What is the image of human resources living in the trending DX support market?

Three years have passed since the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced its recommendations on digital transformation (hereafter, DX). Furthermore, with the spread of the new coronavirus, it has become an era where the promotion of DX conversion is required faster than the conventional speed .

Recently, companies that claim to support DX are also various, from consulting to tool introduction. What kind of people and companies can human resources contribute to the promotion of DX? We asked Ms. Eri Shirai, president of Members Data Adventure Company (hereafter, Data Adventure) , who supports the promotion of DX from the inside by providing resident support for data professionals .

DX is a transformation of business models. Tools are modules.

ー Recently, there are many companies that support DX, but what does DX do in the end?

To start with the conclusion, it is to use digital data to cross vertical divisions with data, transform the organization, and create new value with new business models . To put it simply, it is a story about transforming with data and creating new revenue .

In conclusion, it’s going to be a very flat word, but there are various things such as digitizing data that existed only offline until now, visualizing and sharing the data that each department had independently. hurdles exist.

For example, in the case of web customer service tools, the role is to digitize customer service history, visualize it, and share it in real time.

Some patterns that can be said to have been converted to DX

Divert customer data digitized by customer service tools to product planning and advertising.
Increase the turnover rate of the business itself by forecasting demand using access logs and actual sales data.
By making it a platform, prices and fees will be changed from the conventional transaction format.
That’s what DX is.

ーI see, the tools are digitized, and it’s up to the customer how to use them.

Of course, I think there are many opportunities for tool vendors to propose best practices for utilizing DX, but it is also true that it depends on the strategy of each company whether it is suitable for how to use it and whether it is operated.

Especially in the case of major domestic companies supported by members, there are many cases where strategies are formulated by introducing member’s DX promotion and strategy consulting companies .

For example, I think one of the classic patterns is to visualize and digitize a series of processes from advertising to customer service and inventory management, and then connect the completed dashboards to promote transformation. .

It is similar to the image of connecting modules to build a new system.

– What do you often say when you ask Data Adventure about DX?

The direction of the strategy has been decided, but where should we start on the site? We receive many inquiries from companies that cannot see. I have the impression that there are many cases where major domestic companies first start face-to-face real business from online and digitalization.

Since it is originally a service that supports data analysis and utilization from the inside, there are many cases where the person in charge of planning a project using data is closer. Create an environment where each department can be monitored with a dashboard and connect them to create a new work flow. I think there are many projects that result in DX , such as diverting data inside and outside the company to create new businesses .

It sounds like a position talk, but one of our company’s strengths is the exquisite sense of distance between the outside and the inside, so there are many cases where we are differentiated from consulting .
In the case of a cross-departmental project, there is an aspect that it is easier to coordinate with other departments if a resident person is involved in the promotion. It’s a vivid story, but I’ve heard that it’s easier to promote because there are no extra ties compared to people in the company who need to be promoted (laughs).

The type of human resources needed today is a role that connects strategy and worksites, and complements perspectives and knowledge.

ー Certainly (laughs) What kind of positions and roles are required in DX?

DX has a strong conceptual element, so even if it is defined in the strategic layer of management, I think the reality is that there are variations depending on the level of understanding on the ground.

DX itself is a new term, and it is an area where different people have different interpretations. We do not dare to unify the interpretation at the introduction stage . I try to start with what I can do now and what I need. A proper interpretation can honestly be made up for later.

What should be prioritized is digitalization that clarifies the premise of where the issues are and how to utilize them . From the perspective of data analysis, we can say that DX is the generation and utilization of data across departments .

You will be able to generate data in a way that makes it easier
to improve your business .

ーIt seems that the hurdles to change the business are high.

As you say, I think it’s an easy point to trip up. Even if it is already possible to simply visualize existing data, it cannot be diverted to DX. Companies that have consultants and tool vendors who feel that promoting DX is an issue often lack the know-how for appropriate recruitment and training in line with the sophistication of human resources.

What is lacking now is the role of connecting the strategy and the field, the role of supplementing the viewpoint and knowledge, and the role of translating in a common language and providing feedback on improvements that will serve as a foundation for DX in the field.

When each department promotes DX while having a mission for existing operations, it is necessary to think about strategies and business solutions that go beyond the mission they have.

– What kind of human resource development are you doing as human resources become more sophisticated?

We are working on two main axes.
(1) Strengthen data analysis and utilization skills as a career advancement
for middle management
.

In the case of DX, a business solution perspective is especially required. It is not something juniors can learn overnight. It is more realistic to have people who already have an understanding of the business side, such as people from management planning and consulting, acquire statistics and analysis skills.

The need for human resources with both business and data utilization perspectives will continue to increase in the future.
In particular, I think that it is a market that attracts a lot of people who have a track record of promoting DX.

Realize a bridge to DX from the inside with human resources and mechanisms

-Could you tell us if there are any examples of people from management planning and consulting who are active in DX?

Iwama from our company, who is involved in the promotion of AOKI Holdings, for which we released a case study the other day, is a person with a consulting background.

This is a case where management moved based on the proposal of analysis results to the management team and suggestions related to positioning and products.

▼Reference
How did the use of link data change the management of AOKI Holdings?

– That’s amazing (laughs). So you can divert from data analysis to DX promotion.

Rather than generating value through data analysis alone, I feel that our strength lies in being able to make proposals based on facts to the business side. In order to make good proposals, it is necessary to improve the data analysis environment and work by calculating backwards from the business, but at the entrance there will be steady work to understand the current situation and identify issues.

Since it is a process that involves a lot of manual work, it is difficult to make it profitable if high-class DX personnel start it.
By creating and operating a standard business model for digitization in ②, it is possible to create a mechanism that can solve the problem.

From the customer’s point of view, the initial process is clear, and by setting up tools and guidelines, it is a framework that enables stable delivery even in the junior class, making it easier to match profitability.

From the management side of our company, it is easy to manage because the items and indicators are fixed. In addition, it has the advantage of making it easier to make decisions about what kind of proposals to make to customers based on the collected data.

– It means that excellent human resources can be utilized precisely because the environment is in place.
I especially want people like this to come. Can you tell me if there is anything like that?

We believe that the future market value will increase if we add data analysis skills to the mid-level people who have been doing well on the business side .

In particular, if you have the ability to understand the market structure and business, but want to incorporate hard skills such as statistical analysis and be involved in the core of DX promotion, please join us .

We will create a model that will allow us to establish a career in 5 years, so we want to acquire the power of data analysis as our own weapon, and promote DX appropriately, not as a buzzword, and use our company as a stepping stone for a new career. I wish I could talk casually with a feeling like this. You can also DM me on
Twitter (laughs) Please feel free to contact me!