Brian Butler
From ButlerCommonplace
| Brian Butler | |
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| E-mail: | bbutler@katz.pitt.edu |
|---|---|
| Office: | 226 Mervis Hall |
| Phone: | (412) 648-1614
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Brian Butler joined the faculty of the Information Systems Interest Group at Katz Graduate School of Business,University of Pittsburgh in 1997. He is now an Associate Professor of Business Administration.
[edit] Research
His research focuses on development models and frameworks for evaluating, managing, and deploying complex information technology (IT) systems. His current work falls into the two areas: principles for evaluating and developing Web 2.0/social computing systems and communities and frameworks for facilitating the development and deployment information systems to facilitate Health Sciences research and Healthcare delivery. He is the head of the Katz Community Research eWorkgroup. He is a co-investigator in both the Dental Informatics Online Community (with colleagues in the School of Dental Medicine and the Online Research Community (part of University of Pittsburgh’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute)).
This current research builds on Butler’s ongoing work in the dynamics of online communities, the role of power and politics in management of information systems, social cognitive approaches to achieving reliability in the face of overwhelming organizational/technological complexity, and rhetorical design as a model for organizational action. This work has been published in Organization Science, Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Computer Mediated Communications, Communications of the ACM, several books (Rhetoric and the Arts of Design and Designing Interactive Worlds With Words: Principles of Writing As Representational Composition), and is regularly presented at International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) and in the Organizational Communication and Information Systems (OCIS) division of the Academy of Management.
[edit] Teaching
He teaches an undergraduate Introduction to Information Systems course in the College of Business Administration which focuses on developing students ability to recognize and capitalize on opportunities to apply information technology to increase efficiency, enable growth, and support innovation. Variations of this course include a hybrid Introduction to Information Systems and Science Fiction course and Introduction to Information Systems – International Emphasis (under development).
In the Katz MBA/MS-MIS dual degree program he teaches Current Topics in IS course which include Business Continuity Management, Open Source Technologies, and The Business of Blogs, Online Communities, and Social Networking. He also oversees student projects involving the management and evaluation of business opportunities created by emerging technologies.
Within the Katz Executive MBA program Butler teaches Information Technology and Business Value which focuses on providing practicing executive the understanding of information systems and IS management they need to be able to effectively lead IT enabled organizational initiatives.
In the Katz Doctoral program, he teaches a seminar focusing on different conceptualizations of Communication and their implication for understanding and modeling information systems phenomena. He also works closely with doctoral students to develop their own work and careers.
[edit] Other Background
He was awarded a Phd in Information Systems at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in 1999. He also holds a MS degrees in Information Systems and BS degrees in Computer Science from CMU.
As an Associate Editor of MIS Quarterly, co-Track Chair for ICIS 2007, member of the Conference on Information Systems and Technology program committee, and a member of the OCIS Executive Council he is also active in the support and leadership of the IS academic community.
He also works with a variety of companies and non-profit organizations to help them use both emerging and mature information technologies to achieve their goals by increasing efficiency and enabling greater strategic and operational flexibility.
