Arden University: Digital Skills & Professional Development Report

This report discusses the importance of digital skills and various types of skills for professional development in recent years. It highlights the significance of developing digital skills to demonstrate professional competency and links digital development with long-term industrial advancement using theoretical approaches. The report also comments on the social changes emerging from this development. Furthermore, it explores management and leadership skills, comparing and contrasting the terms and concepts, and discussing effective leadership styles, characteristics, and theories for leadership development. The report includes a professional development plan and appendices with a personal skills audit and SWOT analysis. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and past papers.

Digital Skills
And
Professional
Development

Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................4
TASK...............................................................................................................................................4
Question 1 .......................................................................................................................................4
Discuss how digital skills and different types of different skills help for development in recent
years.............................................................................................................................................4
Important of developing digital skills to demonstrate the professional competency...................5
Link with digital development with the long-term industrial advancement using relevant
theoretical approaches..................................................................................................................6
Comment why social changes emerging from this development................................................7
Question 2........................................................................................................................................7
Discuss Management and leadership skills..................................................................................7
Discuss the term/concepts of management and leadership compare and contrast.......................7
Leadership and management Skills, Styles, Characteristics and Theory.....................................9
The Professional Development Plan .........................................................................................12
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
Appendices.................................................................................................................................16
Appendix 1......................................................................................................................16
Appendix 2......................................................................................................................18

INTRODUCTION
The technology is changing very fast and it is upgrading in the market. The management
need to develop the latest technology in the organization. So that they able to improve their
production level of their organization in the market. This will help management to run their
business operation smoothly in market. The organization can easily achieve their organization
objectives (Van Laar and et. al., 2018). This report includes the brief discussion on digital skills
and types of digital skills which is developed in recent years. This file also consist of why it is
important to developed the digital skills and link with digital development with long term
industrial advancements using relevant theoretical approaches and how social changes emerging
from this development. Further it also cover the management and leadership skills and discuss
the term term/concepts of management and leadership and compare as well and it also consist of
effective leadership styles, characteristics and theory which help to developed the leadership
development skills.
TASK
Question 1
Discuss how digital skills and different types of different skills help for development in recent
years
The digital skills which is defined as the abilities which is used to find, evaluate, share,
use and create a platform for their digital devices, such as computers and smartphones. This is
very important for the people that they must have skills to operate the digital platform. The
technology is changing very rapidly and upgrading day to day. Now, in people life the
technology is becoming the part of their life because it comes in their daily use. It makes person
life more smoothly. If people have digital skills and knowledge then it will help people to
survive their life by earning money through using their digital skills (Cham and et. al., 2022). If
in the organization employees is having the digital skills then they perform their task more
effectively and they able to compete their competitors in the market. Then organization can
achieve the objectives in the market and sustain their organization in the market. There are many
different types of skills which help for development in their recent years are:
 Communicating: The people communicate the people before the technology
advancement they need to go personally and communicate with the people. This is will

consume the time of a person al lot in their daily schedule. In organization no quick
decision is taken because of the communication. When the technology is advancement
then in organization the employees easily communicate with the other employees then
don't need to go personally to the person to communicate. The employees use the latest
technology for communicating like what's up application is now become more used
application for communication because it is easy to use and communicate with the
people. This will help employees to take quick decision in the organization.
 Handling Information & Content: The people need to carry their information in hard
copy which is very difficult for the organization. This will create problem sometime
because of the misplacement of the document (Rubach and Lazarides, 2021). Now it
becomes easy for people to manage their important documents due to the advancement of
technology. The people will share the important documents by mailing the documents
which remain sustain same for long.
 Transacting: The people are not having the wide variety option for transaction before
the technology is developed. They have only few things for transaction is cash and card
basically. Now when the technology is developed the people have many options for the
payment (van Laar and et. al., 2019). For example if people are suffering online for
purchasing the products then they can now pay through Paytm, Google pay, Phonepe, etc.
If management in the organization is perform any transaction then it became easy for the
management to record the transaction in the company book accounts.
 Problem Solving: The problem solving is very important for the people. If there problem
is not solved effectively then the people don't trust the again for the organization. This is
why if you want to sustain their people in the market. The problem solving is no become
more effective for the organization because of technology up-gradation with the help of
AI they can easily help the people to solve the problem and provide proper solution. This
is very quick and simple way to provide solution in the market for the people.
Important of developing digital skills to demonstrate the professional competency
The digital skill is very important to develop in their professional life because it helps
people to increase their efficiency and innovate new products and process. The skill is very
important for organization growth and development. If person want to become good in
professional life then they need to develop the new digital skills which help the employees to

improve their performance level in the organization. If employees fail to developed new skills
related to the digital skills then they face problem while they perform their task online. If
employee’s skill is not good related to the digital skills then it will impact the organization
performance level in the market (Demidov, Syrina and Tretyakov, 2020). This is why skills are
very important for the people because it help people to grab new opportunity in the market which
will develop and growth of their life. In the professional life of the people they need to deal with
technology in their daily working. So for that they need to proper having the digital skills which
will help employees to perform their task more effectively in the organization. The management
of an organization also want that their employees have good skills and knowledge of digital then
only they accept the employees in the organization.
Link with digital development with the long-term industrial advancement using relevant
theoretical approaches
There are a different theoretical approach which is used for development with their long-
term of industrial advancement is:
Diffusion:
In diffusion theory it concern with spreading the innovation through the population of the
nation. The researcher in diffusion theory also developed the analytical models which explain
and forecasting their dynamic of diffusion of an innovation like ideas, practices or object
perceived as new by an individual, etc. in their socio-technical system (Cekić-Jovanović, 2020).
There are different stages is including in the diffusion is:
 Awareness: The person must aware about the innovation. It also includes the some ideas of
what it is, and what it does.
 Persuasion: If person develop the attitude towards their innovation. This will compelled to
seek information about their innovation.
 Decision: In this stage a person need to find the pros and cons of the making use of
innovation. Then only it will decide that it will accept and reject.
 Implementation: The person needs to put the innovation into use. In this stage they will
still determining how it becomes more useful of it.
 Continuation: The person need to proper examine the result of innovation decision. In this
it will come to the final decision that they will continue this innovation or not.

Comment why social changes emerging from this development.
The social changes impact the public concerns in developing social policy and economic
initiatives. The management need to make effective innovation in the nation so that it help to
developed the changes in their social development. This change improves the economic
condition of the country (Ovcharuk, 2020). If the management fails in innovation and changes in
the country then this will impact the economic condition of the country. The country of people
don't change in their living standard they also remain same and this will directly impact on the
economic condition that it will affect their development and growth in the country.
Question 2
Discuss Management and leadership skills
The top management and leadership skills which organization is seeking in employees
include communication, motivation, strategic thinking, delegation and emotional intelligence.
This will help people to develop the skills. If organizations have good manager and leader skills
in the organization then they will able to accomplish the organization goals.
Discuss the term/concepts of management and leadership compare and contrast
The term/concept of management and leadership comparison are done below:
Basis Leadership Management
Definition The leadership must have
influence skills which easily
motivate the employees to
their assign task in the
organization (Filippaios and
Benson, 2018). So that their
employees must be improving
the performance level in the
organization.
The management is the
directing and controlling a
group of one or more people.
The entities for the purpose of
the coordinating their
employees in the organization
and towards the accomplishing
the organizational goals.
Personality Styles The leadership personality in
the organization must have
positive energy and motivated
The management have
personality is to problem
solving which their employees

for their responsibility. The
leader must have potential to
taking the risk in their
organization. So that new
change will occur in the
organization process and it
will effectively improve the
organization process in the
market.
face in the organization. The
management have main focus
on goals, structures, personnel
and they have to manage the
availability of their resources
for the production of the
organization.
Orientation The leaders are people
oriented.
The Management are Task
oriented.
Focus The leader has main focus on
leading people.
The management have main
focus on managing work.
Approach towards Task The leaders have responsibility
for finding the problems and
need to provide solutions. The
leaders have charisma and
commitment they motivate and
focus other to solve problems.
The management have to
create strategies, policies and
methods of the organization
(Krpálek and et. al., 2021).
The management need to
prepare the method to create
team. They need to believe that
this combination reduces
inherent risk and generate
success.
Approach to Risk The leader is having the ability
of risk taking.
The management is having the
ability of risk averse.
Role in decision-making The leaders are facilitative in
decision-making in
organization.
The management is involved
in every decision-making in
the organization.
Styles The leader is having The management is having

transformational, consultative
and Participative styles
(Chaker, 2020).
dictatorial, Autocratic,
Consultative and democratic
styles.
Power The leadership have charisma
and influence in the
organization.
The management have formal
authority and Position power
in the organization.
Leadership and management Skills, Styles, Characteristics and Theory
The skills which are required by leadership and management in the organization are:
Leadership:
There are many skills which is required to being a effective leaders in the organization are
 Active listening: The leaders must have good listening skills then only they able to
analyse the things clearly and make effective decision making.
 Empathy: The leaders must have empathy in the organization towards their employees
so that their employees feel comfortable in the organization.
Management:
In organization the management required skills for performing their responsibility more
effectively are explained below:
 Problem solving and decision-making: The management must have skills for solving
the problem in the organization which is face by their employees and provide proper
solution. So that the employee will satisfy in the organization.
 Interpersonal skills: The management need to prepare and build the relation with their
employees in the organization (Schmid and Petko, 2019). When management is prepare
any new policies in the organization then their employees need to give respect and follow
the new policies of the organization.
Characteristics of leaders and Management
The characteristics of leaders:
 Effective communication: The leaders must have effective communication in the
organization, so that the employees will easily communicate with the leaders when they
face any problem (An, 2018).

 Trust Worthy: The leaders must have trust worthy. They didn't hide anything with their
employees in the organization.

The characteristics of management:
 Goal oriented: The management is must be goal oriented in the organization. Then only
organization sustains long term in the market.
 Continuous Process: The management is a continuous process in the organization. It
will not stop if management change in the organisation.
Leaders and management styles:
There are many different types of styles which must have in the leaders in the organization are
explained below:
 Autocratic Styles: In organization in autocratic leadership styles the leaders have to
prepare the decision without the interference of the employees and the leaders are very
responsible for their duties (Usman, 2021).
 Democratic Styles: In this leadership style the management have to prepare the decision
by the involvement and discussion of their employees in the organization.
There are various styles which must have in the management in the organization are briefly
explained below:
Authoritative Management styles: In this management style, the management have full control
in the organization. The every decision is taken by management only in the organization.
Participative Management Styles: In this management style, the management give privileged
to their employees to give suggestion and reviews when they are making plans in the
organization.
Theory of Leaders and Management:
Leaders Theory
Trait theory: This theory proved that if the people is not born in the leader family, then also it
will become leaders, by developing the skills and knowledge about the leaders.
Management Theory
Scientific management theory: This theory is used by the management to analyse the workflow
of the organization. In order to improve the efficiency level of the organization production.

The Professional Development Plan