AKKODiS Reinvents Work Through Field-Led AI Transformation
How a 6,500-person engineering consultancy turned Japan's demographic challenge into a culture of innovation with Microsoft Power Platform and Copilot.
The Challenge
AKKODiS Consulting, a leading technology and engineering consultancy with 6,500 employees across Japan, faced an urgent challenge: Japan's aging demographic and shrinking workforce meant they could no longer rely on traditional workforce growth to stay competitive.
With limited talent pools and the need to maintain productivity without increasing headcount, AKKODiS needed to fundamentally reimagine how work gets done—not just for their clients, but for their own organization first.
"With Japan's population declining, companies can no longer rely on traditional workforce growth to stay competitive. To maximize their potential and compete globally, they must raise labor productivity and empower more people to innovate."— Kenichiro Kawasaki, CEO, AKKODiS Consulting
The Solution: Field-Led Transformation
Instead of a traditional top-down IT transformation, AKKODiS embraced a bold, field-led innovation model. They deployed Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and Copilot Studio across the entire organization, democratizing access to automation, app development, and AI-powered insights.
The key insight: trust the people closest to the work to lead transformation. Field engineers and consultants who understand client challenges at the most practical level became the drivers of change.
Key Technologies Deployed:
"The field understands challenges at the most practical level. Transformation is most sustainable when it's driven by those who experience the work firsthand."— Kenichiro Kawasaki, CEO
Measurable Impact
Hours saved annually through automated workflows
Annual cost savings from efficiency improvements
Increase in productivity across the organization
Year-over-year increase in client Net Promoter Score
Real-World Use Cases:
Simple but powerful: making invoices instantly searchable saved hours of manual lookup time.
Power Apps + Power Automate eliminated the stress of chasing manager approvals—better for efficiency and morale.
Standardized response processes boosted client satisfaction, reflected in a 13-point NPS increase.
Within six months, 95% of employees were monthly active Copilot users—a testament to genuine adoption.
The Real Transformation: Culture
Beyond the metrics, the most profound impact was cultural. Employees who had never coded before began designing applications and automating workflows. The shift from "IT-dependent transformation" to "everyone-driven innovation" created a culture of ownership.
Senior employees turned deep expertise into digital solutions, while younger talent leveraged AI to automate and innovate faster. Everyone, from sales to HR, became active problem-solvers.
"It's not just engineers driving change anymore. Everyone, from sales to HR, is building solutions to everyday challenges. It's changed our culture from one of 'IT-dependent transformation' to 'everyone-driven innovation.'"
— Risa Kawaguchi, Business Manager, AKKODiS Consulting
Employees are no longer waiting for transformation to happen to them—they are driving it themselves. This bottom-up innovation model has become AKKODiS's competitive advantage, both internally and in how they serve clients.
What's Next
With low-code and AI tools embedded across the company, AKKODiS is now exploring agent-based AI to automate low-risk decisions and deepen its citizen-developer community.
"Our goal is to create a responsible AI ecosystem where human judgment, ethical oversight, and technology work hand in hand."— Kenichiro Kawasaki, CEO
By transforming from the field up, AKKODiS isn't just adapting to Japan's demographic shift—they're showing the way forward for organizations worldwide.