Contested understandings: Technology and inequality in cultural organisations

Cultural organisations are increasingly expected to adopt digital technologies while delivering person-centred activities and contending with stretched resources. This report argues that the central challenge is not technological change itself, but the contested and uneven ways technology is understood and experienced within organisations. Drawing on an organisational ethnographic case study of a small UK heritage organisation, alongside wider sector evidence, the report examines how technological change is shaped by role, hierarchy, confidence and organisational capacity. The findings show that technology lacks a stable shared definition, with staff interpreting it differently according to their responsibilities and experience. Confidence and digital competence are unevenly distributed, with senior staff typically framing technology as a strategic opportunity constrained by time, while junior staff are more likely to experience it as an imposed requirement constrained by confidence. Digital labour is frequently absorbed informally by a small number of individuals rather than supported as a shared organisational responsibility. Evidence from across the cultural sector suggests that these patterns are not unique to a single organisation and reflect wider challenges relating to digital literacy, workforce development and organisational capacity. The report proposes a whole-organisation approach that pairs technology investment with protected development time and recommends practical actions for organisations, funders and training providers to support more equitable and sustainable technological change.