December 2021
Survey of Corporate Attitudes towards DX promotion
15.7%, one in seven companies, understand and work on DX
— Lack of human resources, skills and know-how in half of companies are challenges for DX. —
Introduction
The business environment is going to change tremendously due to advances in digital technologies, such as the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G). Companies will be required to realize a “Digital Transformation (hereinafter referred to as DX)” which will build a competitive advantage through products that utilize data and digital technologies, and transformation of service business models. The government also launched the Digital Agency in September, 2021, and aims to create public-private digital age infrastructure through the promotion of DX throughout society.
Teikoku Databank has therefore conducted a survey of corporate attitudes towards DX promotion.
*Survey period: December 16, 2021 – January 5, 2022; Companies Surveyed: 23,826; Valid Responses: 10,769 (Response Rate: 45.2%).
*Details of this survey can be found on the dedicated Economic Trend Survey website. (http://www.tdb-di.com).
Primary points of survey results(summary)
- 1 15.7%, one in seven companies, understand and work on DX
15.7%, approximately one in seven companies, “understand the meaning of DX and work on it”. Including those companies which “intend to understand its meaning and work on it” (25.7%), 40% have a positive view of DX efforts. Conversely, DX efforts are not progressing in over half of companies, such as “not working on it, although understanding its meaning” (31.6%), “cannot understand its meaning, although knowing the word” (13.3%), and “even do not know the word” (6.4%). - 2 Full-fledged DX is progressing in one in three companies that are working on it
In terms of details of the efforts being made in the companies which “understand the meaning of DX and work on it”, 37.4%, one in three, work on full-fledged DX such as “high added value of existing products and services”, “creation of new products and services”, and “transformation of business models”. Efforts in terms of human resources and organization, such as “development of digital workforce” and “setting up an organization dedicated to promote DX”, also have been actively undertaken in many companies. - 3 Half of those companies cite lack of human resources, skills and know-how as challenges for DX
As challenges in working on DX, “no workforce which can address it” (50.6%) and “not having necessary skills and know-how” (47.7%), etc., were cited by half of the companies. The lack of human resources, skills and know-how are challenges, even among those companies which already understand and work on DX.