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Steve Childers

Associate Dean, Davis College of Business and Economics/Professor

Business & Economics, Coll of

Address:

Kyle Hall 305
Box 6950

Headshot of Steve Childers

Biography

I serve as Associate Dean and Professor of Management in the Davis College of Business and Economics at Radford University, where I’ve taught since 2004. My courses in entrepreneurship, strategy, and innovation blend academic rigor with real-world application, from business simulations to experiential consulting projects.

My research focuses on the human side of strategy, leadership, and innovation. I’ve published in journals such as Academy of Management Learning & Education, Group & Organization Management, Journal of Management Education, and Journal of Small Business Strategy, with several papers earning Best Paper awards from the Academy of Management and others. I'm especially interested in executive coaching, faculty identity, and small business resilience.

A native of Eastern North Carolina, I’m shaped by a love of family, barbecue, and coaching others—whether students, entrepreneurs, or colleagues. I believe in showing up, doing the work, and lifting others along the way.

Education

  • Ph.D., Concentration in Strategic Studies; Social Issues- Secondary Area; Science and Technology Studies- Minor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA
  • MBA, Concentration in Health Care Administration, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
  • B.S. in Business Administration, Concentration in Marketing, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 

Recent Research and Engagement 

“Inflating grades, deflating futures: A reckoning in management education” with Offstein, E.H., and Dufresne, R.L., Organization Management Journal, Forthcoming.

“Maria’s journey: Can you go home when “home” changes?” With Rice, M., Steidle, S., and Henderson, D.A. Small Business Institute Journal, Forthcoming.

“Love of Place and History: A Contextual Approach to Understanding Entrepreneurship in Rural Regions” with Barber III, D., and Burris, T., Journal of Rural and Community Development, Forthcoming.

“Cultivating courage, cowardice, or complacency? An identity-based perspective on faculty resistance to managerialism” with Chory, R.M., Dufresne, R.L., and Offstein, E.H., Academy of Management Learning & Education, 25(1), 116-133, 2025.

“How executive coaches actually coach: Leveraging a relational lens” with Chory, R.M., Offstein, E.H., and Dufresne, R.L., Human Resources Management Review, 35(1), 2024.

“How Executive Coaches Actually Coach: Leveraging a Relational Lens” with R. Chory, E. Offstein, and R. Dufresne. To be presented at the NCA 110th Annual Convention in November, 2024. Selected as a Training and Development Division “Top Paper.”

"Holding Out for a Hero: The Need for Courage from Business Management Faculty" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne. Academy of Management Conference in August, 2023. Management Education and Development Best Paper Award.

Courses Taught

UNIV 100, Introduction to Higher Education  
MGNT 101, Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurship 
MGNT 240, Social Enterprise 
ENTR/MGNT 250, Entrepreneurship and Innovation 
MGNT 326, Cultural Diversity and International Management 
ENTR/MGNT 350, Owning and Managing a Small Business 
MGNT 428, Business Policy and Strategy 
MGNT 450, Managing New Venture Creation 
MGNT 460, Business & Society 
MGNT 472, Moral Reasoning, Technology and Innovation, Honors Capstone 
MGNT 490, Management Internship 
MGNT 651, Entrepreneurship (graduate) 
MGNT 635, Strategic Innovation (graduate) 
MGNT 671, Applied Projects (graduate) 
MGNT 698, Directed Study (graduate)

Publications-Journals

“Cultivating courage, cowardice, or complacency? An identity-based perspective on faculty resistance to managerialism” with Chory, R.M., Dufresne, R.L., and Offstein, E.H., Academy of Management Learning & Education, 25(1), 116-133, 2025.

“How executive coaches actually coach: Leveraging a relational lens” with Chory, R.M., Offstein, E.H., and Dufresne, R.L., Human Resources Management Review, 35(1), 2024.

“How Executive Coaches Actually Coach: Leveraging a Relational Lens” with R. Chory, E. Offstein, and R. Dufresne. To be presented at the NCA 110th Annual Convention in November, 2024. Selected as a Training and Development Division “Top Paper.”

"Holding Out for a Hero: The Need for Courage from Business Management Faculty" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne. Academy of Management Conference in August, 2023. Management Education and Development Best Paper Award.

“Leveraging the Student Consulting Model to Create a Comprehensive Academic Program” with Barber, D. and Harris, M.L., Small Business Institute Journal. 18(1), 2022. 33-39.

“Providing Boundaries: Social Media's Espoused Values through the Lens of Virtue Ethics” with A. Stanaland and I. Clelland. Journal of Ethical and Legal Issues, 14, 2021, 1-11.

“Preserving innovation and promoting workplace collisions in the age of COVID-19” with A.J.S. Stanaland. In V.S. Sohmen, D.V. Siegfeldt, & M. Ludlum (Eds.), Global Journal of Entrepreneurship, 5 (2021 Special Issue), 101-111.

"Executive Coaching Explored: Toward a Contingency Approach" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne, Journal of Management Development, 39(9/10), 2020, 1041-1056.

"Executive Coaching Explored: Toward a Contingency Approach" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne. Academy of Management Conference in August, 2020. Management Consulting Division Outstanding Field Report Paper Award.

“Dedication, Loyalty, and Passion – Three Overlooked Constructs in the Leadership Literature” with J. Kopf and B. Blaylock, Academy of Business Research Proceedings, 2020. Best Paper Award.

"Let’s Get to the Point: Pragmatic and Pedagogical Lessons on Behavioral Ethics from the United States Military Academy at West Point" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne, Journal of Management Education Special Issue: Behavioral Ethics, 41(4), 2017, 480-496.

“A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Factors Influencing Choice in Volunteering Activities,” with E. Offstein and R. Chory, Competitiveness Review, 25(1), 2015, 74-97.

“Strengthening Reliability in High Hazard Industries: Reconciling Tensions for Impact,” with E. Offstein, R. Kniphuisen and R. Bichy, American Journal of Business, 29(2), 2014, 125-145.

“Rebuilding Reliability: Strategy and Coaching in a High Hazard Industry,” with E. Offstein, R. Kniphuisen and R. Bichy, Journal of Organizational Change Management. 26(3), 2013, 529-555.

“Human Resources Taxonomy Revisited: Conflict, Collaboration, and Implication,” with E. Offstein, G. Harrell-Cook and J. McClellan, Journal of International Business Disciplines, 7(2), 2012, 48-73.

“Reconciling Competing Tensions in Ethical Systems: Lessons from the United States Military Academy at West Point,” with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne, Group & Organization Management, 37(5), 2012, 617-654.

“Developing Business Policy to Enhance Rural Small Business Competitiveness,” with J.B. Shore, and D.A. Henderson, Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 17(1), 2011, 47-64.

“Small Business E-Commerce Adoption Through a Qualitative Lens: Theory and Observation,” with E. Offstein, Journal of Small Business Strategy, 19(1), 2008, 35-53.

“Incommensurability and the Inability of Firms to Evolve: Using Science to Explain Firm Failure,” with J.R. Hunt, Issues in Innovation, 2(1), 2008, 1-21.

“Building Entrepreneurial E-Commerce Competitive Advantage: A Blending of Theory and Practice,” with E. Offstein, Advances in Competitiveness Research, 15(1&2), 2007, 41-53.

“The Engagement of Employees in the Strategy Process and Firm Performance: The Role of Strategic Goals and Environment,” with L.F. Tegarden, Y. Sarason, and D.E. Hatfield, Journal of Business Strategies, 22(2), 2005, 75-99.

“Entrepreneurship and E-commerce: Using Trust to Attain Competitive Advantage,” with E. Offstein and B. Geiger, Competition Forum, 2(1), 2004, 117-126.

“Competitive Environments and Sustained Economic Rents: A Theoretical Examination of Country- Specific Differences within the Pharmaceutical Industry,” with R.L. Simerly and K.E. Bass, International Journal of Management, 19(1), 2002, 89-98.

Publications-Proceedings

“How Executive Coaches Actually Coach: Leveraging a Relational Lens” with R. Chory, E. Offstein, and R. Dufresne. To be presented at the NCA 110th Annual Convention in November, 2024. Selected as a Training and Development Division “Top Paper.”

"Holding Out for a Hero: The Need for Courage from Business Management Faculty" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne. Academy of Management Conference in August, 2023. Management Education and Development Best Paper Award.

"Executive Coaching Explored: Toward a Contingency Approach" with E. Offstein and R. Dufresne. Academy of Management Conference in August, 2020. Management Consulting Division Outstanding Field Report Paper Award.

“Dedication, Loyalty, and Passion – Three Overlooked Constructs in the Leadership Literature” with J. Kopf and B. Blaylock, Academy of Business Research Proceedings, 2020. Best Paper Award.

Honors and Awards

  • Dalton Eminent Scholar Award, Radford University, 2020
  • Outstanding Faculty Award, Davis College of Business and Economics, Radford University, 2016
  • Beta Gamma Sigma Inductee, International Business Honor Society, 2018
  • Litschert Memorial Fellowship for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement, Virginia Tech, 2003
  • Pamplin Graduate Student Teaching Award, Virginia Tech, 2003
  • Jack Hoover Teaching Award, Virginia Tech Department of Management, 2002
  • Phi Kappa Phi, National Honor Society, 2002
  • S.A.M. National Outstanding Advisor, 1996, 2000
  • SBIDA National Case Competition – Multiple Finalist and Runner-Up Awards, 1995–2000 
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