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TimothyButlerFaculty&ResearchHarvardBusinessSchool

FACULTY&RESEARCH

TimothyButler
SeniorFellow
DirectorofCareerDevelopmentPrograms,MBAProgramAdministration

Contact:
(617)4956727
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TimothyButlerisaSeniorFellowandDirectorofCareerDevelopmentPrograms.Hisresearchinterestsfocuson
careerdecisionmakinggenerallyandtherelationshipbetweenpersonalitystructureandworksatisfactionin
particular.Hehaspublishedtechnicalpapersoncareerassessmentpsychometricsandsmallgroupdynamicsin
academicjournalsandnumerouspractitionerorientedarticlesinperiodicalssuchasFortune,FastCompanyandthe
HarvardBusinessReview.HisbooksincludeDiscoveringYourCareerinBusiness(AddisonWesley,1997),The
TwelveBadHabitsThatHoldGoodPeopleBack(Doubleday,2002),andGettingUnstuck:HowDeadEnds
BecomeNewPaths(HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2007).
TimButler'sresearchontherelationshipbetweenpersonalitystructureandbusinesscareersatisfactionledtothe
developmentofthreepsychometricinstruments,TheBusinessCareerInterestInventory,TheManagementand
ProfessionalRewardsProfileandtheManagementandProfessionalAbilitiesProfile.Thesethreeinventorieshave
beenpresentedwithinteractiveinterpretivetoolsasanintegratedInternetbasedbusinesscareerselfassessment
programknownasCareerLeader,whichisusedforbusinesscareerassessmentanddevelopmentbyover300
businessschoolsandcorporationsaroundtheworld.
Dr.ButlerhastaughtforexecutiveeducationprogramsandlecturedatbusinessschoolsthroughoutNorthAmerica,
Europe,andAsiaandhasconsultedtoseniormanagersfromorganizationsrangingfromsmalltechnologystartups
toFortune500corporations.HisconsultingworkhasbeenmostextensiveintheInvestmentManagementindustry.

Publications
Books
Butler,Timothy.GettingUnstuck:HowDeadEndsBecomeNewPaths.Boston:HarvardBusinessSchool
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Press,2007.ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler.TheTwelveBadHabitsThatHoldGoodPeopleBack.New
York:Currency/Doubleday,2000.(ForeignLanguageEditions:Portuguese,MandarinChinese,TaiwaneseChinese,
Arabic,Korean.)ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop.DiscoveringYourCareerinBusiness.Reading,MA:AddisonWesley
Longman,1997.(ForeignEdition:Dutch.)ViewDetails

JournalArticles
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."TheHiddenFlawsofTopExecutives:HowtoFindThemBeforeYouHire
Them."HRProfessional(April/May2006).ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop."AFunctionCenteredModelofInterestAssessmentforBusinessCareers."
JournalofCareerAssessment12,no.3(August2004):270284.ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop."Understanding'People'People."HarvardBusinessReview82,no.6(June
2004).ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."CustomizingCareers."Pathways:TheNovartisJournal2,no.3
(2001).ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."TheArtofWorkandtheRoleofHumanResourcesInIt."Employment
RelationsToday27,no.3(autumn2000).ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."ManagingawayBadHabits."HarvardBusinessReview78,no.5
(SeptemberOctober2000).(Anthologizedasachapterin"HarvardBusinessReviewonFindingandKeepingthe
BestPeople"andin"HarvardBusinessReviewonDevelopingLeaders".)ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop."JobSculpting:TheArtofRetainingYourBestPeople."HarvardBusiness
Review77,no.5(SeptemberOctober1999).(Anthologizedasachapterin"HBRonFindingandKeepingtheBest
People".)ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."EightFailingsThatBedeviltheBest."Fortune(November23,1998).View
Details
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop."FindingtheJobYouShouldWant."Fortune(March28,1998).ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."TheExecutiveasCoach."HarvardBusinessReview74,no.6(November
December1996).(AnthologizedontheHarvardBusinessSchoolPressaudiotape"LeadingYourPeople".)View
Details
Butler,Timothy."Desperation."Quadrant25,no.1(1992).ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andAdelaideFuhriman."ProfessionalPsychologistsasGroupTreatmentProviders:Utilization,
Training,andTrends."ProfessionalPsychology:ResearchandPractice17,no.3(June1986).ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,StevenGiordano,andStevenNeren."GenderandSexRoleAttributesasPredictorsofUtilizationof
NaturalSupportSystemsDuringPersonalStressEvents."SexRoles13,nos.910(December1985).ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andAdelaideFuhriman."CurativeFactorsinGroupPsychotherapy:AReviewoftheRecent
Literature."SmallGroupBehavior14,no.2(May1983).ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andAdelaideFhuriman."LevelofFunctioningandLengthofTimeinTreatmentVariablesInfluencing
Patient'sTherapeuticExperienceinGroupPsychotherapy."InternationalJournalofGroupPsychotherapy33,no.4
(1983).ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andAdelaideFuhriman."PatientPerspectiveontheCurativeProcess:AComparisonofDay
TreatmentandOutpatientPsychotherapyGroups."SmallGroupBehavior11,no.4(November1980).ViewDetails

BookChapters
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Butler,Timothy."WhyPeopleWillWorkforYou."InRememberWhoYouAre:LifeStoriesThatInspiretheHeart
andMind,editedbyDaisyWademan.Boston:HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2004.ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."IsaCareerinFinance(andwhichone?)RightforYou?"InTheHarvard
BusinessSchoolGuidetoCareersinFinance,editedbyAnilPandeyandOmotayoT.Okusanya.Boston:Harvard
BusinessSchoolPress,2000.ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."IsManagementConsultingtheRightCareerForYou?"InTheHarvard
BusinessSchoolGuidetoCareersinManagementConsulting,editedbyJasonDehni.Boston:HarvardBusiness
SchoolPress,2000.ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler."IsaCareerinMarketingRightforYou?"InTheHarvardBusinessSchool
GuidetoCareersinMarketing,editedbyAnnChen.Boston:HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,2000.ViewDetails

CasesandTeachingMaterials
Butler,Timothy."AssessingBusinessWorkRewardValues."HarvardBusinessSchoolTechnicalNote813053,
July2012.ViewDetails
Wasserman,Noam,TimothyButler,andLisaBrem."ResolvingYourFoundingDilemmas:Insightsfrom
CareerLeader."HarvardBusinessSchoolBackgroundNote812027,November2011.(RevisedMarch2012.)View
Details
Butler,Timothy."WorkingwithSymbolicIntelligence:The100JobsExercise."HarvardBusinessSchoolExercise
812064,December2011.ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy."WhatWeCarry:Success,Failure,andHappinessinFamilySystems."HarvardBusinessSchool
Exercise812026,December2011.ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy."DeeplyEmbeddedLifeInterests."HarvardBusinessSchoolExercise812065,December
2011.ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,JanetKraus,andDavidCrabbe."WorkingwithSymbolicIntelligence:The10ImagesExercise."
HarvardBusinessSchoolExercise812063,December2011.ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler.ManagingYourCareer:AModuleintheHarvardBusinessSchoolPress
ManageMentorProgram.Tool.1999.Electronic.ViewDetails
Waldroop,James,andTimothyButler.RetainingValuedEmployees:AModuleintheHarvardBusinessSchool
PressManageMentorProgram.Tool.1999.Electronic.ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop."ManagementandProfessionalAbilitiesProfile."1998.(Apsychometric
instrumentformeasuringbusinessabilities.)ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop.CareerLeader.Tool.1998.Electronic.(Acomprehensivebusinesscareerself
assessmentprogram.)ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy,andJamesWaldroop."BusinessCareerInterestInventory."1996.Electronic.(Apsychometric
instrumentformeasuringstrengthofcorebusinessinterests.)ViewDetails
Butler,Timothy."ManagementandProfessionalRewardProfile."1987.Electronic.(Apsychometricinstrumentfor
measuringbusinessworkrewardvalues.)ViewDetails

ResearchSummary
RESEARCHSUMMARY
byTimothyButler
Myresearchisconcernedwiththewayinwhichpeoplefindtheirwaytomeaningfulandsatisfyingwork.Iamalso
interestedinthewayinwhichthecultureandproductivityofbusinessorganizationsareenhancedwhenindividuals
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areabletomovetowardworkactivitiesthatareinherentlysatisfying.Iapproachthisresearchfromtheperspective
ofcognitivepsychology,andinparticularfromthataspectofcognitiveofpsychologythatconcernsitselfwiththe
reciprocalrelationshipbetweentheindividualandcultureastheindividualmakesandfindsmeaningintheworldsof
workorganizationandsocialorganizationandbuildstheculturesofworkandsocietyintheprocessofdoingso.In
thisregardthemostfundamentalaspectofmyworkisconcernedwithmeaningmaking.
RESEARCHSUMMARY
byTimothyButler
Oneaspectofmyresearchishighlyquantitative,basedontheconstructionandanalysisofpsychometric
instruments,andanotherreliesonthequalitativedataobtainedfromtheinterviewprocess.Ilookuponboth
psychometricandinterviewderiveddataintermsofabroadermeaningmakingperspective.Boththeinterpretation
ofsophisticatedpsychologicaltestingandtheselfassessmentinterviewprocessareconcernedwiththeelicitation
ofimagesthatbecomethebasisforthebuildingofcareerandlifenarrativesandtheenactmentofthosenarratives.
RESEARCHSUMMARY

MeaningfulWorkastheRecognitionandExpressionofDeeplyEmbeddedLife
Interests
byTimothyButler
Alargepartofmyresearcheffortsoverthepasttwentyyearshasbeenfocusedontheunderstandingofmeaningas
therecognitionandexpressionof"deeplyembeddedlifeinterests",anaspectofthepsychologyofhuman
personalitythathasalongtraditionofempiricalresearch.Thisworkhasledtothedevelopmentofthree
psychometricinstruments:TheBusinessCareerInterestInventory,TheManagementandProfessionalReward
Profile,andtheManagementandProfessionalAbilitiesProfile.Inowworkfromadatabaseofthispsychological
testingonover75,000businessprofessionalsandMBAstudentsthathasbeengatheredasaconsequenceofmy
investigations.Myconcerninmuchofthisresearchasbeenwiththewayinwhichspecificworkrolesandbusiness
culturesallowfortherealizationofunderlyinginterestpatterns.ThisworkisongoingasIcontinuetoexplorethe
nuancesofthewaysinwhichindividualpersonalitydifferencesaffectthepursuitofsatisfyingwork.Iamcurrently
workingonseveralprojectsinthisarea,includinganinvestigationofcrossculturaldifferencesinbusinessrelated
lifeinterests.
RESEARCHSUMMARY

MeaningfulWorkasaProcessofImagination,Narrative,SelfEfficacyand
Enactment
byTimothyButler
Iamparticularlyconcernedwiththeelicitationofimagesastheyrepresent,intheirassociationandamplification,the
fullnessofcognitioninitsaffective,rationalandbehavioraldimensions.Careersmaybeconceptualizedasa
reciprocalinteractionofimagination,narrativebuildingandenactment.Iaminterestedinanindividualscapacityto
generateimagesofmeaningfulwork,understandhowtheseimagescanbecomerealizedinthefullcontextofhisor
herlife,andmovetowardworkrolesandworkenvironmentswheretheseimagesmaybeenacted.Inregardtothis
movingtowardaspect,Ihaveaninterestinsocialcognitivepsychologyand,inparticular,careerselfefficacy.Iam
currentlybeginninganewstudyinthisareawhichwilllookatselfefficacyforcareersatisfaction.

AreasofInterest
careerplanning
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careers
gender
humanresourcemanagement
organizationalbehavior
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