Unit 53 Digital Technologies as a Catalyst for Change (T/618/5662) Assignment Brief 2026

Unit 53 Digital Technologies as a Catalyst for Change Assignment Brief 2026

Introduction

Digital technology has transformed how people communicate, learn, and work. This sector is one of the most valuable and fastest growing economic areas in most of the world. Although the first electronic digital computer was created in the 1930s, the digital revolution began between the late 1950s and 1970s, when key developments of technologies from mechanical and analogue to digital took place. It was during this time that the use of digital computers and digital record keeping became the norm. The industry has grown rapidly in recent decades and digital technologies are now a part of our daily lives. The digital technologies we are familiar with today are the electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate, store or process data. Most popular examples include mobile phones, social media, online games, virtual reality and multimedia. Spanning cultural, creative, educational and many other industries, digital technologies are a vibrant sector with growth that has surpassed the rest of the economy. Digital technology has completely modified the way we live today and in years to come this will be even more incredible.

In this unit, students will explore the impact of both the current and emerging digital technologies across different industries and investigate how organisations and businesses use digital technologies to meet their needs. They will also look at how an organisations strategy and leadership decision making is impacted by digital technology implementation. They will plan a solution for a specific organisation to use a new or emerging technology.

This unit can be delivered alongside the Emerging Technologies unit where they must implement a planned solution, thus allowing students an opportunity to demonstrate putting their digital technology implementation plan into action.

On successful completion of the unit, students will have explored industry sectors that use digital technologies, the history of the industry, current and emerging digital technologies, and how organisations are adapting and solving problems using digital technologies and planning for the future.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit a student will be able to:

LO1 Explore how digital technologies impacts organisational change

LO2 Evaluate how the use of digital technology impacts on an organisation’s strategy and operations to meet its needs

LO3 Investigate how digital technologies influence leadership decision making in relation to a specific industry

LO4 Present a new or emerging digital technology solution to manage a change initiative within a specific organisation.

Essential Content

LO1 Explore how digital technologies impact organisational change

Evolution of current digital systems and technologies:

Development of the digital technologies sector and the impact on organisational change, e.g. evolution of digital technologies, computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets/touchscreen devices, SMART products and experiences, digital manufacturing, Cloud technologies, virtual reality experiences.

Industries using digital technologies:

The impact of digital transformation in different industries, e.g. automotive and manufacturing, banking and financial services, government/public sector, healthcare, marketing, retail and consumer packaged goods, sport, agriculture, telecom and media/entertainment, travel/transportation.

Emerging digital technologies:

Impact of emerging digital technologies on organisational change, e.g. robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) (including Machine Learning), cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Bitcoin, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, Edge Computing.

Purposes:

Purpose of digital technologies on organisational change, e.g. social connectivity, global communication/communication speed, wider consumer reach, support remote working, e.g. local, national, and international, versatile working, e.g. flexible working practices, increased connectivity options, information storage, reduce costs, improving productivity, increasing promotion and sales, meeting business goals, improving efficiency, recruitment, education, increase business support, enhance customer experience/providing instant customer service, technical support, news and updates, GPS and mapping.

Rationale for change management:

Digital transformation and the disruptive effects of emerging technologies on organisational change.

The value of digital transformation to improve organisational performance, seize new opportunities, address key issues, optimise the customer experience.

Types of organisational change:

Change in a business context, including large scale, e.g. radical, discontinuous, revolutionary and small scale, e.g. incremental, evolutionary.

Different types of change that include planned or emergent, initiated or imposed.

Types of internal organisational change: structural, strategic, people and process change.

Individual, group and organisational levels of change.

Change management models:

Different approaches to managing change within organisations, e.g. Kotter’s 8 Step model, McKinsey 7-S, ADKAR (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement), Kubler-Ross Change Curve, Lewin’s change management model.

The benefits and drawbacks of the key change models.

LO2 Evaluate how the use of digital technology impacts on an organisation’s strategy and operations to meet its needs

Responding to drivers of change:

Using systems theory and continuous improvement models to predict and proactively plan for change.

Burke-Litwen mode to make the change process efficient and effective.

Change impact assessment:

Organisational strategy, e.g. business plans, annual forecasts, aims and objectives, short/long-term goals, financial accounts (including profit and loss), financial projections.

Operational aspects, e.g. organisational structure, human resources, physical resources, working hours, staffing (internal and external), sales, advertising, marketing.

Business needs, business type e.g. large corporate, SME, freelance, self-employed.

Types of technology that organisations use to provide a product/service, needs and/or benefits of the customers/clients, hardware/software/network requirements, security requirements.

Methods to identify needs e.g. gap analysis process, feasibility study (based on organisation’s needs, market research), digital strategy/digital policies of business plan, feedback from stakeholders, customers, employees.

Assessing if technology meets an organisation’s needs:

Benefits realisation, e.g. improved efficiency, increased profit, increased productivity, reduction in wasted time, reduction in cost.

Risks and issues, e.g. customer feedback, complaints, loss of sales, profit loss.

Change management, e.g. training, transition from existing to new technology, risk of loss of service/data.

Ethical considerations, e.g. consultation with stakeholders, data ownership, impact on employees.

Data management and access, e.g. privacy, security of data.

Legal considerations of digital transformation use of data, technology and software as a means of generating meaningful business insight and conduct operations more efficiently. Legislation includes, e.g. Intellectual Property (IP), copyright, trademarks, trade secrets, compliance, e.g. data protection and security, data mining and control, use of data for advertising, Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Change management processes:

Sequence of steps or activities that move change from inception to delivery, e.g. identify need for change, impact analysis, approve/deny, implement, review/report.

LO3 Investigate how digital technologies influence leadership decision making in relation to a specific industry

Driving factors of change:

The external and internal drivers that are driving change.

The implications of current factors for future development of digital technologies and decision making, e.g. distributed ledger technology (DLT), and the impact for e-commerce, transformational impact of 5G networks on IT systems for faster and efficient decision making.

Barriers to change:

How barriers to change influence leadership decision making initiated or imposed change, e.g. deciding to be pre-emptive and proactive or responsive and reactive will be based on the situation and the nature/scope of the change.

Adaptive and constructive change.

The impact that the scope of the change may have on decision making.

Responding to barriers and resistance to change.

Barriers and resistance to change, e.g. force field analysis to understand likely opposition and support for change in a contemporary context.

Schein’s organisational culture model, self-efficacy perceptions and situational resistance when determining barriers.

Leadership ethics for effective decision making e.g. respecting and valuing diversity, values and ethical beliefs.

Speed of change, e.g. pre-emptive and proactive or responsive and reactive.

Resource implications of digital development, e.g. financial, physical, human – requisite skills and experience.

Change factors:

Positive factors, e.g. increased skillsets, training opportunities, improve people’s quality of life, wage increases, increased employment, enhanced career prospects.

Negative factors, e.g. loss of employment, reduced career progression opportunity, necessity to retrain in an alternative sector, impact of local community and wider economy.

Evolution of digital technologies and change management:

Current examples of digital technologies driving change.

Sustainability and the need for enhanced/refined digital technologies.

Agility and leadership in response to change.

Change at a time of crisis and long-term benefits, e.g. COVID 19 and rapid development of technology to provide lifesaving support, post-World War II enhanced vehicle manufacture, climate change.

Leadership skills and techniques to support change, e.g. focused, inspirational, flexible, ability to learn from mistakes, defined vision and outcome, clear communication, empowering, address unsatisfied employee issues, encourage team collaboration, challenge.

LO4 Present a new or emerging digital technology solution to manage a change initiative within a specific organisation

Initiating a change:

Influence of position and perception influence a view of change as negative or positive.

Types of organisational change as a result of digital technologies, e.g. structural and strategic, people and processes.

The impacts of change initiated by leaders, e.g. increased control, time and increased opportunity to select the best approach to apply.

The impacts of change that is imposed, e.g. opportunities are reduced or even negated.

The stages of the change lifecycle.

Managing change:

Different perspectives to dealing with change, e.g. individual, open system.

Change impact analysis, e.g. Bohner and Arnold, and impact analysis techniques.

The importance of stakeholder analysis and communication in change.

Application of the Burke-Litwin model to make the change process efficient and effective.

Planned and emergent change.

Strategies for managing different types of change, e.g. planning, communication, setting out a roadmap.

Developing solutions:

Project and time management plans.

The elements and principles of using digital technology hardware and software.

Equipment, techniques, and processes.

Suitability of selected equipment, techniques, and processes.

Health, safety, safe working practices.

Project reports and project evaluations.

Purpose and value of quality assurance techniques.

Present a resolved solution:

Different types of presentation formats, e.g. industry-standard presentation software.

Hierarchy of text-based and visual information.

The key considerations for delivering a presentation, e.g. timing, structure, pace.

Selection and editing of content presentation skills.

Audience:

The importance of understanding audiences and stakeholder requirements and the implications this has on presentation style etc.

Techniques for generating and collating audience feedback.

Justifications:

Supporting and justifying the choice of solutions using creative, cultural, social, political, economic trends and contexts.

Industry-specific terminology.

How to engage, interact and respond to audience feedback.

Reflective practice.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Recommended Resources

Textbooks

LEWIS, L. K. (2011) Organizational Change: Creating Change Through Strategic Communication. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

SCHAEFFER, E. (2019) Reinventing the Product: How to Transform your Business and Create Value in the Digital Age. London: Kogan Page.

STANFORD, N. (2013) Organization Design: Engaging with Change. 2nd edn. London: Routledge.

VENKATRAMAN, V. (2017) The Digital Matrix: New Rules for Business Transformation Through Technology. Canada: Life Tree Media.

Journals

International Journal of Digital Enterprise Technology

Journal of Change Management

Journal of Organisational Change Management Leadership

International Journal of Digital Technology & Economy

Links

This unit links to the following related units:

Unit 47: Emerging Technologies

Unit 52: Digital Sustainability.

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