two departments will play key roles to promote the digital transformation programmes .”
Sumitomo Chemical launched its first digital transformation programmes back in 2015 . Shigemori is keen to stress that although these did not come early in the global digital conversation , in Japan they represented the first initiatives in the industry . “ It is important that we change the mindset of all members of the company and change its culture in order to have a true impact ,” he says . “ We believe that this is the fastest approach to materialising digital transformation .
In Japan , once momentum is created , the entire company will adapt and move faster .” The key to creating and maintaining this momentum lies in communication and collaboration . Shigemori is not the only person with limited experience in the technologies disrupting the business , and so the IT Innovation Department must be able to break down and verbalise the true value of what technology can bring and how each facet of the business can utilise it . “ We are an enabler for business functions ,” he says . “ It ’ s a huge risk to not realise the true impact of technology . The technical function
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