Remembering Professor Emeritus Ikujiro Nonaka

A Legacy of Knowledge, Innovation, and Purpose

Few individuals have left a deeper mark on the field of management and organizational theory than Professor Emeritus Ikujiro Nonaka (May 10, 1935–January 25, 2025). A founding member of Hitotsubashi ICS and one of the world’s most influential thinkers on knowledge creation and organizational learning, Professor Nonaka reshaped not only academic understanding but also the way global businesses innovate and lead.

Early Life and Academic Journey

Born in Tokyo in 1935, Ikujiro Nonaka graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Waseda University in 1958. He began his career at Fuji Electric, where he quickly became intrigued by the unique ways Japanese companies generated and shared knowledge. This curiosity became a lifelong pursuit and ultimately led him to the United States, where he earned his MBA and Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Upon returning to Japan, Professor Nonaka became a trailblazer in Japanese management education. He served as a faculty member at Nihon University, the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS) at Hitotsubashi University, and other prestigious institutions. He played a pivotal role in shaping Hitotsubashi ICS’s identity as a globally focused, innovation-driven business school with strong roots in Japanese management philosophy.

The Knowledge-Creating Company and the SECI Model

Professor Nonaka’s most famous work centers on organizational knowledge creation. In collaboration with Professor Hirotaka Takeuchi, he developed the SECI model — Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization — which describes the dynamic process through which organizations convert tacit knowledge (unwritten, intuitive, and experience-based) into explicit knowledge (codified, shareable, and structured), and vice versa.

This theory was presented in their 1995 groundbreaking book, The Knowledge-Creating Company, which introduced a new lens through which companies could understand innovation — not as a top-down process, but as a dynamic, team-based activity driven by shared purpose, dialogue, and cultural understanding.

Earlier, in their widely cited 1986 Harvard Business Review article, The New New Product Development Game, Nonaka and Takeuchi identified principles such as cross-functional teams, overlapping development phases, and autonomous decision-making — concepts that would later inspire the Agile methodology and Scrum framework now widely used in software and product development.

Global Recognition and Honors

Professor Nonaka’s work gained worldwide recognition. He was listed multiple times among the Thinkers50, a global ranking of top business thinkers, and was honored with prestigious accolades such as:

• The Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan), recognizing his contributions to academic and public life.
• The McKinsey Award for best article in Harvard Business Review.
• Honorary doctorates from universities around the world.

His insights were sought by governments, international organizations, and leading global corporations. Yet, despite his global influence, he remained deeply rooted in Japanese philosophy and values — particularly the importance of community, shared purpose, and ethical leadership.

A Mentor and Visionary at Hitotsubashi ICS

At Hitotsubashi ICS, Professor Nonaka was revered not only for his academic brilliance but for his warm mentorship and visionary leadership. He played a foundational role in developing the school’s mission of "wise leadership" — a concept that combines technical knowledge with moral judgment and societal impact.

He encouraged students to embrace complexity, act with integrity, and use knowledge not just for profit but for the public good. His teaching inspired generations of business leaders, researchers, and policymakers to consider “What is the right thing to do?” — not just what is the most efficient.

Colleagues remember him as generous with his time, patient in his guidance, and passionate about building bridges across cultures and disciplines. He saw the business school not just as a place to transmit skills, but as a community of knowledge creators.

A Lasting Legacy

Professor Nonaka’s legacy continues to grow. His models remain cornerstones in management theory, and his belief in knowledge as a living, dynamic process continues to inspire organizations navigating the challenges of the digital age. In a world increasingly driven by data and speed, his call for “wisdom” — thoughtful, values-based leadership — is more relevant than ever.

As we remember Professor Nonaka, we celebrate not only an extraordinary academic career but also a deeply human vision of what management can be: purposeful, collaborative, and transformative.