Mediatech Experiential Process Report 20160226f

CoLab for e-Inclusion and Social Innovation – University of the Western Cape

MediaTech Experiential Process Technical Report

A UWC CoLab and BARN Collaboration

Report compiled by:

Mike Hamilton

Leona Craffert

Kuhle Sikhota

Collaborators:

PhD Interns: Carlynn Pokpas and Natasha Katunga

CoLab Core Team: Naledi Tsuene, Tlhologelo Mphahlele, Ziyaad Parker, Chiunde Mwanza, Like Scholtz,

Khaya Kunene, Retshidisitswe Lehata, Tapiwa Chihota

February 22nd , 2016

MediaTech: Experiential Process Report

CoLab for e-Inclusion and Social Innovation - University of the Western Cape 2

Table of Contents

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4

Business Activity Areas .......................................................................................................... 6 Context of Discussion .....................................................................................................................6 Data Collection ...............................................................................................................................6 Interpretation of Inputs ..................................................................................................................8

Application Usage.................................................................................................................. 9 Context of Discussion .....................................................................................................................9 Data Collection ...............................................................................................................................9 Interpretation of Inputs ................................................................................................................ 10

Applications Currently in Use .............................................................................................................. 10 Applications Mentions by Business Activity Areas ............................................................................. 10 Application Examples by Business Activity Area ................................................................................. 11 Application Mentions by Application Area ......................................................................................... 12 Application Examples by Application Area ......................................................................................... 14

Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings ........................................................................... 16 Context of Discussion ................................................................................................................... 16 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................. 16 Interpretation of Inputs ................................................................................................................ 17

Challenge Theme Alignment Review .................................................................................................. 17 Business Activity Alignment Review ................................................................................................... 19 Interpretation of Inputs – Challenges ................................................................................................. 20 Interpretation of Inputs - Opportunities ............................................................................................. 21 Interpretation of Inputs - Imaginings .................................................................................................. 22

Technology and Telecommunication Service Perspective ..................................................... 23 Participant Technology Feedback ....................................................................................................... 24 Participant Telecommunication Service Provider Feedback .............................................................. 25

Feedback session as a reflection on the value of the experiential process ............................ 27 Purpose of the feedback session ................................................................................................... 27 Data gathering and discussion of themes ...................................................................................... 27 Comments and interpretation ...................................................................................................... 30

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 32



Figures Figure 1 Capture Board ................................................................................................................................. 5

Figure 2 Business Activity Areas .................................................................................................................... 6

Figure 3 Business Activity Ranking Capture Form ......................................................................................... 7

Figure 4 Capture Board Placement: Business Activity Areas Supported by Technology Today ................... 7

Figure 5 Capture Board Placement: Business Activity Areas and Application Usage ................................... 9

Figure 6 Word Cloud of Applications Currently in Use ............................................................................... 10

Figure 7 Word Clouds by Business Activity Area ........................................................................................ 11

Figure 8 Word Clouds by Application Areas................................................................................................ 15

Figure 9 Capture Board Placement: SME Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings ................................ 17

Figure 10 Technology Device Types used by Participants .......................................................................... 24

Figure 11 Technology Device Brands used by Participants......................................................................... 24

Figure 12 Technology Device Operating Systems on Participant Devices .................................................. 24

Tables Table 1 Business Activity Rankings Summary ............................................................................................... 8

Table 2 Business Activity Application Mentions Summary ......................................................................... 10

Table 3 Application Mentions by Application Area Summary .................................................................... 12

Table 4 Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings Mentions by Challenge Theme Summary .................. 18

Table 5 Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings Mentions by Business Activity Area Summary ........... 19

Table 6 Themes on potential impact and value of experiential process .................................................... 30



Introduction In response to the Telkom MediaTech call for activity supporting idea generation relating to stimulating

demand for mobile data services, the UWC CoLab team planned and conducted four interactions with

Khayelitsha SME business representatives between September and December 2015. These interactions

included:

Pilot Study (10th September 2015). To guide the approach and focus of the Main Study, a Pilot

Study was facilitated on the 10th September 2015. 11 Participants provided feedback and

observers noted areas of improvement in terms of focus, content, delivery and outcome

expectations. The Main Study planning incorporated feedback and observations noted.

Main Study (2-6 November 2015). 45 Participants representing SMEs in Khayelitsha were

included in the Main Study. This document provides feedback on the results arising from the

main study.

Main Study Training Sessions (2-6 November 2015). All Main Study participants were invited to

attend a free training intervention that took place immediately after the Main Study sessions.

The purpose of the training was to address the core challenges experienced by SME

representatives in their use of mobile technology in a business context. (See addendum for

further information regarding the Training Sessions)

Feedback session (30 November – 1st December 2015). Participants shared their own stories and

commented on their learnings since having attended the main study and having attended

training.

All interactions were conducted at the BARN in Khayelitsha. The central theme underpinning activities

was the Use of Mobile Technologies in Support of SME Business.

Discussions and activities focused on in all sessions allowed for inputs to be gathered that related to:

SME Business background

Participants current use of technology

Business activities, importance, time spent and use of technology

Applications being used today

Challenges experienced

Opportunities for potential use of technology

Imaginings (Wish List)



Data inputs were gathered from participants using individual and group based activities. Various forms

were used as a primary individual input where appropriate, and a capture board (shown below) for

consolidating all individual and team inputs was designed. This board allowed for interactive physical

engagement in activities and stimulation of discussion as participants congregated around their team

board and recorded their individual as well as collective inputs.

Figure 1 Capture Board



Business Activity Areas

Context of Discussion A general principle of using technology to support business suggests that business activity areas were an

ideal focal point for facilitation. A model clustering business activities into key areas was presented and

discussed. The objective was to establish a common understanding (shared mental model) of terms to

ensure data inputs gathered were consistently associated with areas for later analysis.

Data Collection Group discussion centred on what SME Business Representatives actually do in a normal working week?

Questions raised included:

How important are each of the activity areas considered to be?

How much time is spent on each of the activity areas?

Where are participants using technology to support their businesses

As an individual exercise, participants reflected on their working scenarios and offered their inputs using

a standard form:

Figure 2 Business Activity Areas



Participants updated their team Capture Board transferring information from their form as required.

Each individual attached stickers representing their use of technology to the capture board associating

the use of technology with specific business activity areas. The exercise highlighted the areas where

technology is being used or not and stimulated discussion within teams.

Figure 3 Business Activity Ranking Capture Form

Figure 4 Capture Board Placement: Business Activity Areas Supported by Technology Today



Interpretation of Inputs Collective input from all participants is summarised in the table below. By way of example: Planning as

an activity area was ranked highest in importance and in terms of time spent. When looking at use of

technology, planning was sixth in the list showing a mismatch between alignment of technology with

importance of activity and time spent. Discussion suggested that participant interpretation of the

concept of ‘Planning” was daily or short term in nature, not long term as suggested in the facilitators

indication of including Business Plan, Marketing Plan, Sales Plan, Competitive strategies etc. What

became apparent was the importance of moving the facilitator and the participants to a shared mental

model where concepts and terms have a common meaning. SMEs lack formal business education

exposure and do not necessarily share a common understanding of business concepts or terminology

with their larger more formal business counterparts. An opportunity presents itself to provide an

integrated training and education approach that incorporates common language terms for both

business and the world of technology.

From an ideation perspective, participants’ indication of their perception of importance as well as time

spent in each activity area could guide potential development of applications and utilities to optimise

activities, improve efficiencies, and reduce time costs. Where the use of technology is not aligned to the

importance or time needs of participant ratings, this can also serve as an area of potential focus during

ideation.

Communicating and interacting with others is shown as the most common activity area supported by

technology. Research and market are next in line. Activity areas where technology use is significantly out

of alignment with perceived importance or time spent include planning, organising as well as learning

and development. These activity areas could be a focus for ideation as discussed above.

Rankings (1=Highest, 10=Lowest) Importance Time Spent Use Tech

Planning 1 1 5

Organising 2 2 6

Interacting with Others 4 3 1

Go Places / Travel 7 4 8

Marketing 3 6 3

Selling to Customers 5 7 7

Buy from Suppliers 9 9 8

Supporting Customers 10 10 10

Learning and Development 8 8 4

Research 6 5 2

Ideation Focus Drivers

Table 1 Business Activity Rankings Summary



Application Usage

Context of Discussion Taken the discussion relating to the use of technology a bit further, focus shifted to identifying

application areas and specific applications in use. Questions were posed in this regard and participants

were asked to:

Indicate activity areas where applications are currently being used in support of their business

activities

Give specific examples of applications being used today in business activity area

Data Collection A team capture board was designed to allow for easy gathering of information. Participants were

grouped into teams for discussion. Each participant’s attached stickers representing their use of

applications to the capture board associating applications they use with specific business activity areas.

Applications mentioned by participants were then grouped into Business Activity areas. Applications

could be referred to generically or specifically (e.g. Email or Gmail).

Where participants had indicated they were using technology in support of business activity, further

inputs were gathered relating to application areas, generic applications and specific applications in use.

Participant mentions were in some cases generic (e.g. Mail programme on my phone) and some cases

specific (e.g. Gmail – Google’s email that runs on many devices).

Figure 5 Capture Board Placement: Business Activity Areas and Application Usage



Interpretation of Inputs

Applications Currently in Use Participants listed approximately 100 different applications that were being used currently in their

business activities. This word cloud shows scaled representation of application usage.

Applications Mentions by Business Activity Areas Collective input from all participants is summarised in the table below. When a sticker mentioning an

application was placed on the board and related to a Business Activity Area, this was considered as a

‘mention’. There were 334 such ‘mentions’ placed on boards and summarised in the table below. By

way of example: More mentions of applications were in the areas of Interacting with others (73) and

organising (62) than being in use in support of going places (22) or selling to customers (18).

Applications Activity Area

Mentions 73 62 46 33 30 22 19 18 17 14

Relative Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Applications A B

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Figure 6 Word Cloud of Applications Currently in Use

Table 2 Business Activity Application Mentions Summary



This shows the prevalence of communication application services for supporting human interaction.

Perhaps due to the fact that emphasis was on the use of mobile phone devices, the primary target usage

centred on communications and interaction.

Learning to apply a mobile device to areas of business activity outside of communications requires new

learning and new skills development. The most common use of applications by activity area is indicated

by the relative rankings line.

Application Examples by Business Activity Area

Interacting with Other

Organising

Marketing

Planning

Research

Go Places / Travel

Learning and Development

Selling to Customers

Buy from Suppliers

Supporting Customers

Figure 7 Word Clouds by Business Activity Area

Applications in use initially include applications installed as standard on devices. Some observations

pertaining to the rate of adoption of application services include:

The learning required to understand an ecosystem of online application as well as developing

familiarity with licencing and usage retards the adoption of non-standard applications.

Application purchases online require formal banking services and an online payment capability.

SMEs not only have concerns over fraud and online payment services but may also be restricted

due to not being part of the formal banking sector with such service capability.

Driven by word of mouth marketing but inhibited by a need for competency development and

familiarity with device user interfaces is an inhibitor to application adoption. The need for



simple user interfaces, intuitive interaction and clarity of function is key to any application

design.

The complexity of data networking, as well as the accessibility to well performing, stable and

affordable network service in close proximity to where SMEs conduct business needs to be

addressed. Increasing use of, and demand for free Wi-Fi services is apparent. Improved

broadband rollout and cost-effective services will drive usage and demand for mobile devices

and applications.

Focus on applications that provide free services where costs are normally incurred encourages

SMEs to take risk and cross the line to mobile technology usage. WhatsApp is a prime example

of this.

Challenges and Opportunities are discussed in more detail later in this document.

Application Mentions by Application Area Market presentation of applications tends to be grouped into application areas or categories and not

necessarily by business activity areas. Online stores typically categorise applications this way. Some

applications are useful across multiple business activity areas (e.g. Email). Accordingly, evaluation of

application usage was based on business activity areas as well as a number of generic application areas

that were identified as targets for grouping.

In which applications areas are SME business representatives using applications in support of their

activities? Applications mentioned by participants were grouped into defined generic application areas.

By way of example there were more mentions of applications relating to social media (55) than to the

category for mapping and navigation (17). Certain application areas enjoy high visibility and are common

usage areas. In some areas specific applications dominate and in other there are multiple choices of

applications but not necessarily a single dominant player.

Applications Application Area

Mentions 55 31 31 28 27 26 19 18 18 18 17 17 15 15 14 9 1

Relative Ranking 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 8 8 8 11 11 13 13 15 16 17

Applications A B

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Table 3 Application Mentions by Application Area Summary



As shown above, the relative rankings indicated the sequence of application areas in terms of

participant mentions. For ideation purposes consider identifying business activity areas with high

importance and / or time ratings, and then associating application areas that can support such activities

but are rated low currently in terms of mentions.



Application Examples by Application Area

Social Media

Calendar and Time Planning

Email Services

Camera / Video

Manage Money

Messaging Services

Web Browser

Phone and Video Calls

File and Data Storage

Other

Maps and Navigation

Calculator

Contact Management

Search Tools

Documents Spreadsheets Presentations

Note Taking

Online Store



Figure 8 Word Clouds by Application Areas



Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings

Context of Discussion Moving away from specific business activity areas, participants were invited to interact in their teams

and to discuss challenges, opportunities and imaginings. Discussion focus was initially on challenges

experienced in using technology to support their business activities today. Once discussed, teams placed

sticky notes highlighting their challenges. The Word Cloud above show all Challenges, Opportunities and

Imaginings mentioned by participants.

Data Collection Moving away from specific business activity areas, participants were invited to interact in their teams.

Discussion focus was initially on challenges experienced in using technology to support their business

activities today. Participants could mention anything they saw as a challenge and discussion were free-

flowing and not restricted to specific topics.

A second discussion was then facilitated focusing on opportunities that participants could see for

applying technology to better support their business activities.

Thirdly, participants were invited to offer a wish list for the application of technology beyond their

current experience.



At the end of each discussion period, teams placed sticky notes highlighting their challenges,

opportunities and imaginings onto their team capture board.

Interpretation of Inputs Input from participants was grouped using two approaches allowing for a review of challenges,

opportunities and imaginings as follows:

groupings within challenge themes

groupings within business activity areas

Challenge Theme Alignment Review The objective was to highlight core areas of concern that participants experience as a potential target

for supporting them in the future. Reviewing based on challenges themes could provide input for

ideation focus based on pain reduction. A single challenge, opportunity or imaging may relate to one or

more themes. In the table below, any participant mentions of challenges, opportunities or imaginings

are group by challenge theme:

Figure 9 Capture Board Placement: SME Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings



Table 4 Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings Mentions by Challenge Theme Summary

As indicated in Challenge Theme table: Self-Efficacy (46), Money (30) and Social Conditions (20) were the

three highest mention areas as far as challenges were concerned.

Challenge Themes were defined as follows:

Self-Efficacy related to competencies, awareness and understanding as perceived by the

individual participants. This highlights the need for the building of awareness and conceptual

understanding. A key outcome was the positive perception of linking technology to business

activities in all discussions. Participants indicated the lack of willingness to explore irrelevant

applications and waste time learning such applications

Social Conditions related to risks of physical and online theft, fraud, loss of information or

devices, privacy, inappropriate online behaviour etc., driven by economic considerations in

society.

Money as a challenge theme ranked third in challenge rankings. Affordability of devices and

data service costs, uncertainty regarding data consumption by specific applications and services,

as well as lack of exposure to or familiarity with online payment and banking services were

focused on.

Technology – Networks and SPs (Service Providers) highlighted access challenges, coverage and

instability of services, as well as affordability and availability of data bundles as concern areas.

Technology – Applications mainly related to lack of awareness and understanding of application

usage. Concerns over not keeping pace with technology services and suitability of applications

to mobile context. Privacy issues, resistance to change, need for data by application and user

friendliness highlighted

Time as a challenge theme related to the issues associated with time consuming and distracting

applications and services (eg. Social media), interruptions, time losses (perhaps due to IT issues

or complexity) as well as activity that is considered irrelevant to business.



Technology – Device related to access to and use appropriate devices, suited to purposeful

business activity support, technology challenges, complexity of interaction, unnecessary data

usage.

Business Activity Alignment Review Reviewing based on business activities could provide input for ideation addressing prioritised

representative focus:

Table 5 Challenges, Opportunities and Imaginings Mentions by Business Activity Area Summary

As indicated in Activity Area table: Learning and Development and Organising were the highest mention

areas as far as challenges were concerned. From an opportunity perspective, Interacting with others is

top of the pile with Marketing and Organising as desired focus areas to exploit. Ideation should perhaps

focus on these four combined challenge and opportunity areas.



Interpretation of Inputs – Challenges

The Word Cloud above show all Challenges mentioned by participants. As can be expected based on

summary table showing Self-Efficacy, Social Conditions and Money as the three main challenge themes,

participants offered many inputs in these area. After each of the Main Study sessions, training was

presented addressing cost management, device and information security, models for appropriate

communication and online behaviour etc.

In any scenario where adoption of technology and services is considered, the three main pillars that

promote adoption are:

A Sense of Value – It is linked to and will support and improve my business

A Sense of Self-Efficacy – I will be able to master this

A Sense of Support – environmental support to provide scaffolding to the learner in the early

stages of experimentation and usage.

For ideation, there is great opportunity to address the core challenge themes in a manner that drives

adoption. Coupled to increased awareness, training to develop and underpin a sense of self efficacy and

the provisioning of supporting resources will give participants the confidence to experiment and

increase utilisation of mobile technology and applications.



Interpretation of Inputs - Opportunities

The Word Cloud above show all Opportunities mentioned by participants. Many of the opportunities

expressed relate to business and self-improvement. There is no lack of willingness to learn and improve

processes to save time, reduce costs, and increase revenues. This Word Cloud provides many

opportunities for the ideation discussion.



Interpretation of Inputs - Imaginings

The Word Cloud above show all Imaginings mentioned by participants. It was noted that participants

struggled to imagine a word outside their daily constraints. Also, perhaps as a result of the lack of

awareness, many expressed imaginings are in fact a reality today to persons outside of the precarious

context of SMEs in the social conditions this study focused on. This highlights the different mental

models that arise out of increased awareness and experiential development. From an ideation

perspective this is perhaps one of the most important areas to focus on. Without awareness building,

change cannot be imagined and demand will not be stimulated.



Technology and Telecommunication Service Perspective Information gathered from participants during the interactions included some technology indicators.

Participants were asked:

What type of devices they were using?

What brand of devices they were using?

What operating system their device used?

What telecommunications service provider they used for data service?

What telecommunication data service they used for internet connectivity?

How much they were spending on data services monthly?

Feedback gathered was not audited or verified and reflects participants’ input as offered. It was noted

that participants were uncertain of technology concepts, the idea of an operating system etc. Feedback

is summarised and presented in figures that follow:



Participant Technology Feedback

Figure 10 Technology Device Types used by Participants

Figure 11 Technology Device Brands used by Participants

Figure 12 Technology Device Operating Systems on Participant Devices

Smartphone, 31, 59%

Laptop(Win), 14, 26%

Tablet, 6, 11%

Desktop, 2, 4% Laptop(Mac), 0, 0%

Device Types

Nokia, 13, 21%

Samsung, 10, 16%

Blackberry, 10, 16%

Huawei, 6, 10%

Lenovo, 4, 6%

Apple, 3, 5%

LG, 3, 5%

Acer, 3, 5%

Dell, 3, 5% ZTE, 2, 3%

Toshiba, 2, 3%

AG Mobile, 1, 1%

Telefunken, 1, 2%

Sansui, 1, 2%

Device Brands

Android, 22, 39%

Windows, 20, 36%

Other / Unsure, 8, 14%

IOS, 5, 9% OSX, 1, 2%

Decvice Operating System



Participant Telecommunication Service Provider Feedback

Cellular Data, 34, 57%

Wi-Fi Hotspot, 20, 33%

Fixed ADSL, 6, 10%

Telco Service Provider

Prepaid, 35, 83%

Contract, 7, 17%

Telco Payment Method

156.21

73.70

140.23

-

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

180.00

Voice SMS Data

Average Telco Spend pm



156.21

73.70

140.23

-

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

120.00

140.00

160.00

180.00

Voice SMS Data

Average Telco Spend pm



Feedback session as a reflection on the value of the experiential process

Purpose of the feedback session As the experiential process was aimed at (i) gaining a better understanding and view of the actual

context of the target audience (SMEs) and, (ii) the realities within which they have to grow their

businesses, it was regarded as imperative for the process to be structured as an open and collaborative

learning process between participants and research team. The main objective of the feedback session

was thus for participants to give feedback on the experiential process (positive and negative) in terms of

the:

The value they derived from the experiential process,

Potential impact of the process on their thinking and practices (both in terms of personal and

business usage of digital tools), and

Their ideas on the kind of support that can be provided to them and other SMEs to assist them

in enhancing the use of digital tools for business purposes.

Data gathering and discussion of themes An interview schedule was developed to guide the conversations. It was very significant that during both

group sessions, participants spontaneously shared their stories – little effort was required to prompt

them to participate as they were eager to discuss ways of gaining confidence within the digital context,

to grow their respective businesses and to consider options for going forward.

The main themes as identified during the feedback sessions are presented in table 5 below.

Discussion Areas

Description of the themes that were identified during the group feedback sessions

The value derived from the experiential process

The acquiring of insight and new skills as a result of the integrated approach that was followed during the experiential process: where learning happened both in terms of the business value chain (business activities, process etc.) and the technology (digital tools) that can be applied to support/enhance the various business activities. Training on digital tools happened within the context of the business activities.

Development of confidence in terms of dealing with the digital or technological dimension: concepts such as digital, digital economy, internet, Wi-Fi (etc.) were demystified and participants started realising the relevance of these aspects to their business and their personal lives.

The interaction with other SMEs; discussion of shared challenges and the opportunity to learn from one another and to engage on a



very basic level (peer learning).

Establishment of networks amongst participating SMEs.

Changes in terms of thinking (personal and/or business)

Gaining the understanding and confidence that it is within the ability (control) of a business owner (SME) to actively grow the business by applying business principles (as presented in the business training) and/or by incorporate digital tools (gaining a sense of agency).

The business training (business activities engagement board) provided them with a framework to compare their current business activities against the whole/total business value chain and to identify the areas they need to work on to improve their businesses.

The notion of collaboration or team work obtained a new meaning with participants realising that they can collaborate with other people (individuals and/or SMEs) to assist them in the execution of their business activities.

The process contributed towards the realisation that technological developments have a global impact (the world is changing to digital) that has direct implications for them. Although the level of digital awareness amongst the participants ranges from fairly limited to quite high (in some instances) it is fair to say that as a whole the group realised that it is a necessity for them to gain more exposure to and insight in the digital economy and to develop the appropriate skills and know-how to remain relevant.

Scepticism regarding the real value of technology (digital tools) was mentioned. Participants commented on the potential waste of time and cost implications of experimenting with and searching for digital tools, products and services that can support them with particular activities.

Changes in terms of practice (personal and business

Anecdotal evidence was provided for changes in business and personal practices as result of the intervention, and included aspects such as:

Changing the display of curios to differentiate the stall from those of competitors.

Using the electronic dairy to structure and plan work days better (improve personal productivity).

Appointing a new staff member on contract to increase sales.



Focus on business activities they previously did not attend to or were unaware of.

Performing business activities while travelling per taxi using newly acquired skills (business on the go).

Managing data costs better.

Implementing measures (although simple) to improve online safety.

Exploring the value of WhatsApp, Facebook (social media) for business purposes.

Support required (personal and other SMEs) to improve the use of digital technologies in their businesses

Ensure the continuation and expansion of the integrated business-technology educational process as was done in Khayelitsha. Extend the opportunity for hands-on skills development such as the afternoon training session.

Provide smart devices to SMEs to enable them to utilise internet and applications.

Provide SMEs with more information about the digital economy as this can help them to understand the benefits of technology (ICT’s) and to identify opportunities that can be exploited.

Requirement for particular digital products and services

Develop or provide a process/service to expose SMEs to and update them about available and new technologies (digital tools, games etc.). The focus should not be on the technological specifications only but should include information on the business relevance of the tool; on the particular business activity that can be supported.

Translation/adjustment/ of apps and (and the icons) to be more user- friendly (UX) and applicable to the context of the small and very small businesses.

Support in terms of digital marketing – consider something like a shared services/platform for the micro and small businesses as they do not have the capacity to do their own marketing.

Sponsor the implementation of an internship program where students (Computer Science, Information Systems etc.) can work for a period with SMEs to assist them in terms of the digital or technology component of the business. However, the necessity of a proper introduction into the business context and life world of the SMEs prior to the internship is regarded as essential (again a confirmation of the necessity of an integrated approach).



Facilitate access to mentors and coaches – for guidance, moral support, advice (in an integrated manner) to assist them on their way to digital maturity.

Provide information on successful local South African SMEs that are using technology to make a success of their businesses. (If you see someone on your level using technology, it is inspiring.) The fact that there are no visible role models (relevant to the very small and small businesses), contribute towards a perception that success is in the reach of “other” people only. Successful South African role models can provide a “pull” factor.

Do not forget about the older generation – they require a different kind of guidance and nudging to develop digital skills and up their usage.

Table 6 Themes on potential impact and value of experiential process

Comments and interpretation It is clear that the success of the experiential process can be directly related to the integrated

approach that was followed where the discussion about digital skills and usage of digital tools was

done in the context of the business value chain and the business realities of SMEs. Initiatives to

increase the uptake and usage of digital tools and services should be approached from an integrated

business process–technology approach.

Engagement of the whole person is required as agency, personal mastery play a critical role in

determining the attitude, confidence and approach towards the development of the necessary skills

(business, digital and personal) to grow their own businesses. It is thus recommended that an

education intervention aimed at enhancing technological uptake (data usage), should ideally consist

of an integrated approach consisting of (i) people (ii) business process and (iii) technology

components.

The participatory process adopted for the experiential process, supported by the use of the

engagement board resulted in peer learning (discussion, sharing etc.), which participants identified

as one of the most valuable aspects of the experiential process. This seems to be an important

principle identified during the process that should be included in educational interventions aimed at

enhancing ICT update and data usage (products, services etc.). Future educational interventions

should take cognisance of the nature and different elements of the Khayelitsha experiential process

An unintended consequence of the experiential process was the establishment of networks amongst

the participating SMEs. The participatory and open learning approach, facilitated by the application

of the engagement board, played a significant role in this respect and should be included in the

design of similar intervention processes.

The project team was initially concerned about the fact that the 45 participating SMEs represent

different sectors and varied significantly with respect to “business maturity” levels. However, the



ability to network across sectors and different maturity levels was identified as one of the most

valuable results of the process. It contributed towards peer learning and in some respects resulted

in new business opportunities and collaboration.

Information on successful local SMEs as role models can play a significant “pull factor” by

demonstrating that progress and success are indeed achievable.



Conclusion Participants engaged actively in Main Study Sessions, Training Sessions and the Feedback Session.

Information shared and perceptions recorded enable a foundation to be established for evaluation and

input to ideation processes.

By approaching SME participants in their world, and providing a non-threatening engagement that

stimulated networking and learning for each participant, trust was established between facilitators and

participants.

Linking technology to Business Activity Areas was key for participants and preferred to a model where

technology is normally discussed in isolation. Focusing on principles and not training on specific tools

was perceived by participants to be useful and clarified both business and technology concepts for all.

Coupling the training to the Main Study Sessions and adapting the delivery to address challenges that

were still ‘front of mind’ maximised contextual linkages and promoted understanding and retention.

This was clearly articulated during the follow up Feedback Session.

All in all, this model represents a repeatable approach, aligned to SME needs, in a context they

comprehend. Awareness building, education and training, and support are needed to create a context

and an environment for growing the use of technology and the exploitation by SMEs of data services in a

manner that is aligned to their specific business needs.

The SMEs live and work in constantly precarious social conditions. Businesses and consumers have to

deal with day-to-day challenges that are typically outside of what may be considered a normal business

environment. While technology can positively impact SME businesses and the lives of individuals, the

social conditions present challenges that any technology solution and service developer must be

cognisant of.

There is a need and there is willingness to learn. We can make a substantial difference by enabling SMEs

to make informed decisions and thereby allow them to focus on business related application of

technology.

Mediatech Experiential Process Report 20160226f

Documents

Transcript of Mediatech Experiential Process Report 20160226f