GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN DIGITAL LITERACY AND THEIR EFFECT ON ORGANIZATIONS IN LUXEMBOURG

Given the increased digitalisation of the workforce over the past decades, the capability to understand and use digital tools has become an important skill in today’s work environment. Different generations make up the current active workforce, and each generation has had different experiences with digitalisation in their private and professional lives and thus has different digital literacy and digital skill levels. This study explores how the intergenerational differences in digital literacy affect an organization in Luxembourg. Semi-structured interviews with a diverse set of managers from Luxembourg were conducted, to hear from their experiences relating to this subject. Luxembourg’s strong economy, its diverse and multicultural workforce make it an interesting choice to research how its workforce tackles the challenge of digital adoption. The findings show that digital literacy is an important skill that must be possessed by workers in today’s workforce. It also shows that the different generational cohorts have different levels of digital literacy competencies and digital skill levels. The managers address these differences and try to mitigate the generational discrepancies by offering workshops or other support – acknowledging the importance of a workforce that has a high level of both digital literacy and digital skills. An additional finding of the interviews was the importance of informal learning approaches, such as intergenerational learning initiatives that were not formally organized by management but rather by workers themselves out of self-motivation. The organization adapts easier to changes if its workforce is well-prepared and capable of understanding and harnessing the potential of new technologies.