Lawrence Hrebiniak, Management
Lawrence (Larry) Hrebiniak, an emeritus associate professor in the Wharton School’s department of management, passed away on January 18. He was 78.
Dr. Hrebiniak was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He received an AB in economics from Cornell University in 1964, then an MBA in strategic management in 1968 and a PhD in management three years later, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Hrebiniak worked for several years in various positions at Ford Motor Company, including as a district field manager, before embarking on a career in academia. He lectured at SUNY Buffalo and Penn State, then joined Wharton’s faculty in 1976 as an associate professor of management, receiving tenure in 1980. He taught courses in competitive strategy and strategy implementation in the Wharton MBA and Executive Education programs.
Over the years, he received several awards for teaching excellence, including the Core Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Wharton MBA Program (2008) and the Wharton School’s Anvil Award for Teaching (1979, 1981, 1985, 1988-1989, 1994-1996). Dr. Hrebiniak published five books during his career, most notably Implementing Strategy with co-author William F. Joyce (1984) and Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change (2005, with a second edition published in 2013). In 2013, he retired from Penn and took emeritus status.
“Larry deeply believed in the importance of strategy for business success, and he wanted to make sure that his students understood that, too. That’s why he put so much heart and soul into his work,” Wharton Dean Erika James said in an online tribute. “He left an indelible mark on this school, and we honor his memory.”
“He was very kind with everyone, especially new faculty and staff,” said Nicolaj Sigglekow, a professor of management. “He certainly made me feel very welcome when I started out as a new assistant professor. He gave me a number of very valuable tips for teaching in the MBA classroom and how to structure my class. He was foremost a team player, where the ‘team’ was the management department. He was always engaged and ever-present in his office and at every departmental event, be it academic or social.”
Outside of Penn, Dr. Hrebiniak served as president of the organization and management theory division of the Academy of Management. He was a reviewer and member of the editorial review boards of several academic and professional management journals, including a lengthy tenure at Administrative Science Quarterly. For two years, he was one of four Wharton faculty providing commentaries on the “Wharton Management Report,” a program that appeared daily on national television on the Financial News Network. From 1988 to 2010, he appeared in business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma’s “Who’s Who in Business” listing.
Dr. Hrebiniak was an avid sportsman who loved the outdoors, fly fishing, and golf. He was drafted out of high school to play professional baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, but he chose college instead. He played football and baseball while at SUNY-Buffalo and Cornell.
Dr. Hrebiniak is survived by his son, Justin; his brother, Greg; and two nephews.
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