Pretesting of special module on ICT at work, working conditions & learning digital skills (English Version)

English version:

Over the past year, have you been involved in choosing, improving or otherwise modifying the software (programmes and applications) used for work in your department or organisation?

German version:

Haben Sie im vergangenen Jahr daran mitgewirkt, in Ihrer Abteilung oder Organisation arbeitsbezogene Software (Programme und Anwendungen) auszuwählen, zu verbessern oder anderweitig zu modifizieren?

English version:
Yes
No
Not applicable

German version:
Ja
Nein
Nicht relevant

Question: With regard to the level of involvement in choosing, improving or modifying software, the phrasing of the question allows for a large scope of interpretation. Depending on the questionnaire designers’ definition of what constitutes “choosing, improving or modifying,” some interpretations might be out of scope. If this is the case, we would recommend narrowing the scope of this question by providing examples. If all interpretations have been in scope of the questionnaire designers’ definition, no changes are necessary.
Answer categories: Given that the wording of the third response category “nicht relevant” is highly uncommon as a response category, we would recommend replacing the response category “Nicht relevant” by either “Keine Nutzung von Software (Programme und Anwendungen) in meiner Abteilung/Organisation” or “Für meine Abteilung/Organisation nicht relevant” in the German version.

Cognitive Techniques:

General Probe.

Question 8 asked respondents whether they have been involved in choosing, improving or otherwise modifying the software (programmes and applications) used for work in their department or organization over the past year. Respondents could choose between the answer categories “Yes,” “No,” and “Not applicable.” All categories were exclusive categories and, therefore, percentages add up to 100 percent. Roughly a quarter of the English speaking respondents indicated that over the past year, they had been involved in choosing, improving or otherwise modifying the software used for work, while 18.97 percent of the German respondents chose this answer. In contrast, 52.46 percent of the British and 58.62 percent of the German respondents selected the answer category “No.” For 21.31 percent of the English speaking respondents and 22.41 percent of the German speaking respondents, this question is not applicable.

Only respondents that selected the response “Yes” at 3 received question 8. As a consequence, 26 respondents (14 English speaking respondents and 12 German speaking respondents) did not receive this question due to the filter in question 3. The respondents that indicated at question 8 that they had been involved in choosing, improving or otherwise modifying the software (16 English speaking respondents and 11 German speaking respondents) received a general probe for this question.

The intention of Probe 9 was to reveal the respondents’ understanding of involvement in software changes. Therefore, Probe 9 encouraged the respondents to describe how they have been involved in the selection, improvement or modification of the software programmes or applications used for work in their department or organisation. Several respondents in both countries mentioned that they were involved in the selection of the software. In this context, one respondent in each country reported that they had to search for potential software solutions and that they had to assess and test the different software options. One British respondent also had to run demonstrations of a specific software programme: “[I] was involved in demonstrations of various HR databases and jointly made the decision as to which one to purchase” (British respondent, ID 755). Three British and one German respondent recommended specific software programmes or provided consultation. For example, respondent 136 (British) described the process as follows: “We have purchased a license for a system that allows us to conduct analysis of housing market data (house prices, rents etc.) I am the only employee trained to use this system and recommended our use of it.” In addition, four British and one German respondent were responsible for the actual selection of the software:

• “I have chosen which programmes to use for data analysis and had the programme purchased for the university.” (British respondent, ID 162)
• “In order to achieve my objectives, I have to use the best tools available. I needed to produce videos, and after research, it seemed like Camtasia was the best choice, so I bought it and learned how to use it.” (British respondent, ID 330)
• “As I deal with payroll, I get to choose the payroll software that I use. I also am looking to change our current main software so I am looking at different companies and will choose one that is fitting for our business.” (British respondent, ID 362)

Besides the involvement in the selection process, a few respondents also contributed to the implementation of the chosen software, its modification and improvement (1 British respondent, 2 German respondents). Respondent 87 (German) described her involvement as follows: “A new main programme will be introduced, and all employees who will work with it are involved in adapting and improving it.” In addition, one English speaking respondent stated that he had occupied a team leading position during the process.

However, three respondents provided answers that were out of scope as they described the factual changes in software, not the quality of their involvement. Two respondents gave unusable responses. In total, five respondents refused to answer the probe (3 English speaking respondents, 2 German speaking respondents). One British respondent refused to answer due to data security concerns.

For a more detailed breakdown of the respondents‘ answers please refer to the tables in the attached PDF document.

Digitalization/ Use of digital systems

Involvement in software selection