MIT Sloan Executive Education
Certificate Holder Profile
James W. Gabberty
Professor of Information Systems
Pace University
USA
Executive Certificate(s):
Advanced Certificate for Executives
Management and Leadership
Strategy and Innovation
Technology, Operations, and Value Chain Management
Jim Gabberty witnesses first-hand the dramatic impact that technological change has caused for the financial services industry. Teaching information systems to part-time MBA and MS students working for various small, medium, and Fortune 100 firms in Manhattan, Jim sees how issues arising from globalization, outsourcing, declining IT educational enrollment and e-Business/e-Commerce plague managers and working professionals alike. Jim says, “IT professionals find it difficult to keep pace with ever-changing patterns of technological advancement. The need to maintain technological currency is exacerbated by their concomitant need to work in teams — specifically, virtual teams — located across different time zones, cultures, economies, governance practices, etc. Striving to stay ahead of competitors who can mimic new service products brought to market highlights the need to incorporate innovation into the strategic thinking of the firm.” Impressed with the synergistic ideas flowing from MIT's CIO Symposium and events sponsored by MIT's Center for Information Systems Research, Jim chose MIT Sloan Executive Education to help him address the challenges he faced.
“The problem with the current approach used by most colleges and universities teaching middle managers how to effectively (and optimally) use information and communication technology (ICT) is that they lack an emphasis on creative thinking. Too much attention is paid to process and design, and too little attention is given to leveraging interdisciplinary subject areas that emphasize the free flow of ideas and innovation.” Jim adds, “Drawing from my own professional career that spans more than 25 years in the financial services industry, I wanted to design an entirely new program of study that incorporated ICT and innovation. I wanted to blend the formal, structured aspects of one with the open, creative idea flows of the other. MIT Sloan Executive Education programs gave me the opportunity to discuss my ideas with peers, industry practitioners, and MIT faculty. I am happy to say that I was able to meet my objective and launch Pace University's own certificate offering last year.”
