In this interview, Bob Galliers, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Bentley University and the University of Warwick, discusses his career in information systems. Born in 1947 in London, he studied economics at Harvard, where he excelled in athletics. After Harvard, he worked in social services and studied Soft Systems Methodology at Lancaster University. He later moved to Australia, where he became Head of Department at the Western Australian Institute of Technology. In his interview, Bob emphasizes the strategic importance of information systems and advises young professionals to maintain a broad vision and critical perspective on technology.
Bob was born in London in 1947. His father worked with the London Electricity Board and his brother went into computing, but he had no family background in academia or computers. He attended a state school, where he excelled in maths, physics and athletics, competing in athletics for Harrow and winning a scholarship to Harvard University to study economics. At Harvard, Bob recalls winning the freshman meet against Yale, the Heptagonal games and representing Harvard in dual Athletics meets against Oxford and Cambridge. He studied under economist John Kenneth Galbraith:
I had to do a thesis at undergraduate level to get a degree in Economics Cum Laude, and again, I looked at the way that economic theory really was a product of the times and post war, the development of jobs and the way things have changed in society had impacted the way that we thought about economics. And this kind of is a theme which runs through my career.
After graduating from Harvard, Bob returned to the UK and started working in social services, providing short courses for social workers and health visitors in the London boroughs. He moved jobs to Wandsworth, where he saw the impact computing had on social services and decided to study Soft Systems Methodology at Lancaster University, working with Peter Checkland and applying the methodology in practice. After graduation, he was offered a job at an applied research and consulting company, called Iskol Limited:
And we did a lot of projects, both for local authorities and research projects for the likes of Shell, in a range of different industries, and that really got me into the management of change and the impact of technology.
He was introduced to academia through a visiting professorship in Perth, Western Australia, and later became Head of Department at the Western Australian Institute of Technology. When he returned to the UK, he completed a PhD at the LSE in two years, focusing on the strategic element of information systems. After this, (and a suggestion by Frank Land) Bob joined Warwick Business School, where he helped develop the Department of Information Systems. In this interview, Bob explains his research on Information Systems strategizing, linking business strategy with information systems and the impact of technology on society and organizations.
Often we we talk about the linkage between a business strategy (or organisational strategy) in the information systems which form part of that strategy. It seemed to me much more interesting to think about the processes that one would go through, in terms of identifying the information systems that needed to be brought about, managed, tweaked in some distance, in some way, and actually having a positive impact.
Because of his research, Bob edited the Journal of Strategic Information Systems, emphasizing the broader application of technology within organizations. He also worked with the European Foundation for Management Development.
Bob discusses the importance of generative AI and the rapid advances in technology were are experiencing today. He emphasizes the need for a critical view of technology to ensure positive progress and the importance of trans-disciplinarity in future research and and the increasing importance of digital intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship. He encourages new tech professionals to maintain a broader vision of society and the human condition, beyond focusing solely on technology.
I would be a little bit concerned about, you know, total embracing of the technology, of saying that AI is the future. Rubbish in, rubbish out. I still think in terms of questioning the initial output of the technology, which is growing and advancing as we speak. So keeping up to date, on the one hand, but always questioning what is going on. If it’s not there to support human beings, then I have concerns. If it’s an end in itself, then I have concern.