In Memory of Claudio Ciborra 1951 - 2005

Tributes to Claudio Ciborra

index to tributes

Page 5

Bo Dahlbom
The Viktoria Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
An Antenna in the South
We were having breakfast at an Internet project meeting with the Aalborg group in October 1996, when Claudio explained to me the importance of north-south collaboration: "You know Bo, up here in the North you will never go anywhere if you just meet among yourselves. To really move forward, you need an antenna in the South." And thus, while we were building the Viktoria Institute in Göteborg, Claudio and I made several trips to Naples to set up the "Istituto Vittorio" there. We never quite managed that, but we had a lot of good times, good conversations, and we became friends for life. Claudio remained our antenna in the South even when he moved to London and he played an important role as we were moving forward. Up here in the North, we are sad and sorry now, and the world is suddenly much bleaker. How will we be able to make it without our Antenna in the South?

Dick Boland
Case Western Reserve University, USA
Claudio had a most inventive way of pushing our field forward. He gave us new words, concepts, frameworks and empirical insights to understand the world and use in our research, and they have proved to be most productive. He reshaped our field with his evocative ideas of formative context, bricolage, strategy, and the Baroque, and did it with wonderful humor and a deep sense of irony. Scholars like Claudio are very rare, and when they die so young, it is an especially great loss. I miss him.

Giovan Francesco Lanzara
University of Bologna
Thank you Claudio for the many many years of joint work that we spent together. To do research with you has been a privilege and a pleasure for me. In a way, we felt like children playing and discovering new things. With you around there was always a sense of adventure and discovery mixed with a sense of lightness even in the toughest and most indefatigable intellectual work. I will miss your energy, but will keep exploring.

Stefano Gatti
Italian Ministry for Innovation and Technologies
On behalf of Minister Stanca and the staff of the Technical Unit "e-Government for Development" of the Government of Italy, I would like to express our most sincere regret for the loss of one of Italy's finest academicians. His contribution to the field of Information Systems and e-Government for Development in particular has been fundamental and inspired many. May he keep on living through his many friends, brilliant ideas and valuable work.

John Nosek
Department of Computer & Information Sciences, Temple University, USA
I am truly shocked and saddened by Claudio’s passing – my work has taken me in different directions and I did not know he was ill. I knew him when the field of IS was even younger and we were trying to understand how IS could support really hard, ill-structured problems. I can still enjoy his intellectual courage and honesty through his writings - I still remember his ideas, while many others have faded like the latest fads. When I read the testimonials from old friends and respected colleagues as well as from the next group of “Young Turks” who he has inspired, it humbles me and it encourages me – Bravo Claudio!

Paul A. Strassmann
retired Chief Information Officer of Kraft, Xerox, Department of Defense and NASA
Claudio was a lively, inquisitive and analytically oriented researcher. That was a refreshing departure from what many of his colleague tried to do when attempting to rationalize the impacts of information technologies on corporate economics.

Claudio - a relatively young man - will remain in our memories with fondness and admiration.

GR Kiran
Department of Information Systems, LSEs
LSE has lost an excellent academician and a lovable personality. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to his family.

Muriel Caristan
Organization and Projects Director, Air France
Claudio, je suis triste que tu sois parti. Je ne t'ai jamais recroisé après cette année magique à Theseus (T2), mais tu avais vraiment été une "révélation" pour moi. Je garde l'image de ce prof qui était arrivé le premier jour en "costard" avec des palmes et un tuba jaune... Et qui a par la suite fait comprendre à la jeune femme si rationnelle, si normée, que j'étais combien la créativité, la souplesse, l'irrévérence, associées à l'intelligence et à l'ouverture d'esprit, sont fécondes.

Désolée si je ne prends pas la peine de traduire en anglais ce que je ressens, car je suis triste.

Pertti Järvinen
University of Tampere, Finland
Many Claudio's research reports and articles belong to the "must" group all the active young and older IS researcher should read.

Ton Spil
University of Twente, The Netherlands
It was at IRIS 1999 that I learned the great capacity of Claudio. As you might know IRIS is a typical Scandinavian affair and outside the sessions hardly any English is spoken but by keeping close to Claudio life was easy. Everyone gathered round him and he alone could silence the Scandinavian languages around me. And then surprise you with a fluent Norwegian sentence. As an "incrementalist" I will miss his criticisms dearly. I wish his family and friends a lot of strength in the empty time to come.

Nick Byrne
Director, LSE Language Centre
Claudio was one of the few Convenors I actually saw on both a professional and social basis. Sadly, the social side was an all too rare event. In fact we probably saw each other most "in transit" outside Tower 1, with him en route to Heathrow, and me off to Gatwick...we didn't even manage to synchronise departure airports! Claudio was one of the most supportive Convenors when it came to helping international students and making full use of the Language Centre. His care and support were invaluable to me when I was re-shaping the services we now provide. His intellect and humour were a deadly combination whether it was at induction meeting or over a drink at a party. He always was top of my "must-get-to-talk-to-him-more" list, but the plans to meet up for dinner, cross paths in some European capital or think of some joint project never happened...because there was always the possibility that they would "once work pressures subsided". Sadly, this list has now become "what-I-wished-we-had-done" list. Claudio will leave a hard-core legacy of academic writing which will be inspirational to all those that read it. And to those who were lucky enough to be taught by him, his inspiration has already had tangible results.

Michela Fontana
Milano,Ginevra
Caro Cibi, sarai sempre nel mio cuore, prezioso amico di tanti anni.

Potrei dire ciò che tutti sanno ovvero che eri intelligente, colto, lucido, brillante, spiritoso, ironico, gioioso, non convenzionale, di spirito libero, disinteressato, generoso nell’amicizia, curioso del mondo, infantile, provocatorio. Ma in realtà non si trovano parole adatte per piangere la tua perdita. Ricordo quando prendevamo il sole su una microscopica isoletta greca vicino a Symi , sul patio assolato di una chiesetta bianca e tu riuscivi- non mi capacitavo come - a scrivere allo stesso tempo, con facilità e naturalezza, un articolo di lavoro sopra un foglio di carta. Grazie per l’affetto e la compagnia durante tante indimenticabili vacanze e viaggi e naturalmente a Milano. Un abbraccio forte anche da parte di Valentino.

Susanna van Citters
CISCA, Netherlands
Caro Claudio,
Ho appena ricevuto la brutta notizia da Napoli, che ci hai lasciato. Sono Susanna van Citters, l'amica olandese di Gino d'Alessio e Carmine Maringola, Michele Battimielo e tanti altri amici che noi abbiamo in comune. Sono molto dispiaciuta che hai sofferto di un tumore, di cancro, prima di lasciarci. Ho sempre goduto della tua presenza, la tua allegria e umore! Quante rissate che abbiamo fatto! Poi ovviamente ero impressionata dalle tue energie ed idee... la facilita' con quale viaggiavi da un paese al altro per scambiare idee, ricerca e studi con i colleghi tuoi. Spero che puoi ridere qua' sopra e che puoi essere sereno. Mi manchi gia'. Ti bacio

Lakhdip Nagra
ADMIS 2003/4, Department of Information Systems, LSE
Who could forget his unmistakably Italian style of delivery and wit during his lectures. Not the ADMIS class of 03/04 who will forever more remember his Armani Glasses with a wry smile.

Mian Farooq Haq
Department of Information Systems, LSE
With thanks to a great scholar and teacher.

There are very few in this world with the qualities that Claudio possessed, he was definitely a 'chosen one'. I had minimal interaction with Claudio, but like many other people my work and life were affected by his personality and work. I feel privileged that most of the time I spent at LSE was with Claudio here and in charge. I remember him sitting in the departmental seminars with his eyes closed and I always thought he was having a little snooze but then he would surprise me by engaging in a very lively debate with the speaker which was both critical and humorous at the same time. A man of great intellect, I can just see Claudio debating the ontology and epistemology of this world with God and the angels, and intriguing them with his concepts of improvisation and bricolage. Though we will always have his work with us, I wish I had known him better, and learned more when he was here with us. May his soul rest in peace.

Alex Skouras
ADMIS 2001/2, Department of Information Systems, LSE
I feel so numb. Claudio is gone. One of the most charismatic men I had the honour to meet. A unique leader. I feel so lucky that I heard his lectures, his words. Claudio was and will be a pure inspiration to everyone that had the unique opportunity to meet him, to hear him.

Bridget Lassey
ADMIS 2004/5, Department of Information Systems, LSE
Claudio's passing is indeed a great loss to his family and the IS department. He was a very practical lecturer and had a ready smile for everyone. He will be missed dearly. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his family.

Daniel Osei-Joehene
Department of Information Systems, LSE
Me da wo ase, da yie. ( I thank you. Rest in peace)

Nikolaos Nikolakis
ADMIS 1999/2000, Department of Information Systems, LSE
He was great man and great scientist

Ghassan Abdulaal
ADMIS 2000/1, Department of Information Systems, LSE
Plain shock and sadness. That is what I felt when I opened the IS homepage today. I just couldn't believe it. I always remembere the Professor as this vibrant and absolutely delightful person to be with. You would see people flocking around him and asking him questions, like a celebrity that he truly was. The charisma, the flare, his serenity often inspired us, "this is where we want to be".

And yes, the Armani cap and glasses he used to wear. Armani couldn't have chosen a better model.

Professor Claudio Ciborra, very few have gained the admiration and respect that you have gained by your kindness and simplicity.

Cinzia Talamo
Politecnico di Milano, Italia
Ho appreso con grande dolore della scomparsa di Claudio Ciborra.

Venne con grande disponibilità, su nostro invito, a tenere alcuni seminari per i nostri studenti del Politecnico di Milano, con la sua capacità di annodare - con incredibile facilità e semplicità - i fili di saperi diversi e di raccontare in modo innovativo e originale i processi di decisione. Furono per noi occasioni importanti e stimolanti di riflessione e di apertura, al di là dei confini disciplinari. Conservo degli incontri con Claudio Ciborra il ricordo di una bellissima intelligenza, vivace, curiosa, acuta e di una persona che, nonostante l'importanza e il peso dei suoi impegni e delle sue esperienze, sapeva conservare nei rapporti con le persone calore e freschezza.

La comunità degli studiosi e degli studenti ha perso veramente molto, su tutti i piani. Esprimo il mio cordoglio a quanti lo hanno conosciuto e amato.

previous ¦ next
index ¦ page one ¦ p age two ¦ page three ¦ page four ¦ page six ¦ page seven ¦ page eight ¦ page nine ¦ page ten ¦ page eleven ¦ page twelve ¦ page thirteen

To add your comment to these pages send an e-mail to In_Memory_Of_Claudio@lse.ac.uk

Page last updated 23 March, 2005