All leaders will have stories of how challenging it is to steer an organisation in a different direction. In an ever-evolving tech and IT landscape, where change is the only constant thing, driving organisational change is a ticket to survival.
Wilbertus Darmadi, CIO of PT Toyota-Astra Motor (TAM),is not new to change management. With two decades in Indonesia’s automotive industry, he has steered the industry’s digital and IT transformation.
His experience led him to witness the transformation of Indonesia’s automotive industry from digitalisation to intelligent transformation.
The industry is no longer asking whether to transform digitally. The question now is how fast organisations can adapt while maintaining operational excellence and business continuity. Wilbertus Darmadi
Digitalisation to intelligent transformation
As one of the largest vehicle producers in the ASEAN region, Indonesia’s automotive industry has undergone the first phase of digital and IT transformation, focusing on digitising processes, according to Darmadi.
This includes ERP, manufacturing execution systems, dealer management systems, and customer relationship management.
“Today, the focus has shifted toward creating an integrated and data-driven enterprise where decisions can be made faster and more accurately,” the TAM executive said.
He added that several key trends are shaping this transformation, including the growing adoption of AI and advanced analytics to improve forecasting, quality, and the customer experience.
There also has been greater integration across manufacturing, supply chain, sales, and after-sales operations, and the growing importance of cybersecurity and cyber resilience as vehicles and business operations become more connected.
He also added that the emergence of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV), connected cars, and mobility ecosystems is a factor in the transformation, as is the expansion of cloud and hybrid infrastructure to support agility and scalability.
“The industry is no longer asking whether to transform digitally. The question now is how fast organisations can adapt while maintaining operational excellence and business continuity,” he added.
Successful IT transformation factors
In terms of successful IT transformation, Darmadi reflects on a rollout of an enterprise-wide digital platform that integrated multiple business functions across manufacturing, sales, distribution, and support operations.
“The technology itself was important, but the success factors were primarily organisational,” he emphasised.
For Darmadi, what made the initiative successful was strong business sponsorship, as it was positioned as a business transformation rather than an IT project.
Early stakeholder engagement helped, as business users were involved from the design stage, creating ownership and reducing resistance.
He emphasised the importance of a clear change management program, with substantial investments in communication, training, and user readiness before going live.
Describing a phased implementation, he added: “Instead of a ‘big bang’ approach, we delivered value incrementally and incorporated feedback along the way.”
Lastly, its success lies in focusing on measurable business outcomes through operational efficiency, process standardisation, user adoption, and improvements in business performance.
“The biggest lesson was that technology implementation is often the easiest part. Driving behavioural change across the organisation is what ultimately determines success,” Darmadi said.
In a large, operationally complex organisation like TAM, he said the biggest challenge lies not in technology but in managing people, processes, and priorities simultaneously.
Common challenges include resistance to change, with employees often feeling comfortable with existing ways of working.
Moreover, operational disruption risks remain a challenge: “In automotive manufacturing and distribution, downtime directly impacts business performance.
He addresses those by “communicating the ‘why’ behind the change and demonstrating the benefits for both the organisation and individual users, and through careful planning, extensive testing, contingency preparation, and phased deployment.
Moreover, Darmadi cited that different departments may have competing objectives and priorities. To establish cross-functional alignment through strong governance with clear decision-making processes and shared business goals.
The skills gap is also a tough challenge, with an estimated shortage of 9 million skilled and semi-skilled ICT workers in Indonesia by the end of 2030. Newtechnologies also require new capabilities. “Invest in continuous learning, reskilling, and developing digital talent internally,” said Darmadi.
The biggest lesson was that technology implementation is often the easiest part. Driving behavioural change across the organisation is what ultimately determines success. Wilbertus Darmadi
He added: “Ultimately, successful transformation requires balancing innovation with operational stability.”
Leadership alignment
Darmadi believes that leadership alignment is “absolutely critical” for IT change initiatives to succeed.
“In my experience, most transformation failures are not caused by technology limitations. They occur when leaders are not aligned on priorities, objectives, or expected outcomes,” he said.
Leadership alignment leads to faster decision-making, more effective resource allocation, aligned priorities, consistent internal messaging, and reduced resistance across the organisation.
“Employees closely observe leadership behaviour. If leaders actively support the transformation, teams are much more likely to embrace the change,” he said.
He believes in a principle: “People support what leaders consistently reinforce.”
Darmadi added that effective change management lies in the leadership team collectively championing technological transformation, not just by the IT department.
People support what leaders consistently reinforce. Wilbertus Darmadi
Navigating IT change management
Darmadi offers five key recommendations for organisations wanting to navigate IT change management.
First, lead with business value and position initiatives as technology upgrades. “Focus on the business outcomes they will enable,” he said.
Next, he emphasised the importance of investing early in change management through communication, stakeholder engagement, and user adoption long before implementation.
It is also vital to build partnerships, as he believes “Transformation succeeds when IT and business teams work as one team with shared objectives.”
Additionally, Darmadi reminded organisations to balance innovation and resilience. Innovations should not compromise ensuring security, reliability, and business continuity.
Lastly, he urges leaders to foster a culture of continuous change: “Transformation is no longer a one-time project. Organisations must build the capability to adapt continuously,” he said.
Darmadi concluded: “Technology changes systems, but leadership changes organisations. The real success of digital transformation is not measured by the systems we deploy, but by the business value and organisational capabilities we create.”
