Social Decision Systems Science | Theory and Applications in Southeast Asia

This book applies a decision systems science perspective to social systems, using the case of Southeast Asia to illustrate the concepts it sets forth. Southeast Asia is one of the most culturally diverse parts of the world, comprising 11 countries with a combined population of approximately 647 million people. The focus is on Indonesia, the largest and most populous country in the region.

Indonesia is an archipelago that is highly heterogeneous. It is the world’s fourth most populous country, with some 280 million people spread over 17,508 islands. Great diversity is seen in its culture; however, most of the people greatly value collectiveness or exhibit high sociability and solidarity, i.e., a communal culture. In the culture of business in Indonesia, relationships are absolutely essential as a basis of decision making, thus it is quite different than that found in the West. The ensuing daily complexities require intensive interaction, negotiation processes, and coordination. In this context, common theories and best practices that are generated on the basis of more simplified assumptions often fail. Systems science offers an approach that can take these issues into account and potentially overcome such complexities.

This book defines a social system as a complex interconnected set of entities that organize the life of human beings and that are implemented through a process of shared experience and creative tension such that they demonstrate emergent characteristics. To elucidate this definition, the discussion in the book aims to bridge and integrate basic research founded in systems concepts, logic, theories, and models of systems practices and methodologies into a process of social systems research. That process involves engaging various stakeholders in academia, business, and government so that in collaboration they can solve common problems based on multidisciplinary approaches—ones that encompass hard and soft and quantitative and qualitative systems as well as negotiations and simulations. 

The book has three major parts, the first of which discusses the importance of decisions in social system science that can be applied in managing complexities. The second part describes the use of multidisciplinary approaches for social systems, and the third deals with efforts to apply previously accepted concepts to real cases in Indonesia.

Santi Novani received her Bachelor of Science degree on Mathematic from Padjadjaran University, Bandung in 2000. From 2000 to 2008 she worked at private university in Bandung. From 2004 up to 2008 she joints as research assistant and part time tutor of interest group Decision Making and Strategic Negotiation. She earned Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering and Management Department, ITB in 2005. Her master thesis investigated the development of Adaptive Learning Model of Hypergame in Hierarchical Organization. In 2013, she got Doctoral degree from  Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Value and Decision Science. Her research interest is Value Co-creation in Service System using Modeling, Simulation, Hypergame and soft system approach. She published her works in reputable national and international journals such as, IEEE, Journal of Operational Research Society, Asia Pacific Management Review and Systems Research and Behavioural Science. She is also reviewers for several journals such as, Asian Journal of Management Science and Applications, Manajemen Teknologi, and Asian Journal of Management Technology. Now, she serves as Assistant Professor of School of Business and Management, ITB.

Prof. Utomo Sarjono Putro got his bachelor degree from the Department of Industrial Engineering ITB in 1992, he then continued his Master and Doctoral education in the Department of Value and Decision Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, in the field of decision science from 1995 until 2001. He published his works in reputable national and international journals such as, IEEE Transaction on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Systems Analysis Modelling Simulation, and Systems Research and Behavioural Science. In addition to this, some of his works also appeared in several book chapters published by Springer. He joined School of Business and Management ITB since 2003, as a lecturer until he finally obtained Professorship in Decision Making in 2013. Formerly he was participating actively as Secretary of Indonesian NMO (National Member Organisation) in IIASA (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) in Austria, and as expert for President’s Delivery Unit of Development Monitoring and Oversight. He is also members of several professional organizations e.g. International Society for Systems Science, and the pacific Asian Association for Agent Based Approach in Social Systems Sciences (PAAA). He is also reviewers for several journals such as, Asian Journal of Management Science and Applications, Manajemen Teknologi, and Asian Journal of Management Technology. His main research interests are systems approach for decision making, systems modelling, negotiation and agent based social systems science, which are applied in management, business and social problems.

Prof. Kyoichi Kijima received an M.A. from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1976 and a PhD. in 1980. Later, in 1988, he spent a year in England to familiarize himself with soft systems engineering. In 1997 he spent another four months in England in collaboration with members of the United Kingdom Systems Society (UKSS) to further familiarize himself with the soft systems approach. 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 has been a visiting professor at the Hull University Business School. He is a 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 editor-in-chief of Journal of Japan Society for Management Information in 2003–2004.

Pri Hermawan Received his bachelor of engineering degree on Electrical – Telecommunication major from TELKOM University (STT TELKOM), Bandung in 1998. He earned Master of Engineering from Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, ITB in 2005. His master thesis investigated an application of Adaptive Learning Model of Hypergame on Competitive Signaling in business marketing interaction. His Doctoral degree from Department of Value and Decision Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan in 2009 with dissertation on A Drama-theoretic Analysis of Dilemmas of Negotiation and its Application is financially supported by scholarship provided by MEXT: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (Monbukagakusho) – Japan. His research interest includes soft computing for social simulation and systems science-based approach to decision making and negotiation. He has been served as reviewer in several international journals. Now, he serves as Associate Professor of School of Business and Management, ITB.