University Directory

C Ken Weidner, PhD

Associate Professor, Haub School of Business
Associate Director, Pedro Arrupe Center

C. Ken Weidner II PhD

Department

Office

Mandeville 355

Phone

610-660-2112
Contact

Ken Weidner is an Associate Professor of Management at Saint Joseph’s University and teaches courses in business ethics, leadership, organization development, and organizational sustainability. His research focuses on effective teaching and learning methods related to business ethics, leadership, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. His discipline-based research focuses on justice in the workplace (living wage policies in U.S. higher education), behavioral professionalism, and power addiction and maladaptive denial among organizational leaders. Dr. Weidner holds a BA in Management with honors from the University of Illinois at Springfield, an MBA in Marketing, Finance, and Strategic Management, and a PhD in Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  He joined the Saint Joseph’s faculty in the fall of 2000 after years of experience consulting with hospitals, health systems, and technology firms.

    • BA University of Illinois at Springfield (1987)
    • MBA University of Illinois at Chicago (1989)
    • PhD University of Illinois at Chicago (1997)

  • Teaching Experience

    • Saint Joseph's University Associate Professor of Management, 2025 - present
    • Saint Joseph's University Assistant Professor of Management, 2000 - 2025
    • Loyola University Chicago, Center for Organization Development Assistant Professor of Organization Development, 1996 - 2000
    • University of Illinois at Chicago Communication Department, Teaching Assistant; Department of Management, Teaching Assistant, Visiting Lecturer, 1996-2000
    • Lake Forest Graduate School of Management Lecturer, Adjunct Professor, 1993 - 1996
    • Robert Morris College (Chicago) Adjunct Faculty, 1993 - 1994

    Business Experience

    • ValueWorks, Inc. President and Director of Practice, 1996 - present
    • University of Chicago Hospitals, UCH Academy Organization Development/Management Development Specialist, 1993-1996
    • Management House, Inc. Vice President, 1989 - 1993
    • Burger King Corporation Assistant Manager, Assistant Manager I, Restaurant Manager, Area Recruiter, 1980 - 1989
    • Weidner II, C. K. (2025). “We Are Seahorses”: A classroom thought experiment to explore the social construction of gender roles. Management Teaching Review, 10(2), 174–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/23792981241253530 [Published online 3 June 2024]
    • Weidner II, C. K. & Lvina, E. (2023). Teaching ethics with Business Grand Rounds: Reimagining student-written cases using Ignatian pedagogy. Journal of Jesuit Business Education, 14(1), 15-41. Winner, 2023 JJBE Best Paper Award.
    • Weidner II, C. K. (2023). Development and application of the Just Employment Policy Assessment in American higher education institutions. Journal of Education Human Resources, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.3138/JEHR-2021-0034 [Published online 24 March 2022]
    • Weidner II, C. K., & Lvina, E. (2021). Business Grand Rounds: A roadmap to using student cases for problem-based learning. Teaching Note (115 pp.). IgnitEd. www.ignited.global/case/business-and-management/business-grand-rounds-roadmap-using-student-cases-problem-based [Published online 6 September 2021]
    • Weidner II, C. K. & Nelson, L. A. T. (2020). The role of power-addiction and maladaptive denial in the U.S. federal COVID-19 response. International Journal of Public Leadership, 17(1), 19-38. https://doi: 10.1108/IJPL-09-2020-0091
    • Weidner II, C. K. (2020). Is it just work?: Exploring living wages in American Jesuit higher education. Journal of Jesuit Business Education, 11(1): 54-88.
    • Weidner II, C. K. (2019). The case for behavioral professionalism in leadership. In A. Ortenblad (Ed.), Professionalizing leadership: Debating education, certification and practice, pp. 161-180. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
    • Weidner II, C. K., & Purohit, Y. P. (2009). When power has leaders: Some indicators of power-addiction among organizational leaders. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 13(1): 83-99.
    • Joshi, M., Davis, E. B., Kathuria, R., & Weidner II, C. K. (2005). Experiential learning process: Exploring teaching and learning of strategic management framework through the winter survival exercise. Journal of Management Education. 29(5), 83-99.
    • Weidner II, C. K. (2004). A brand in dire straits: Organization development at sixty. Organization Development Journal, 22(2), 37-47.
    • Weidner II, C. K., & Kass, E. E. (2002). Toward a theory of management consulting: A proposed model and its implications. In A. F. Buono (Ed.), Developing knowledge and value in management consulting (Research in Management Consulting, 2, 169-207. Greenwich CT: Information Age Publishing.
    • Weidner II, C. K., & Kulick, O. A. (1999). The professionalization of organization development: A status report and look to the future. In W. A. Pasmore & R. W. Woodman (Eds.), Research in Organizational Change and Development, 12 (pp. 319-371). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
    • Weidner II, C. K. (1999). "It's ten o'clock - do you know where your sponsors are?": Securing and sustaining sponsorship for organization change. Organization Development Journal, 17(1), 85-94.
    • Weidner II, C. K. (1998). The physician-patient metaphor reconsidered: Reassessing the nature and practice of organization development. Organization Development Practitioner, 30(2), 51-60.
    • Klein, A. S., Masi, R. J., & Weidner II, C. K. (1995). Organization culture, distribution and amount of control and perceptions of quality: An empirical study of linkages. Group and Organization Management, 20(2), 122-148.

  • External Grants

    • Adapting and Adopting a Student-Written Case Method to a Global Context: A North-South Collaborative Proposal to Advance the Inspirational Paradigm for Jesuit Business Education (co-proposer with E. Lvina, M. Mosquera, and R. Flores), International Association of Jesuit Universities, The Inspirational Paradigm for Jesuit Business Education: Summer 2024–Spring 2025.
    • Business Grand Rounds: A roadmap to using student cases for problem-based learning (co-proposer with E. Lvina), International Association of Jesuit Universities, The Inspirational Paradigm for Jesuit Business Education: May–August, 2021.

    External Awards

    • Best Paper Award (with Elena Lvina), Journal of Jesuit Business Education (2023)
    • Lvina, E., & Weidner II, C. K. (2022, August). Creating better leaders through student cases and problem-based learning. Professional Development Workshop. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Seattle. Winner, Management Education and Development Division Best Professional Development Workshop Award.
    • Weidner II, C. K., & Lvina, E. (2017, October). “I have a situation!”: Integrating theory, practice, and experience through “Executive Grand Rounds.” Graduate Innovative Teaching Award, Presented at the Mid-Atlantic Association of Colleges of Business Administration (MAACBA), Philadelphia.
    • Academy of Management, Management Consulting Division Outstanding Reviewer Award (2004, 2005).
    • Weidner II, C. K., & Purohit, Y. S. (2003, March). Denial and organizations: A theoretical exploration. Proceedings of the International Applied Business Research Conference, Acapulco, Mexico. Winner, Best Paper Award.
    • American Society for Training and Development Dissertation Award Winner (1997).
    • University of Chicago Hospital's UCH Academy: Best Practices Award by American Society of Healthcare Human Resources Administration/American Hospital Association (1996).
    • Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Wherry Award Nominee (1995).
    • Association for Corporate Growth Scholar's Award Winner (1989).

    Internal Grants (SJU)

    • “Ethical Implications of AI” Faculty Development Initiative (Summer 2024).
    • Michael J. Morris Grant for Scholarly Research (Summer 2023).
    • Summer Research Grant (2022).
    • Ethics Across the MBA Curriculum Fellowship (December 2020–January 2021).
    • Sabbatical Research Grant, (2019–20).
    • Business Ethics Research Fellowship, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Center for Business Ethics (2018–19).
    • Teaching Innovation Fund Grant, Saint Joseph’s University (2014)
    • Faculty Development Fellowships, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Center for Business Ethics, Saint Joseph’s University (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023, and 2024).
    • Ethics Across the Curriculum Fellowship, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Center for Business, Saint Joseph’s University (2007).

    Internal Awards (SJU)

    • Faculty Merit Award for Advising (2021–22).
    • Sigma Alpha Nu, Jesuit Honor Society (2016).
    • Faculty Merit Award for Teaching (2013-14).
    • Faculty Merit Award for Advising (2007-08).