When managing a science organization, stakeholders increasingly expect digital products and services as part of their experience – such as webinars, member portals, databases, and online resources.
Digital tools, skills, and infrastructure can also make organizations more effective and efficient, improving both internal operations and external engagement.
This ability to harness digital technologies and ways of working is referred to as digital maturity.
To help science organizations evaluate their digital maturity, the ISC developed a Digital Maturity Framework to explore what digital maturity looks like in practice. It brings together the global evidence base, combined with the experiences of 11 science organizations that participated in the ISC project Science organizations in the digital age.
The framework is intentionally split into two parts: organizational maturity and stakeholder maturity. This distinction reflects a central reality for science organizations, that progress depends not only on internal systems, skills, and strategy, but also on the digital capacity of the audiences or members they aim to serve.
To learn more about the framework, read the accompanying paper Harnessing “digital” for science in lower-resource settings.
The goal of the Digital Maturity Compass is to assess the organization’s current level of digital maturity. Understanding the present state provides clarity on where to focus future efforts.
How to use it
The tool can be completed individually or with colleagues. When used in a group setting, each participant should complete it independently before comparing and discussing results, with particular attention to areas showing the largest differences.
Allow approximately 45 minutes of uninterrupted time, or longer for group discussions.
Digital Maturity Compass
Options to use the document:
After completing the tool
Completion of the self-assessment provides a clear picture of strengths and areas for improvement.
The accompanying resource, Strengthening digital maturity: A practical toolkit for science organizations, offers guidance, tools, and reflection questions for each of the seven dimensions of the digital maturity framework.
Whether at the start of a digital journey or already experimenting with new tools and approaches, the guide contains actionable ideas to support building digital maturity.
Funding acknowledgement: The toolkit was created following the experiences of eleven ISC Members who took part in the project, supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of IDRC or its Board of Governors.
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