About the Author

John Gallaugher is an associate professor of information systems (IS) at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. A dedicated teacher and active researcher, Professor Gallaugher has been recognized for excellence and innovation in teaching by several organizations, including Boston College, BusinessWeek, the Decision Sciences Institute, Beta Gamma Sigma (the business honor society), and The Heights (Boston College’s student newspaper). Professor Gallaugher’s research has been published in the Harvard Business Review, MIS Quarterly, and other leading IS journals. He has consulted for and taught executive seminars for several organizations, including Accenture, Alcoa, Duke Corporate Education, ING, Partners Healthcare, Staples, State Street, the University of Ulster, and the U.S. Information Agency. His comments on business and technology have appeared in the New York Times, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, the Associated Press, The Daily Yomiuri (Japan), and The Nation (Thailand), and on National Public Radio and WCVB-TV, among others.

Professor Gallaugher’s courses and research focus on strategy and technology, and he has co-led the Boston College MBA program’s international field study courses to Europe and Asia. As coordinator of the graduate and undergraduate Boston College TechTrek West field studies, each year Gallaugher spends time in the field with scores of executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, Seattle, New York City, and his hometown of Boston. This fieldwork helps him bring current, practice-oriented examples into both the classroom and his writing. He is also the faculty advisor for the BC Information Systems Academy, and co-advisor to the student-run Boston College Venture Competition (which has spawned several venture-backed start-ups). Professor Gallaugher earned his PhD in information systems from the Syracuse University School of Management, and he holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in computer science, both from Boston College.