for digital change. The Socio-technical Scenarios tool employs a socio-technical approach, considering six interdependent systems (goals, structure, processes, technology, stakeholders, culture) that influence each other. At the Assess stage, the Socio-technical Scenarios tool helps the participants to articulate the strengths and costs of the current situation, which can help to reveal leverage points and support the rationale for change. 

Learn more about the Socio-technical Scenarios tool