The career work and organizational-service contributions of a faculty member of the School of Information Studies has been recognized with a lifetime service award at the annual meeting of the Organizational Communication and Information Systems (OCIS) division of the Academy of Management.
Kevin Crowston, associate dean for research and distinguished professor of information science, was presented with the recognition at the division’s 78th annual meeting in Chicago in August.
The honor recognizes an individual’s sustained contribution to the OCIS community through significant leadership roles as well as scholarly impact and influence in the OCIS community.
According to Dr. Likoebe M. Maruping, OCIS division chair, and Dr. Marco Marabelli, OCIS chief information officer and secretary, the award considers the commitment an individual has shown through service on division committees and as an officer, as well as a person’s scholarly contributions. Another factor influencing the selection is a member’s role in encouraging growth and development of the OCIS community through involvement with junior and senior scholars and doctoral students, according to Maruping and Marabelli.
Crowston has contributed to the scholarly vitality of the organization though presentations of research papers at Academy of Management/OCIS annual conferences for most of the last 24 years. He also has served the organization in volunteer administrative capacities, including as professional development workshop and doctoral consortium chair from 2010–2011, program chair from 2011–2012 and division chair from 2013–2014.
“It was a very pleasant surprise being selected for the award,” Crowston said. “The Division is sustained by the contributions of many volunteers, so it is an honor being singled out for recognition.”
Crowston’s research examines new ways of organizing made possible by the use of information technology, including coordination-intensive processes and problems and design and evaluation of systems to support people working together. His specific interests include free/libre open source software development projects, citizen science projects and research data management.
Founded in 1936, the Academy of Management is the preeminent professional association for management and organization scholars with a community of more than 20,000 members in more than 120 countries. Members are professors and doctoral students in business schools at universities, academics in related social science and other fields, and practitioners who value knowledge creation and application. The Academy’s OCIS division focuses on the study of behavioral, economic and social aspects of communication and information systems within and among organizations or institutions.