Accompanying companies in the process of acquiring digital maturity
Introducing new tools from the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in business or modifying existing ones is not an easy task.
It is necessary to be carried out in a planned order and above all, choose the solutions that completely satisfy the needs of the company.
The aim is to improve processes to make the company more competitive. The adoption of inadequate solutions or implementation of a rush, can cause additional problems, or even generate a more complex scenario than the first. Often in these cases there is a rejection of ICT that systematically exclude any action to introduce new elements.
Other times, companies need to know and / or reorganize its structure to ICT and analyze the use of them in their daily work to address improvement strategies, or know which areas can be enhanced.
To engage companies into the Information Society enables the creation of new social models characterized by the development of a socio-economic ambient as well as increased digital maturity of our business sectors, creativity process, and resulting in an increase in innovative activity "bottom up" and their competitiveness in the markets.
Digital maturity policies are articulated on the basis of programs that fit geographically, and that aim to improve the competitiveness of companies through the incorporation of ICT intensive. For these policies to be effective they must be characterized by:
• Sectoral approach
• Sustained over time (structural)
• Need to involve umbrella organizations of the business entities (business associations, chambers of commerce, business centers and other agents)
• Involvement of the local technology sector as a supplier and implementer of services
• Personalized support to companies through advisory services, complemented by dissemination activities, awareness, training, grants, etc.
Technological development policies in the territories must be designed for the entire business community and in the case of Asturias it consists mainly of SMEs, micro enterprises in the large majority, which generally have very little chance to innovate due to its low maturity digitally
In the field of innovation, ICT acquires a very remarkable transversal role because they are usually found at the base of many business and social innovation processes. The contribution of ICT to territorial development is unquestionable.
It is therefore important to accelerate the digital maturity process as the basis for the generation of innovation capacity within the business, activating the technological demands of the local ICT sector (and therefore also their competitiveness).
And this way working is necesary with entrepreneurs policies
The main example of this thesis is Centros SAT
http://astursat.net/astursat/contenidos
Group audience:
Comments
Unfortunately the "example"
Unfortunately the "example" is only in the local language and it is rather difficult to detect any value creation from the site?
Politey, if one cannot show values more clearly, it sounds like hype and vaste of money. ICT for the sake of ICT is hardly news.
Public funding for yet another portal is great for those that get to spend the money, but where is the real benefit for taxpayers so this does not just turn into yet another transfer subsidy lowering overall productivity?
Sure companies would like to get customer to do the job for them, but why should they or would they?
Sure companies would lke to engage with customers, but why should companies allow intermediation?
In short, where is the true value creation instead of media hype?
It is old news that technology might benefit, but by now also clear that it might and often also do the opposite.
It will be a tough awakening, when companies realise that they for some "free" service have sold their customer database and customers to Google or Facebook and now have to pay for each customer every time in competition with the highest bidder (for the walled garden - not for customer).
It will be a tough awakening, when we all realise that the social media hype merely lead to everybody spending more on marketing instead of creating true value.
Unfortunately the website is
Unfortunately the website is not translated as it is a Regional Project, but of course I can provide you with any additional and/or specific information you may wish.
I am sure intentions are good
I am sure intentions are good, but it is simply impossible to detect value added wheras it is easy to detect taxpayers money being used.
Feel-good intiatives vasting tax-payers money (often debt-financed) on low- or even negative productivity efforts is why europe got in this financial nightmare in the first place.
There is only one way out of this - focus on value creation more than ever.
Lets not make it worse by vasting more money - so lets focus on real value added.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for sharing this. Could you brief summarize the example provided in Asturias? Why is it a successful story? Could we scale it up in Europe?
Dear Laia,
Dear Laia,
CTIC Foundation's technological capacity is complemented by the ability to design territorial development strategies based on technology and innovation, contributing to the building of an inclusive knowledge society for both companies and citizens, as well as to the development of a more dynamic and competitive economy by raising awareness and assisting micro-enterprises in the incorporation of ICT as a differentiating tool and a catalyst for their competitiveness and productivity.
We work very close to micro, small and medium enterprises, which allow us not only to know first-hand their weaknesses and necessities, but also to be aware of all their potential.
We must take into account that most of micro-enterprises and SME are unaware of the potential and benefits ICT can provide them. Sometimes we tend to think that all SMEs know how to implement ICT in their management and operational processes… but, thanks to our extensive field work, we can say that most enterprises from traditional sectors need help to understand and fully take advantage of ICT in their daily work.
The example I gave is a project funded by the regional government of Asturias, where a network formed by 8 Centres provide a public service to support regional enterprises in the integration of ICT into their business activities, to promote a culture of innovation and to help them discover their hidden innovation processes.
The project aims at:
Accelerating digital maturity processes (ICT demand activation).
Promoting the culture of innovation.
Development of e-skills.
Diagnosis of the innovative capacity (i-Company).
Pre- and emerging innovation support (early stages of innovation).
Diagnosis and certification of the innovative capacity (companies or organizational units).
We have participated in the transfer process of intervention models in the field of digital business maturity to other territories in Spain and Latin America.
About this project and strategy to implement ITC into companies you can see this presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/pacop/technological-support-and-pre-innovation...
And according with our vision and experience, working with lots of SME´s everyday, they need neutral assesment to implement their social media strategy, e-commerce strategy, ict tools,...and with something very important:
a.- What´s the return in terms of innovation (in many cases, hidden innovation)
b.- With a technological point of view "neutral".
I think that in the Digital Agenda, we talk in many ocassions about the ict empowerment of people, but in this moment of crisis and doubts, the ICT empowerment of SME´s and micro -companies is critical to keep their confidence in the market.
And to know more about CTIC, you can visit our website:
http://www.fundacionctic.org/en
Gracias !! Thank you !!
Dear Paco,
Dear Paco,
Key question to ask oneselve is how can a business problem be solved or certain vision be achieved by integrating X,Y,Z in the business system?
Many can't answer this, and many organizations are heavy IT driven.
Interesting to read your aims. Succesful integration of digital or X,Y,Z depends indeed on:
*Aligning digital strategies to overall business objectives
*Building internal capabilities
*Tailor organizational design to operations
*Create a culture of sharing and accountability
It's all about synching processes, people and IT in order to support in a cheaper, faster and better way the business objectives.
I think that this kind of
I think that this kind of initiatives are very important, and a real need to help small companies to improve and take the advantages of ICT in their business activity and to really "incorporate" ICT as a tool, adapting them to their needs.
These small companies don't have the resources (knowdledge or economic) to be able to do it themselves, so, without this kind of services, they couldn't implement or use ICT as quickly as they need to stay competitive.
It's a shame that people as Engberg, without having took the time to use a translator, write this kind of oppinions. It's obvious that he didn't understood a word of the real value or activity of the Centros SAT initiative for the small companies that everyday are receiving their help and advice.
Astursat and CTIC play a very
Astursat and CTIC play a very important role in Asturias, helping SME´s to be more competitive by using the ICT tools.More than 60 SME´s (among our 300 multisectorial associates) have experienced their dissemination activities in terms of creativity and innovation with excellent results.