State-owned enterprises (BUMN) are currently transforming to strengthen their performance by adapting and innovating in response to digital technology disruptions and global business developments.
Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) students need to gain new insights into BUMN and the importance of mastering competencies in the workplace, not only in terms of hard skills but also soft skills and attitude.
This was highlighted in a public discussion titled “Strengthening BUMN Towards Indonesia Emas 2045,” held on Friday (Sep. 27) at the Djarum Foundation Auditorium.
The discussion, organized by the UGM Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB UGM), featured speakers such as Ryan Eka Permana Sakti, corporate secretary of InJourney Destination Management; Rizwan Rizal Abidin, Director of Investment 2 PT Danareksa; Dr. Yulia Arisnani Widyaningsih, FEB UGM Management lecturer; and Dr. Gumilang Aryo Sahadewo.
Abidin discussed PT Danareksa’s performance achievements in improving the performance of various other BUMNs whose performance the state had deemed lacking.
During his presentation, he emphasized that working in a BUMN environment requires competence, a good attitude, and soft skills.
“Hard skills come second; attitude comes first. I’ll repeat this many times: attitude comes first for me. With a good attitude, an average person can outperform a smart one; with a good attitude, someone who struggles with teamwork can learn to collaborate and become competent. This is the main concept. Of course, after that, hard skills also matter,” Abidin explained.
Dr. Sahadewo echoed this sentiment, stating that students must prepare themselves to stay current with technologies that can be utilized for future work, such as artificial intelligence.
In addition, he stressed the importance of students also learning soft skills.
“As Mr. Abidin mentioned earlier, you really need to dedicate yourself to developing first, hard skills, second, and even more important, soft skills, including attitude, adaptability, and so on,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sakti explained the shift in the tourism business model. His company is transitioning from focusing solely on ticket sales to also considering how long tourists stay and their spending activities.
“In the past, it was all about how many people visited and then multiplying that by the ticket price, but now we’re talking about how long they stay in the area, spending their money, which directly impacts the local economy,” he explained.
In response to Sakti’s remarks, Dr. Widyaningsih pointed out that tourism indicators should be measured by ticket sales, length of stay, and the experience or perception of the host communities.
“The indicators aren’t just length of stay and spending, but also the experience or perception of the host communities,” she responded.
Author: Hanif
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya