Last weekend, Mr. Sofwan had the privilege of serving as an External Examiner for the doctoral dissertation defense of Mr. Buyung Pramitra, an experienced professional in Indonesia’s container port industry, at University of Brawijaya.

The dissertation explored the relationship between organizational flexibility, networking capability, digital adoption, and competitive advantage in enhancing the operational performance of container ports in Indonesia.

One of the most noteworthy findings was that digitalization alone was not empirically proven to significantly improve the operational performance of Indonesian container ports.

This result highlights an important lesson for both practitioners and policymakers: digital transformation should not be viewed solely as technology implementation. To generate tangible operational benefits, digital initiatives must be supported by organizational readiness, capable human resources, process re-engineering, effective change management, and strong inter-organizational collaboration.

As both practitioners and academics, we must continue to bridge the gap between theory and practice to ensure that digital investments translate into sustainable operational excellence.

Congratulations to Mr. Buyung Pramitra on successfully defending his dissertation. I wish him every success in his future contributions to the development of Indonesia’s maritime and logistics sectors.