This initial step of the Scenarios Tool emphasises the importance of engaging stakeholders who have a direct interest in the digital change process (i.e., including those whose work will be affected by the change process, not just those designing the technology or managing the process). By involving all of these stakeholders throughout the entire process, their knowledge about different work and organisational processes can be considered at all steps, laying a foundation for subsequent decision-making processes to benefit from diverse perspectives and expertise. This participatory approach ensures that the digital change process unfolds in an inclusive and sustainable manner. Here is a breakdown of this step:

1. Define the scope of digital change: Outline areas or processes within the organisation that will be affected by the digital change.

2. Identify relevant stakeholders: Such as individuals, groups, or organisations that are directly impacted by the digital change under examination in addition to technical and digital tool experts. This may involve conducting scoping interviews with key stakeholders to gain initial insights into the different stakeholder groups involved. For more complex systems, a formal stakeholder analysis may be necessary. This involves a more systematic approach to evaluating stakeholders' interests and relevance.

3. Consider stakeholder relevance: Once identified, it is essential to assess the relevance of each stakeholder to the digital change process. This involves understanding their level of interest in the change process and how it affects them, as well as their potential influence or control over resources (e.g., financial resources, training, culture) that are important to the digital change. For example, if job roles are likely to be modified as a result of the digital change (with implications for job grades) then it can be useful for a representative from Human Resources to participate. If the organisation is unionised then involving a union representative can be helpful to facilitate union commitment towards the change. If the change is cross-organisational or cross-supply-chain, it is important to involve representatives from different organisations in the supply chain.

4. Invite stakeholders to participate: Identified relevant stakeholders should be formally invited to participate in the workshops. In line with the principles of inclusive and sustainable digital change, it is important that stakeholders are made aware of why they are being invited to contribute to the workshops and the potential benefits of their contribution.

The following four steps can be completed within one or multiple workshops. The suggested timings are two hours for step 1 and step 2, six hours for step 3, and two hours for step 4.

This step focuses on initiating discussions with relevant stakeholders to establish a clear understanding and agreement on the scope and outcome criteria for the digital change being examined. This step serves as a crucial foundation for the subsequent workshop discussions. Here is a breakdown of this step:

1. Refine the Scope of the Digital Change: Refine and agree on the specific system or process to be analysed. 

• Whilst the overall scope will have been predetermined, there needs to be clarification and agreement in the workshop about what the scope is so that participants know the limits of what they will be discussing and designing. For example, is digital change targeted at a particular department, the entirety of organisational operations, or a specific segment of the supply chain? Identifying the scope of digital change is essential for directing efforts within the workshop effectively.

2. Agree on Outcomes Rating Criteria: Collaborate with stakeholders to establish criteria for evaluating the performance of the system undergoing digital change.

• The Outcomes Rating Criteria Template can be used as a guide to define these criteria. Examples include customer or user needs, employee wellbeing/satisfaction, productivity, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. These criteria can be tailored to align with the organisation's objectives. To ensure a holistic approach to performance evaluation, it is crucial that both people and organisational outcomes are considered. For instance, whilst productivity and efficiency are important, employee wellbeing and satisfaction should not be neglected. 

Overview

Assess Current Situation in a 2-hour workshop: Conduct an in-depth analysis of the organisation's current work systems. Workshop participants will engage in collaborative exercises and discussions focused on assessing various key aspects. 

The following socio-technical systems can be explored during the workshop:

• Goals: Review existing organisational objectives and strategic priorities.

• Structures: Evaluate formal relationships, hierarchies, and communication channels.

• Processes: Examine workflows, procedures, and task management practices.

• Technology: Assess the current state of digital tools, software, and technological infrastructure.

• Stakeholders: Analyse roles, attitudes, and perceptions of different stakeholders within the organisation.

• Culture: Understand shared values, norms, and behaviours that shape organisational dynamics.

By gathering insights and feedback from relevant stakeholders, this assessment helps establish a baseline understanding of the organisation's strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for digital change.

Workshop activities

1. Assess the Current Situation: The workshop facilitator should guide participants through the process of assessing and completing the current scenario using the Current Scenario Analysis Template. This involves analysing all of the socio-technical systems discussed above. By systematically examining each system, participants can provide insights into the interconnectedness and dynamics of the current organisation's socio-technical landscape.

Tips for the workshop facilitator

• During the workshop, the facilitator should guide participants to assess all work systems under analysis, whether it is their organisation, supply chain, or another system. Participants should identify key issues and summarise them as bullet points in the "Current Scenario Description" column (far right-hand side) of the Current Scenario Analysis Template, which serves as a record of the group's current scenario mapping and can be referenced later.

• Prompt participants to consider both opportunities and risks when mapping out different systems to ensure a balanced perspective. This approach fosters comprehensive analysis and facilitates a more nuanced benefits and costs assessment of the current situation.

View an example of how the Current Scenario Analysis Template can be used.

2. Characterise the Current Scenario: Participants collaborate to summarise the current scenario, incorporating insights gathered from previous activities. This collaborative effort ensures that all relevant perspectives are considered and that the characterisation reflects the current state of the socio-technical systems.

3. Analyse Benefits and Risks: Participants evaluate the benefits and risks of the current situation by identifying both the potential advantages and drawbacks of the existing socio-technical systems. This analysis is essential for effective decision-making. By understanding the benefits and risks, participants can:

• Gain diverse perspectives by considering the needs and concerns of different stakeholders.

• Mitigate potential problems by identifying areas for improvement.

• Identify opportunities for positive change within the socio-technical systems.

• Navigate complexities by acknowledging the nuances of and interdependencies between the current systems.

These factors need to be considered when comparing the current and alternative future scenarios. This step forms the groundwork for developing robust and successful digital change initiatives that align with organisational goals and stakeholder needs.

4. Rate the Current Scenario: Participants use the predefined Outcomes Rating Criteria Template to collectively assess the current situation based on the outcome criteria.

The outcomes of this workshop provide the organisation with a shared understanding of the starting point for digital change. Having this foundation is crucial for developing future scenarios and action plans for a successful digital change.

Overview

Creating Visions for Alternative Scenarios can be conducted in a 6-hour workshop: Participants collaborate to envision future scenarios to enhance different desired outcomes which can be compared. This step focuses on:

• Set Desired Goals: Set goals to enhance different outcomes. For example, a performance-focused scenario might prioritise increased productivity, while a wellbeing-focused scenario might prioritise employee satisfaction. This allows stakeholders to directly compare the impact of different priorities on decision-making and future systems.

• Structural Adaptation: Explore how organisational structures can adapt to support these future goals.

• Process Redesign: Brainstorm optimised workflows and processes to reach the desired goals which fit the envisioned structures.

• Develop People: Identify new roles and required skill sets. Align job roles and responsibilities to achieve the future goals, support adapted structures, and facilitate redesigned processes.

• Technology Integration: Identify requirements for technology and digital tools needed for the future goals, structures, and processes.

• Cultural Transformation: Imagine a culture that would be required to support the future goals, structures, and processes.

Through the collaborative workshop and creative exercises, stakeholders co-design alternative visions of the organisation's digital future.

Workshop activities

1. Brainstorm Alternative Scenarios: The workshop facilitator will work with participants to design alternative future scenarios based on key outcome criteria or different business models.

Tips for workshop facilitator

To spark creativity and capture diverse perspectives, encourage participants to explore a range of scenarios optimised for different priorities. This could involve developing three distinct scenarios that each prioritises a specific outcome, such as employee wellbeing, productivity, or environmental sustainability.

2. Scenario Development: Building on the previous activity, participants will further develop each alternative scenario, using the Future Scenario Mapping Template to flesh out the details of the socio-technical systems for each future. This involves analysing the same key socio-technical systems considered in the current scenario mapping, but within the context of each alternative future scenario. Participants should identify each scenario’s key issues and summarise them as bullet points in the "Future Scenario Description" column (far right-hand side) of the Future Scenario Mapping Template.

3. Analyse Benefits and Risks: Evaluating the benefits and risks associated with each alternative future scenario enables participants to make informed decisions about which direction to pursue for the digital change. The balances and trade-offs between different priorities in the different scenarios should be highlighted.

4. Rate Alternative Scenarios: Participants use the predefined Outcomes Rating Criteria Template to collectively assess each alternative scenario based on the outcome criteria. 

5. Scenario Comparison: Compare the current scenario and alternative scenarios against the predefined outcome criteria, assessing their performance against each criterion. This helps participants to identify similarities and differences between the alternative scenarios, which facilitates decision-making and scenario selection.

6. Decision Making: Collaboratively choose the most promising alternative scenario (or a scenario based on a combination of the alternative scenarios) to move forward. Consider feasibility, alignment with digital change project goals, organisational goals, stakeholder preferences, and potential impact in the outcome criteria.

7. Refine the Chosen Scenario: Once an alternative scenario is chosen, work collaboratively to further develop and refine it, addressing any gaps or uncertainties identified during the scenarios comparison process. The refinement might involve additional work as the comparison process could uncover areas needing further consideration. This includes:

• Alignment with Goals: Ensure the chosen scenario aligns with the overarching digital change project goals and organisational objectives. Even if the chosen scenario is based on one envisioned scenario mostly, it will still probably incorporate insights from other scenarios.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with stakeholders to gather feedback and refine the chosen scenario to address their needs and concerns.

Overview

Develop Action Plans in a 2-hour workshop: Translate a preferred future scenario into actionable strategies and plans. Participants work together to:

• Identify Necessary Changes: Determine specific organisational, managerial, employee, and technological changes required.

• Set Priorities: Establish key milestones, timelines, and resource allocations for implementation.

• Define Responsibilities: Allocate roles and responsibilities to stakeholders for executing action plans.

• Implement Monitoring and Evaluation: Establish mechanisms for tracking progress, measuring outcomes, and adapting strategies based on feedback.

Integrating stakeholders’ feedback and collaboration into the action planning workshop paves the way for a more unified and committed effort towards achieving the envisioned future scenario.

Digital change underscores the intricate interdependence within organisations, where changes at one level can influence other levels. For instance, the implementation of a new technology (by a technology provider) may necessitate training and support for employees (at the employee level), coupled with organisational process adjustments (at the organisational level), to fully harness its potential benefits. Hence, integrating multi-level interventions during the action planning step is crucial, enabling the systematic breakdown of multifaceted digital change objectives into actionable, achievable steps. The IGLO framework, proposed by Nielsen et al. (2017), offers a structured approach to categorising and organising digital change actions across multi-levels—Individual, Group, Leader, and Organisational. By leveraging this framework, organisations can ensure comprehensive coverage of multi-level intervention strategies, addressing the diverse needs and challenges present at each level of the organisation.

Workshop activities

1. Identify Required Actions: Examine the chosen future scenario to identify the necessary actions needed to realise it. The Action Plan Template can be used as a guide for this workshop.

2. Develop Actions: Ensuring actions based on different organisational levels provide comprehensive coverage and alignment with strategic objectives. Actions can be classified at organisational, managerial, employee, and technology provider levels, tailored to project objectives. Additional levels, such as cross-organisation, customer, or governing bodies, can be added if relevant. Distributing actions across various levels ensures a balanced approach and maximises the likelihood of success.

3. Determine Responsibilities and Timelines: Assign responsibilities to each relevant stakeholder is essential to ensure accountability and to effectively execute the action. Each action should have a designated responsible party or team, along with clear timelines for its implementation. Timelines should be realistic and consider factors such as availability of resources and dependencies between actions. For example, training and education activities should be scheduled to be completed prior to implementing new technologies.