Kyoichi Kijima

Kyoichi Jim Kijima (1951) is a Japanese systems scientist and professor Decision Systems Science at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Biography

Jim Kijima received a M.A. from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1976 and a PhD. in 1980. Later on in 1988 he spent a year in England to familiarize himself with soft systems engineering. In 1997 he spend an other four months in England in elaboration with members of United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS) to further familiarized himself with the soft systems approach. [http://www.valdes.titech.ac.jp/~kk-lab/overview/post.html Biosketch] of Prof. Kyoichi Jim Kijima, as of April 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.]

In 1980 Jim Kijima started working as an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. After he returned from England in 1988 he was appointed associate professor of Management Systems in the same department. In 1996 he became professor of Decision Systems Sciences in a new "Department of Value and Decision Science" and in the "Graduate School of Decision Science and Technology". Since 2006 he is Visiting Professor at the Hull University Business School. He is member of the UK Society for Systems Sciences and the International Society for the Systems Sciences, where he served as President of the Society in 2007. He is also Vice president of International Society for Knowledge and Systems Sciences. He further has served as a member of the international editorial board of Systems Research and Behavioral Science, the official journal of the International Federation of Systems Research. He was the Chief-in-Editor of Journal of Japan Society for Management Information from 2003-04.

Work

Kijima's research interests are in systems-science-based approach to decision making and information. In particular, recently, he proposed a new paradigm called "poly-agent systems". It tries to deal with complexity involved in decision situations consisting of plural and autonomous decision makers. He is interested in integrating what we call hard and soft systems approaches to decision-making and management, by advocating Decision Systems Sciences. [ [http://www.isss.org/projects/sonoma_2006_featured_speakers ISSS Sonoma 2006 Featured Speakers] . Retrieved 7 June 2008.] In 2006 he received a major grant from the government on agent-based modelling and systems research. [ [http://www.isss.org/conferences/cancun2005/050705_1050_isss_kijima.html "New Directions of Systems Research in Japan"] , Kyoichi Jim Kijima, 49th Annual Meeting of the ISSS, July 5, 2005.]

Agent-Based Social Systems Sciences

Kijima is involved in the research in agent-based social systems sciences (ABSSS). Hereby they understand both an organization and an individual as autonomous agents having an internal model governed by rules of behavior. Through mutual competition, coordination and the cooperation of agents it is possible to explore the different systems in our society and to analyze the construction process of organizations and institutions from a complex adaptive systems point of view. In this approach, learning, adaptation and evolution of the process are all considered and in addition social systems theory, including learning and the evolutionary process of agents are also explored. [ [http://www.dis.titech.ac.jp/coe/index_eng.htm Agent-based Modeling and its Applications] , 21st-Century COE Program, retrieved Sept 2007. ]

International Society for the Systems Sciences

During his presidential period ad the ISSS Kijima tried to promote integration in systems research. In Japan systems research covers a wide areas from social and organization systems theory, Total Quality Control, Kaizen, operations research, control & systems engineering, simulation and modeling, to soft computing (such as GA, neural network and simulated annealing). These Japanese systems research has been relatively strong at “hard” approaches. In the Japanese culture on the other hand integration and fusion are strong competence, found in corporate culture in particular.

Kijama believes that integration in systems sciences may include that of social systems science and engineering, of hard and soft systems research, of theoretical and practical research, of eastern and western systems research, and of formal mathematical, simulation-based and verbal approaches. [ [http://isss.org/bulletins/2007_GeneralSystemsBulletin_v36_no_member_list.pdf Incoming presidential] , Kyocihi Kijima, General Systems Bulletin, Vol 36, 2007, p.6]

New Roles of Systems Science

Knowledge-based, technology-supported societies, according Kijima, are the key to improvement of the current problems of mankind. The ability to understand and manage the future complex, dynamic knowledge society and the overall systemic framework supporting it is vital. Systems Sciences carry the promise of promoting the creation, management, exchange, integration, and application of knowledge by applying holistic and systemic paradigms and principles. Systems Sciences provide a basis for balancing the divergent needs and interests between individuals and society worldwide, between ecology and economy, between nations of various levels of development and between differing world views. [ http://www.iict.konan-u.ac.jp/IFSR05/ifsr05_cfp.pdf.]

Publications

Kijima has written some books and has published more then fifty refereed papers in high quality international journals. Books:
* 1996. "Encyclopedia of Operations Research and Management Science". Kluwer Academic Publications.
* 2003. "Applied General Systems Research on Organizations". With Shingo Takahashi and Ryo Sato. Springer Verlag.
* 2007. "Agent-based Approaches in Economic and Social Complex Systems". With T. Terano, Hajime Kita and Hiroshi Deguchi. Post Proceedings of the AESCS International Workshop 2005, No. 4.Springer Series on Agent Based Social Systems.

Articles, a selection:
* 1993. "Develop or Copy Decision of New Information Technology".
* 1995. "SOFT Science and Technology: Its Aims, Scope and Implementation".
* 1997. "Internet-Based Entrepreneurial Networking To Evolve The Japanese Industrial", with Hikari Akizawa.
* 1997. "Truth-telling Problems in Virtual Society: Higher Order Hypergame".
* 2000. "Why Does IT-based Entrepreneurs Society Emerge Hierarchy of the Networks?".
* 2001. "Enterprise Science for Technology-intensive Company and its Elaboration by Systems Thinking". With Hugo Tschirky.
* 2003. "Agent-based Simulation of Alliance Formation and its Stability Analysis: Application to Aviation Industry".
* 2004. "Beyond Needs Analysis: Soft Systems Methodology for Meaningful Collaboration in EAP Course Design". In: "Journal of English for Academic Purpose", Vol 4, no 1, pp.27-42.
* 2004. "Project Management Methodology for Stimulating Strategic Communication in Japan: Soft Systems Approach for Knowledge Creation", in: "Systems Research and Behavioral Science", Vol 21 pp. 1-13.
* 2005. "Contingent Framework for Supporting Participatory Decision Making". In: "International Journal of Knowledge and Systems Sciences". Vol 1, pp.19-24.
* 2006. "Misrepresentation-proof Strategies". In: "European Journal of Operational Research". Vol 172, pp. 574-587.
* 2006. "Soft Systems Approach to Project-based Education and its Practice in a Japanese University". In: "Systems Research and Behavioral Science". Vol 23, pp.89-105.
* 2007. " [http://journals.isss.org/index.php/proceedings51st/article/viewFile/593/241 Systems of system failures: Meta system methodology to prevent system failures] ". With Takafumi Nakamura, Paper ISSS SIG on Systems Applications in Business and Industry at Tokyo 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.valdes.titech.ac.jp/~kk-lab/ Website] in Japanese.
* [http://www.titech.ac.jp/whoswho/Profiles/0023/0000028/prof_e.html Jim Kijima] profile.
* [http://aisel.isworld.org/article_by_author.asp?Author_ID=6634 Articles by Kyoichi Kijima] , Association for Information Systems, 2007.
* [http://www.dis.titech.ac.jp/coe/coe_leaflet_ver01.pdf Creation of Agent-Based Social Systems Sciences] 21st-Century COE Program, 2007.