Organisational, training and operational strategies for the development of digital skills in insurance SMEs in South Africa

Abstract

Many organizations and institutions have been driving the development of digital skills worldwide. This study explored the organizational and training strategies for developing of digital skills in insurance SMEs in South Africa. Despite the call by many organisations and government actions, many small to medium organizations still find it difficult to adopt digital skills. The literature review indicated that, indeed, there are various degrees of relations between digital skills development and organizational strategies. However, the applicability of these studies was limited because most of them were carried out in other industries and, in most cases, outside South Africa. The study used a qualitative research approach to deduce the impact of organisational and training strategies on digital skills development. Data was collected using interviews and a detailed interview guide from 12 interviews. The data was collected from small to medium insurance companies chosen to be part of the study using purposive sampling. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis to group the data into major themes. The findings showed that management strategies are critical for developing digital skills in the insurance sector due to their ability to control all aspects of the organization. In addition, training strategies used impact digital skills development, as do operational strategies used in SMEs. The significant findings point out that costs, management strategies, and compliance requirements influence digital skills in the sector. The study closed off by recommending that the government enact policies that make it less costly for SMEs to equip their employees, in addition, private organizations are advised to invest more in digital skills since they make operations more efficient. Lastly, the study recommends further studies be carried out on the role of digital skills on the performance of SMEs in the insurance sector.