Service Science – A Japanese Perspective: Pitfalls and Opportunities Toshiaki Kurokawa CSK Fellow, CSK Holdings Corporation, Affiliate Fellow, Science and Technology Foresight Center, National Institute for Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEX), and Project Manager of Exploratory Software Project, Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA) CSK Aoyama Bldg., 2-26-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku Tokyo 107-0062 JAPAN
[email protected] Tel. +81-3-6438-3541 ABSTRACT / SUMMARY
PITFALLS OF SSME IN JAPAN In any new discipline, there will be and should be pitfalls. SSME is no exception, and we need not regret about the situation. What we need to do is to see straight these pitfalls and understand them so that we can avoid them for further development of SSME. Let us discuss the following pitfalls:
Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) has become a hot issue in Science and Engineering Communities in Japan, however, there are discrepancies on what is and how to do SSME. Typical example can be found that those who claim practitioners in SSME in Japan are not in Science and Engineering community but in Management of Enterprises and of Technology. I will point out some pitfalls in SSME in Japan, and explore how to avoid them and also try to depict a few unique opportunities in SSME in Japan. The pitfalls discussed are: lack of clear goals of SSME, lack of leading figures of SSME, lack of focused customer of SSME, lack of agreed government role in SSME, and the obscure relationship between innovation and SSME. Traditional Japanese superb service and ecosystem are listed in unique opportunities.
Goals of SSME In general, goals of a branch of science can be diversified depending on the individual who commit the science. However, too broad diversion is observed in the goals of SSME in Japan.
(Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article is of author's personal account and does not reflect any organization’s positions that the author is and was engaged with.)
For example, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) set up a committee for SSME in fiscal year 2006, whose main target is an innovation of traditional service industry with IT employment.
INTRODUCTION Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) has become a hot issue in Science and Engineering Communities in Japan [1,2,3], although those who claim to be practitioners of SSME in Japan are mostly in Management of Enterprise and of Technology. This is a typical picture of discrepancy and show a pitfall on “Service Science in Japan.”
An officer at Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEX) expressed his view that if SSME is just for traditional service sector (or so-called third group Industry), it would be nothing for science. A quite opposite view against METI’s.
In this paper, I will point out some pitfalls in SSME in Japan that may hinder or may even do harm on the proper development of SSME. Then I will explore how to avoid these pitfalls and also try to depict a few unique opportunities in Japan.
In a symposium on SSME in 2005, a voice in floor expressed that the most concern in SSME is the traditional Japanese view that the service is free of charge. His concern is that no science/technology can be developed if the
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material is free of charge, and no cost is claimed to get.
achieve. A kind of myth that attract young people to join the new field.
An editor of IPSJ Magazine expressed that the word “Service Science” is great but the content is obscure.[4] He thinks “Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME)” is more concrete and explaining some, but he still wonders if this is new discipline or not.
Normally when we talk about scientific discipline, we try to name concrete, tangible results of knowledge that represent what the discipline is. However, in SSME where people matter, we need the human touch, and some interesting anecdotes may work for that purpose.
An editor of another science journal thinks that SSME is another new fraction of Computer Science/Engineering. People are trying to put new labels on their profession for some reason.
Customers of SSME It may not be a common approach to define customers for scientific discipline. However, customers are very important components in SSME, and it is also valuable to consider who get benefits from the pursuit of this discipline.
We definitely need some agreed-upon goals of SSME. Established and shared goals for SSME will help people to understand SSME better and participate and cooperate in the development of SSME.
Unfortunately, answers to “who are the customers of SSME?” are also widely diversified as goals of SSME that we have discussed.
Who drive SSME In my understanding, science and engineering field is no different from the field of sports and arts in the sense that the advance is achieved by the individual people, not the system nor machinery.
For example, Service Section of METI thinks the primary customer of SSME is the Japanese Service Industry. It is also interesting to note that METI has a concern that the performance improvement may result in lay-offs or less employment in Service Industry.
I have had an interesting experience that most people in any discipline seem to get inspired by the word “Service Science,” and thinks that there are some opportunities he/she can contribute.
Science and Technology Council members under Cabinet seem to think that SSME brings innovation. So, the customer should be among science and technology community. In accord to this line of thought, some Japanese electronic companies have established a SSME group.
On the other hand, I have not met any scientist in Japan who declares that SSME is his/her very discipline. Most people think that SSME relates their own field, but it does not replace/overtake all of their profession.
An Information-related Service Provider thinks that SSME is a next sales focus, but have no result yet. One of the reasons why they make investment on SSME seems to be the fact that IBM who boasts itself as a service company is promoting SSME.
In a way, “Service is Everywhere, Service is for Everyone” in Japan. But the science for everyone might be a science for nobody. We need a dedicated professional who drive this field.
MOT and MBA course in Japanese Universities now provide SSME as an option. However, it is not yet clear about what kinds of students need to take this course, and what kind of companies or departments of companies to employ the graduates who complete the SSME course.
From this viewpoint, it is an interesting idea to define “Service Scientist” to understand what is SSME.[5] However, we need further work on what these expert do (and what they do not.) Also, we may need a great person in this field as a roll model for what a service scientist will
If “service is everywhere and for everyone,” customers for SSME might be everyone, and come to nobody as we discussed in Who drives 2
SSME. However, even though it is true that “service” is everywhere and for everyone, we need to identify the customers of SSME, or who benefit most in the pursuit of SSME, because “service” is always boiled down to the concern of customers.
Other roles that the government can play would be to deprive any barriers or regulations that hinder the promotion of SSME. I have not heard any of this kind so far, however, the pursuit of SSME may bring this opportunity in the future. Also, one possibility that has once been discussed in 2005 symposium for SSME is that the government’s operation is one of the application area of SSME.
If we can agree upon the goal of SSME, we can deduce the customer of SSME as well. Or vice versa, the customer can tell the goal of SSME. We need to identify the customer of SSME.
Japanese governments, local or central, does not have a good reputation of their service, which is a sharp contrast to the private companies who usually enjoys the good reputation of their services.
Role of Government in SSME promotion I have talked diversification, however, there seems to be no discrepancy about the Japanese government’s need to promote SSME. No objection.
Historically speaking, governments have played an important role for new scientific disciplines in Japan. This will be true in SSME, and for that, we need to think the proper role of government in Japan for SSME promotion.
Unfortunately, there are discrepancies about what kind of role the government should play. A clear discrepancy is observed between METI who promotes SSME for Service Sector and MEX who promotes SSME for Innovation in Science and Technology.
Innovation and SSME “Innovation” has been an accompanying word for SSME. There is nothing wrong that SSME provides innovation.
Even though both ministries think that Government need to help SSME promotion, approaches, directions and customers (industry or community) are different.
The problem with innovation and SSME is the ambiguity what it means and the false expectation that SSME is a magic for innovation.
One may tend to think that let they do whatever they like as long as they promote SSME anyway. However, this attitude has a negative implication that may end up future confusion on what is SSME, goals of SSME and even who are the professionals of SSME.
As you see, the very word “innovation” may mean different things for different people. Unfortunately, “innovation” has become an overworked word, and may even end up to mean something/anything good for you.
For example, just think of the development of university/college courses for SSME under government promotion. Current METI and MEX approaches are quite different on courses: one for school of commerce and one for science/engineering schools.
We know that there are lots of ways to bring innovation. And we also know that there is no easy way to achieve valuable innovation. As a scientific discipline, SSME may bring some components for innovation. On the other hand, some innovation will help pursuit SSME and bring SSME to reach the new stage.
Another confusion may come to the R&D effort for SSME. Traditionally, service sector in Japan do not invest much on R&D, and this SSME promotion may open their executives eyes up on R&D expense, however, it may not be easy thing to manage, not to say how to perform.
But the innovation itself is essentially a different beast from SSME. As a scientific discipline, SSME should be pursued even if it does not bring any innovation.
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Avoiding Pitfalls I have suggested solutions to avoid these pitfalls in the preceding section, but let me reemphasize some of them here.
viewpoint is also with Japanese tradition, and gives powerful positions for studying service in nowadays complicated world. CONCLUSIONS I have discussed some pitfalls in SSME promotion in Japan. They may hinder the development of SSME, and may confuse people who want to contribute SSME. To avoid these pitfalls, it is necessary to establish the challenge or shared goal for SSME. Well-known leaders will give roll-model and tangible example to do SSME. And the open discussion about SSME is indispensable for any aspects such as the role of government. It is also noted that Japan may have some unique opportunities in the course of SSME development such as its traditional superb service and ecosystem for SSME.
Grand Challenge We need to establish the Grand Challenge, the great questions in SSME. This may not stop the diversification itself, but makes people to work together, and inspires people to join the field. Great Leaders I believe the very driving force for a scientific discipline is the person and his/her dedication and commitment which bring the fruitful results and provide roll-model for the followers. We need to find a Japanese hero/heroine in SSME. Open Discussion It is necessary to discuss openly on these pitfalls. It is more important especially when we want to deal with difficult pitfalls such as government roles, target customers, and the relation with innovation, since there will not be a simple and easy solution. The open discussion here definitely include international interactions as well
REFERENCES 1. Hidaka, K. Trends in Service Science in Japan and Abroad. Science & Technology Trends – Quarterly Review, NISTEP (MEX), No.19, April 2006, 35-47 2. Mizuta, H. (ed.) Special issues on Emergence of Service Science: Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME). IPSJ Magazine, Inf. Proc. Soc. of Japan, May 2006. 3. Kurokawa, T. From Computer Science to Service Science?. Kagaku (Science), Iwanami Shoten, August 2006. 4. Editor’s Column, IPSJ Magazine, IPS of Japan, May 2006. 5. Spohrer, J., Maglio, P. P., Kreulen, J. T. and Srnivasan, S. Becoming a Service Scientist. IPSJ Magazine, Inf. Proc. Soc. of Japan, May 2006. 6. Yasutomi, A. Live in Complexity: soft controls. Iwanami-Shoten, June 2006.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES IN JAPAN Even though I have listed pitfalls, I also see that there are some unique opportunities in SSME in Japan. Traditional Superb Service Japan has a good tradition of “Superb Service,” which has been appreciated from wide audience. We may find out the key component of this kind of high-quality of service in the pursuit of SSME. Service Ecosystem Yasutomi [6] presents his view that the GoalPlan-Achieve scheme does not work in today’s complex world, and instead the ecosystem scheme should be established and handled. He seems to be inspired by Gregory Bateson’s ecological viewpoint. This kind of ecosystem
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