Executive Summary
Digital Transformation (DX) has emerged as an essential strategy for corporate survival and
growth amid the acceleration of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, global supply chain instability,
and heightened market uncertainties. In response, companies have expanded software (SW)
investment, adopted emerging SW technologies such as AI and cloud, and sought to secure
specialized SW talent. However, many firms fail to achieve expected outcomes through resource
input alone, indicating that DX performance is shaped not only by individual factors but also
amplified through the interaction of SW investment, SW new technologies, and SW workforce.
Based on the 2024 SW Convergence Survey of 1,126 firms, empirical analysis using Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM) identified SW investment, SW new technologies, and SW workforce as
the three core drivers of DX performance. Each contributes positively on its own while forming
mutually complementary relationships. Among them, the SW workforce was empirically verified as
a mediating factor that connects and amplifies the effects of SW investment and SW new
technologies, with total effects expanding to about 1.4 times greater than direct effects. This
shows that the SW workforce is not a mere standalone factor but rather a bridge that
transforms capital and technology into tangible outcomes.
Furthermore, the composition of human resources—particularly the proportion of highly qualified
R&D personnel (Master’s and PhD holders)—was confirmed as a moderating factor that alters the
effectiveness of resource inputs. Multi-group analysis revealed that firms with relatively more
advanced R&D personnel benefited more strongly from SW investment, while firms with relatively
fewer advanced personnel derived greater impact from adopting new SW technologies. This
demonstrates that applying a uniform strategy across firms is inefficient, and that differentiated
talent strategies tailored to organizational characteristics and workforce structure are essential.
Specifically, R&D-intensive firms should focus on stable investment to retain top-tier talent and
support deep research activities, while technology-adoption-oriented firms should emphasize the
introduction of cutting-edge SW technologies to attract and develop skilled professionals.
Therefore, successful DX begins with the establishment of customized talent strategies. Firms
must thoroughly assess their business models and workforce composition to determine whether
strengthening field-oriented talent or securing and retaining advanced R&D personnel should be
prioritized. Governments, in turn, should design concrete and tailored support policies, such as
expanding the supply of practical talent, promoting advanced R&D activities, and providing tax
incentives and regulatory flexibility. Beyond this, joint initiatives between government and industry
—focused on collaborative R&D and practice-oriented talent development—are essential to building
a national virtuous cycle ecosystem for SW talent. Such an ecosystem will provide the foundation
for sustaining DX performance, driving innovation across industries, and simultaneously enhancing
global competitiveness.