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One theme came through strongly at Transform Talent 2026 – Indonesia: the future of work will not be shaped by technology alone, but by how organisations help people adapt, grow, and create value. Across discussions on AI, skills, and talent, HR leaders shared practical ideas for turning workforce potential into sustainable growth. Sarah Gideon reports.
Growth is getting harder to achieve, and HR is increasingly central to making it happen. As organisations pursue greater efficiency and productivity, leaders must also respond to evolving employee expectations and close an expanding digital skills gap.
At Transform Talent 2026 – Indonesia, one message stood out across the sessions: Real transformation is not about rolling out another tool or ticking off another initiative. It happens when leaders set a clear direction, where its people feel supported and confident enough to adapt, and work feels more meaningful, fair, and rewarding.
Sarah Gideon highlights four key learnings from the day.
TL;DR:
- Change works best when people feel included: Employees are more likely to embrace transformation when leaders explain the “why,” listen to concerns, and involve them from the beginning.
- One-size-fits-all no longer works: People want to feel recognised as individuals, with fair flexibility, honest feedback, and support that helps them grow in ways that fit their lives and careers.
- AI should help people do their best work: The real value of AI is not just doing things faster — it is giving people better tools, while keeping human judgement, creativity, and connection at the heart of work.
Lesson #1: Ambition is what turns transformation plans into progress
Opening the conference, Aditya Arisusetio, Senior Director, Human Capital, Danantara Indonesia, addressed a reality facing many organisations: change is no longer a one-off event with a fixed beginning and end.
Restructuring, digital integration, shifting market conditions and changing employee expectations mean organisations must build the capacity to adapt into everyday work. Protecting performance and morale in this environment requires more than a project plan. It calls for a people-first approach to transformation, backed by leaders prepared to own the change. As Aditya shared: f you have a strong enough 'why', the 'how' will follow.”
Technology may enable transformation, but it cannot carry it alone. "The focus of HR should always be people, not robots or technology," he emphasised. Leadership ambition, employee engagement, accountability, and consistent execution remain the real differentiators.
Leaders need to demonstrate ownership in both words and actions. Transformation can lose momentum when senior stakeholders endorse change in principle but fail to follow through in practice. Employees look to leaders not only for direction, but also for signals about what matters, how priorities are shifting and what support will be available along the way.
Communication and involvement are equally critical. During periods of uncertainty, employees need more than announcements. They need clarity, consistency, empathy and meaningful opportunities to participate. Involving stakeholders early can help organisations surface concerns, build trust and turn influential employees into credible advocates for change across teams.
Engagement, which is another topic that Aditya raised, is not only about communication; it is also about involving people in the process. Where organisations work with labour unions, for example, representatives should be engaged as early as possible. Waiting until transformation is already under way can create misunderstandings, resistance, and delays.
The same principle applies to external stakeholders. Depending on the scale of the transformation and the wider stakeholder landscape, different groups may need to be involved throughout the journey. Early engagement helps build agreement, earn trust, and give stakeholders a meaningful role in shaping change.
At the same time, technology can also help make transformation more accessible and build organisational capacity. The priority, however, should be to understand the practical value technology delivers, rather than treating it as an end in itself.
In short, ambition makes transformation credible when it is translated into visible leadership, consistent communication, early stakeholder engagement and everyday action.
This connected closely with a keynote by Ishita Goel, Global Lead – Talent Analytics at the Aon Centre of Innovation and Analytics, who touched on how organisations can build more resilient, future-ready workforces in the age of AI.
Her central point was that many organisations have an "AI visibility gap". Employees are already experimenting with AI in their day-to-day work, but leaders often lack a clear view of where it is being used, how it is changing work, and whether it is delivering real value. As she put it,
"You cannot manage what you cannot see."
She encouraged leaders to move beyond job titles and look instead at the tasks within a role. Which tasks could be automated? Which could be supported or improved by AI? And which still need human judgement? Taking that view may also reveal that existing KPIs, performance measures and reward systems no longer reflect how work is actually being done.
For HR, the priority is therefore to make the impact of AI feel tangible for employees. People want to understand what it means for their own role, how they can stay relevant, and what opportunities may open up as work changes. That calls for practical support: targeted learning, opportunities to build new capabilities, and clearer career pathways.
The broader message was simple: AI may be a technology shift, but successful adoption depends on people.
Lesson #2: The new employee deal must be personal, flexible, and fair
The sessions on workforce expectations and leadership made one point clear: there is no one-size-fits-all formula for motivating, retaining, or leading today’s workforce.
A panel featuring the following leaders explored the evolving motivation gap across generations.
- Shikha Gaur, Chief Commercial Officer, Health Solutions Asia, Aon,
- Oktira Kirana, HR Director (People & Culture Business Partner), Roche Indonesia,
Wahyu P. Wibowo, Group Director of Human Resources, Risk, Legal & Compliance, Sucor Asset Management, and - Moderator: Gustia R. Anasril, Chief HRGS Officer, Muliabara Group
Employees may differ in what they value, whether that is flexibility, purpose, structure, stability, or career progression. But the panellists urged organisations not to turn these differences into stereotypes. As one speaker put it, generation can be a useful proxy, but it is not the cause. The real work is to keep listening: through surveys, conversations, and regular contact with employees on the ground.
Context matters, too. What works in one organisation, location or type of role may not work in another. A people strategy cannot simply be copied and pasted; it has to reflect the organisation’s purpose, culture and operational reality.
Flexibility was another major part of that discussion. Employees may want more say over where, when and how they work, but flexibility cannot be separated from accountability. Customer needs, safety and regulatory requirements, teamwork and performance expectations can set clear boundaries, particularly in roles that require on-site presence or direct client support.
The key, the panel affirmed, is to be transparent and consistent – knowing that not every role can offer the same degree of choice, but employees are more likely to accept differences when the reasons are clear, similar roles are treated fairly, and everyone has access to strong core benefits and protection.
The panel also highlighted the importance of personalising the employee experience without making everything overly complicated. The principles should remain consistent, but the way people access benefits, development opportunities, and support can reflect different needs and life stages.
Ultimately, trust sits at the centre of the employee deal: Trust people to do their jobs, communicate honestly about what is possible, and create an environment where employees can speak openly without fear of judgement. When organisations treat people as individuals rather than categories, they are in a far better position to build engagement, performance, and retention.
Next, a conversation on modern leadership began with a simple but important question: how can organisations pursue high performance while giving people greater autonomy, trust, and room to grow?
Moderated by Diana Marbun, Head of People & Culture, AsetKu, the panel brought together:
- Dian Wanni, Country HR Lead – Indonesia/Malaysia, Believe Music Indonesia,
- Ganesh Notowidigdo, General Manager Human Capital, Mayapada Healthcare Group, and
- Adhika Widya Sena, Director – People & Organisation, Indonesia, Novo Nordisk.
Across the discussion, one message resonated: Employees are increasingly expecting context, transparency, respect, and timely feedback, not just a one-way instruction from the top. As one panellist observed, people want to understand the 'why', not just be told what to do.
That shift is changing what employees expect from managers. Transparency, open communication, and timely feedback are no longer simply leadership 'nice-to-haves'. They have become a part of how people judge whether a workplace is fair and trustworthy.
However, the panel emphasised that this does not mean lowering expectations or compromising on performance. Rather, it means creating the conditions in which people can take ownership of their work. Managers need to move away from controlling every task and having every answer. Their role is increasingly to coach, mentor, and help people think through solutions for themselves.
Feedback plays a crucial part in that relationship. The panl acknowledged that employees value feedback that is clear, constructive and specific – not feedback that only arrives when something has gone wrong. Recognising contributions, whether large or small, and explaining the impact of someone’s work can make feedback feel less like an evaluation and more like support for growth.
The panel also explored psychological safety: whether employees feel able to raise concerns, question ideas or admit mistakes without worrying that it will harm their standing or career. Creating that environment takes more than a formal feedback channel. It depends on what leaders do in everyday moments: whether they listen before responding, follow through on commitments, acknowledge concerns, and demonstrate that speaking up can lead to real action.
Trust, the panellists noted, is built through consistency. It is reflected in a leader’s credibility, reliability and willingness to have honest conversations, even when the answer is not immediately clear. At the same time, consistency does not mean treating everyone in exactly the same way. Different people may need different levels of direction, support or autonomy. What should remain constant are the underlying principles: fairness, respect, accountability and openness.
One of the strongest takeaways was on micromanagement. It is easy to see it as the fault of one controlling manager, but the panel encouraged organisations to look deeper. Micromanagement can be a symptom of wider issues: unclear priorities, weak processes, low trust, a fear of mistakes, or a culture that rewards control rather than empowerment.
Addressing it therefore requires more than telling managers to "let go". Organisations need to clarify goals, strengthen communication, equip managers to lead through coaching, and create a culture where people are trusted to make decisions within clear boundaries.
If there's one thing to remember, it's this: Credible leadership is built in the small moments. It is seen when a manager explains the reasoning behind a decision, gives someone space to solve a problem, recognises good work, or is willing to say, "I may not have the answer, but let’s work through it together."
Lesson #3: AI adoption depends on human confidence, capability, and business value
Technology-enabled workforce transformation was a front-and-centre theme in the afternoon, with a reminder that real progress with AI is not just about giving people access to new tools. It is about helping them feel confident enough to use those tools well.
Sandy Surya Nugraha, VP and Group Head of People & Culture, Artajasa Pembayaran Elektronis, took the stage to highlight the gap between AI adoption and AI fluency. Simply introducing a platform may spark curiosity and experimentation, but it will not automatically lead to more consistent productivity. The lasting value comes when employees understand how AI can support the real work in front of them: solving problems, navigating decisions and improving everyday workflows.
That, he said, is where leadership matters. AI fluency cannot be built through a single launch announcement or training session. It should grow in the small, everyday moments: when a manager takes the time to explain why a tool matters, or encourages someone to test a new approach, or even recognises a useful insight.
"The question is not whether every employee becomes an AI expert. It is whether we give people the confidence, clear boundaries, and leadership support to use AI responsibly in their everyday work."
Rather than presenting AI as another system employees are expected to master, organisations should position it as a practical partner: one that helps people find answers faster, spot patterns they may otherwise miss and make more informed decisions, Sandy noted. However, employees need the space, support and judgement to use it thoughtfully.
He also encouraged leaders to move beyond descriptive analytics, stressing that data should do more than tell organisations what has already happened. Used well, it can help teams understand what to do next, where to focus and how to respond with greater clarity.
In summary, the session highlighted how technology should create value not when it is simply available, but when employees are trusted and equipped to use it with confidence.
This links us to a learning derived earlier in the day, where Bhuvanesh Subburajan, Chief of Staff, Indonesia, Darwinbox, examined how AI is reshaping the HR mandate. The anxiety surrounding AI, he noted, is ultimately human: it concerns identity, career prospects, relevance, and meaning at work.
"The fear is never about the technology. It is an HR problem."
For HR, the task is not only to introduce AI tools, but to design how people and AI work together whilst protecting the areas where human responsibility is essential. As we all know, AI can provide quick answers, but people must still discern whether they are fair, appropriate and right.
Bhuvanesh shared: “The AI business case is not about productivity, it is more about judgement.”
He also highlighted the capabilities organisations must continue to build: judgement, trust, moral courage, context, taste, and creativity. Rather than focusing solely on automation or job cuts, he encouraged leaders to redeploy talent into higher-value work where empathy, relationships and contextual understanding matter most.
Building on Bhuvanesh’s call for human judgement in an AI-enabled workplace, a later panel explored how HR technology can deliver practical value for both employees and the business.
Moderated by Muhammad Soleh Al Hakim, Head of HR Management, Tanjungenim Lestari Pulp and Paper, the session featured:
- Sumia, Chief Human Capital and Operation Officer, Bank KEB Hana Indonesia,
- Indra Tertiari Efka, Human Capital Group Head, Petrolog Indah, and
- Maulidin Pamur Dhani, Vice President of People Journey and Enabler Management, Telkomsel.
The panellists discussed how to reduce manual HR work while building a credible buisiness case for technology investment. One speaker argued that digitalisation should support the full people journey — from attraction and onboarding through development, engagement, and retirement. AI and people analytics, they said, can strengthen employer-brand insights, while development should be assessed through business outcomes, such as employee productivity, rather than simply the number of training sessions delivered.
Another highlighted the value of bringing employee information together in a single, secure, real-time data source. This can improve transparency, speed up response times and provide authorised employees with better access to the information they need.
The panel also stressed that technology must simplify work rather than create an additional burden. As one panellist said: "HR technology should absorb the people, not force the people to use the technology."
In practice, this means simplifying and removing redundant processes before digitising them; freeing HR teams to focus on creativity, innovation and collaboration.
The business case, the panellists noted, must extend beyond cost savings. Operational efficiency, employee satisfaction, productivity, and talent outcomes are equally important measures of success alongside financial returns.
The main takeaway? AI and HR technology must improve the employee experience while delivering measurable business value. That can mean improving transparency and response times for employees, reducing administrative burden for HR teams, and creating more capacity for HR to focus on strategic workforce priorities.
Lesson #4: Build organisations where contribution and leadership can thrive
The final stretch of the conference turned to organisational design and the future leadership pipeline.
In his spotlight session, Nanang Chalid, Organisational Development Director, ParagonCorp, challenged the audience to move beyond rigid hierarchies, static job titles, and title-led career models.
As ParagonCorp grows from an Indonesian beauty brand into a global business, Nanang said disruption can no longer be treated as a temporary challenge. Instead, organisations need to build the resilience and capabilities to respond quickly as conditions change.
That means moving beyond organisation charts designed for yesterday’s problems. Rather than relying on static structures, the oganisaiton is focusing on building flexible, mission-led squads around customer needs, business challenges and new opportunities.
On that note, Nanang argued that a skills-led organisation should value mastery, contribution and impact over tenure or title. The question, he said, is not simply how many roles AI may replace, but how people and technology can work together, and where employees need to build new skills.
Transformation, he added, should not sit with one team alone. It needs to be driven by the people closest to the work, supported by focused experiments and short, 90-day improvement cycles.
His message was simple: real transformation means redesigning how work, leadership and capability come together, just helping people adapt to change.
The final panel, moderated by Bayu Widyo Megantoro, Head of Talent and HRBP Marketing, Growth Market and Corporate Function, Asia, PZ Cussons, explored one significant implication for leadership pipelines: the growing “unbossing” trend.
He was joined by:
- Nelda Siburian, Head Rewards, Organisation Development & Strategy Human Capital, Maybank, and
- Stavia Dexterina, Manager HRBP – Rest of Asia, Orica.
Leadership, the panel affirmed, can mean greater pressure, accountability and stress, while specialist careers can offer equally attractive, and sometimes more flexible, alternatives.
As one panellist highlighted, "Not everyone wants to be president. Not everyone can be president."
The answer is not to push strong individual contributors into people management:
"You can’t force someone to move up just because they are a great individual contributor."
Instead, organisations need clearer, better-supported leadership pathways, through combining early coaching, relevant mentoring and deliberate development for those who genuinely want to lead.
The session closed with a powerful reminder from one panellist: "A great technical person doesn’t necessarily make a great leader."
The overarching message at Transform Talent 2026 – Indonesia was: workforce transformation is about helping people navigate change with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.
AI may be able to accelerate work, but it must be paired with human judgement and trust. Technology can streamline processes, but it needs to connect to tangible business outcomes. And changing workforce expectations cannot be met with assumptions; they require listening, flexibility, and leadership that respects people while maintaining high standards.
For HR leaders, this is the opportunity behind the new employee deal: to shape an employee experience that supports individual growth while strengthening the organisation’s ability to adapt, perform, and grow.
Human Resources Online would like to thank all speakers, moderators, panellists, and attendees for being valuable contributors to this event.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors & partners for making this conference possible:
PLATINUM SPONSOR
Aon
GOLD SPONSOR
Darwinbox
EXHIBITORS
Mekari Talenta
WOGI
EVENT PARTNER
Pigeonhole Live
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