Page 154 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

Cultural business models on the Internet154Digital skills for the culture economyHow to adapt to this transformation is oneof the key questions that all organisations are asking. The depth of the digital transformation has an impact on teams and people, who must adapt to the new needs arising from the sector’s transformation. It is not only a case of knowing how to use the new tools but of something deeper and, accordingly, more complex. Basical- ly, it is necessary to identify the skills required for professionals to perform new functions successfully in an uncertain and constantly changing landscape.From artists and creators to traditional technical teams, to administrative and management departments, all are affected to some extent. Like traditional organisations, most professionals were not prepared to come up with a response to the new functions required, which posed a serious problem of adaptation and retraining.Of the existing competency models, we have chosen the “eight digital abilities” developed by RocaSalvatella, which lists the basic skills that should allow organisations and professionalsto adapt suitably to current needs. It should be stressed that the most important approach is to realise that technology must be subordinate to the vision and not vice-versa. The culture industries are a sector that is used to managing talent. But this talent must be adapted to the new skills required in the digital world, which are listed below:1. Digital knowledge: the ability to cope cre- atively, professionally and personally in thedigital ecosystem. This means incorporating digital logic into exercise of the profession. Basically, understanding the dynamics of connected and networked society. Fromhow to improve processes in administrative areas to knowing how to search efficientlyor incorporate data culture to improve decision making. As stated, it is not so much a question of how to use technological tools as of developing a digital vision in order to consider “how would I do it digitally”.2. Information management: the ability to locate, obtain, evaluate, organise and share information in digital contexts. The culture industries are largely industries whose main driving force is the management of informa- tion and its transformation into knowledge. Knowing how to manage it efficiently within the organisation and being able to offer it in an organised manner is essential to the creative and business process. It is evident that these skills are important to industry as a whole, but they are vital to institutions such as museums, galleries, libraries, etc. This ability has an impact on the building of specific digital skills and the redesign of processes.3. Digital communication: the ability to com- municate, relate and collaborate efficiently with tools and in digital environments. In this respect, we have seen the importance of incorporating the use of the social networks into the whole organisation and during the different stages of the creative process. It therefore affects creators in their relationship with the public and managers and producers with respect to improving models for relat- ing, disseminating and selling shows.The challenge of the digital transformation of the culture industries