Let’s empower every associate to become an app maker.Driving company-wide DX with citizen development.

With global competition heating up, technology advancing at breakneck speed, and workforce challenges like labor shortages and work-life balance demands, companies are under pressure to streamline operations and boost productivity. Digital transformation and widespread adoption of digital tools aren't just about staying competitive anymore – they're essential for reducing associate workload and sparking innovation.

But there's a massive roadblock: the IT talent shortage. Japan's Ministry of Economy,Trade and Industry projects that companies could face a shortage of up to 790,000 IT professionals by 2030.

Citizen Development offers a compelling solution. The concept is elegantly simple: use no-code and low-code platforms* to let anyone—regardless of technical background—create applications and services that solve real workplace problems.

The benefits extend far beyond filling talent gaps. Citizen Development empowers the people who understand workplace challenges best—frontline associates—to proactively create their own solutions while staying agile in the face of change. It builds digital literacy organically and naturally develops internal IT talent over time.

DENSO embraced this approach with full backing from its Digital Transformation Promotion Division. Rather than settling for incremental improvements, we are after something much bigger: company-wide, continuous innovation.

*No-code/Low-code platforms let you build systems for everything from apps to websites to automated workflows, either with zero programming or just basic coding skills.

Our Digital Transformation Promotion Division has one clear goal: to make digital data utilization second nature for every associate so we can drive real organizational change and business growth. We support associates across the company through training programs, knowledge sharing, Citizen Development initiatives, our DX consultation desk with hands-on business transformation consulting, agile system development and operations, and data platform development and management.

The division launched in 2023 when two existing departments—the Data-Driven Management Transformation Department and the IT Digital Solutions Division—joined forces. Shogo Idekoba, who heads the Process & Talent Transformation Department, explains what sparked this organizational shift:

"As IT and technology kept evolving, I realized our information department had to evolve too. We couldn't stick with the old mindset of 'our job ends when we hand over the tools.' We needed to actually listen to associates and help them improve their work through IT. That's why we created the Digital Transformation Promotion Division."

Back in 2020, the predecessor department launched a Digital Transformation Help Desk for any IT-related challenges. Their philosophy was refreshingly simple: no question too small, no department off-limits. The response was overwhelming—over 600 consultations in four years. The department expanded alongside demand and now employs over 100 team members.

"Some issues were clearly company-wide problems, but others were unique to specific departments," Idekoba reflects. "We couldn't tackle everything ourselves—there just weren't enough hours in the day. That's when it clicked: if individual associates could handle IT and digital tools independently, they could solve these problems themselves. That's what got us excited about Citizen Development."

Once committed to Citizen Development, the Digital Transformation Promotion Division focused on helping associates develop both the mindset and skills needed through comprehensive training and events.

We chose Microsoft Power Platform, an AI-powered low-code solution, because it integrated seamlessly with our existing Microsoft 365 infrastructure.

The team built robust support systems—including email assistance, consultation sessions, and active information sharing—to ensure that even beginners can confidently use Power Platform’s four core applications:

Power Automate: Workflow automation
Power Automate for desktop: PC task automation
Power Apps: Build apps without coding
Power BI: Data analysis and visualization

"Citizen Development lets each department quickly build exactly what they need for their specific workflow," Idekoba explains. "Sure, governance can be tricky, but Power Platform has built-in limitations that keep risks like data breaches and unauthorized access relatively low. Yes, you might get duplicate apps, but that's okay—let departments build their own targeted improvements. When something needs standardization, we develop it centrally and roll it out everywhere."

As more associates embraced Citizen Development, success stories emerged with measurable impact.

Consider cafeteria reservations at production facilities. Team leaders manually collected headcounts for night and weekend meals, then entered everything into the system. With 2,231 team leaders company-wide, this process consumed 26,000 hours annually. The management team built a Power Apps solution in just two months.

The app lets associates easily order meals from any device whenever they want. The result? Team leader registration workload dropped to zero. Today, around 30,000 people use the app company-wide.

Another breakthrough came in the form of remote work scheduling. During COVID, each team tracked office attendance separately using Excel spreadsheets, leading to inconsistent information sharing and inefficiencies.

To address this, the Digital Transformation Promotion Division partnered with management departments to develop a Power BI dashboard called the Work Location Schedule. By standardizing how in-office and remote work plans were shared across teams, the tool eliminated the need for individual departments to maintain separate schedules—streamlining operations and saving the company approximately 20,000 hours.

These Citizen Development victories weren't just about cost savings or productivity gains in individual departments. They demonstrated something more profound: when you give frontline associates the right tools, they step up and drive meaningful change. These associates live with daily operational challenges, so they understand exactly what solutions will actually work. Teams built tools that fit their specific needs, and successful innovations naturally spread to other departments. That's how you achieve genuine company-wide transformation.

Developing IT talent and driving digital adoption requires more than just enhancing individual skill sets—it also calls for fostering the right organizational mindset and culture. In fiscal 2024, the Digital Transformation Promotion Division focused on expanding information sharing and support initiatives to empower associates in making greater use of digital tools.

We launched regular Power Platform Festivals to build understanding and enthusiasm, showcased successful development projects, recognized outstanding user achievements, and ran hands-on workshops for all four Power Platform applications. The results speak volumes: our internal Digital Utilization Promotion community now boasts 8,500 members and continues growing.

But Toshiya Ito, who leads the Power Platform Citizen Development project, knows they're not finished. Significant challenges remain before every associate feels comfortable with digital tools:

"Some departments don't interact much with IT in their daily work, so those associates haven't mastered the tools yet. That's why culture change is so critical for Citizen Development to really take root. Looking ahead, we also need systems that recognize and reward IT skills – that kind of structural support matters."

The Digital Transformation Promotion Division has set ambitious goals for 2030: every associate should be digitally literate and comfortable with internal applications.

They're also working to develop Digital Builders who can create their own apps and Digital Technology Leaders who can teach and guide others. The support system will keep growing to make this vision a reality.

Idekoba and Ito share the deeper motivations behind their initiatives and their vision for the future:

"Our commitment to accelerating digital transformation in every workplace hasn't wavered,' Ito explains. 'I know departments are operating with limited resources, but as Citizen Development takes hold, we can improve efficiency and bring out more smiles from our colleagues. That's why our first priority is demonstrating the benefits of digital tools to every associate and growing our community of advocates."

'For years, I've felt that while IT-driven efficiency improvements made work more convenient, they weren't necessarily making associates happier,' Idekoba reflects. 'That's why I genuinely want our people to feel fulfilled. When digital tools challenge old assumptions and enable people to work with genuine enthusiasm, that's when the real magic happens. I want to help more associates pursue their passions and grow. That brings me happiness, too. When we launched the Digital Transformation Promotion Division, my supervisor gave me tremendous encouragement that motivated me to work hard and develop myself. Now I'm in a position to help my team members grow, and I hope that sense of fulfillment gradually spreads throughout the company.'