DX and Japanese Business - Panel discussion at IAFOR's ACSS2023

Great panel discussion on Digital Transformation (DX) in Japanese Business Organizations at The International Academic Forum (IAFOR) 's 14th Asian Conference on the Social Sciences (#ACSS2023). Thanks Yuko Onozaka , Will Baber ベイバー and Kanji Kitamura for sharing your research.

The discussion focused on three questions:

1.To what extent is technical skill among business leaders an issue in Digital Transformation in Japan?

The panel’s comments on this put focus on the need for non-technical skills in top managers, for example, cultural deftness, a political touch, and the ability to motivate an organization. It was more important for a leader to understand how to leverage emerging technology than to know the technical aspects. One panelist cast this issue in the light of leaders not being comfortable with new systems and change because of their lack of technical ability. This view suggests that organizations need specialist (especially IT specialists) in top positions rather than generalists.

2.How are organizations handling the lack of IT skills among workers?

Kanji Kitamura noted that collective in-house DX teams were a solution in some organizations and that this solution is culturally appropriate for Japan. Anshuman Khare was of the opinion that DX is much more complex and demanding than the IT integration of the early 2000s. As a result much greater investment and risk is involved while reskilling and upskilling are needed for many.

3.What will be the impact(s) on business organizations of initiatives coming from Japan’s Digital Agency or other parts of government?

The panelists generally welcomed the activity and impact of the Digital Agency Yuko Onozaka felt that top down initiatives are appropriate in Japan and often necessary in order to make progress.