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Department of Organizational Leadership
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Michael Kirchner, Ph.D.
 

Michael Kirchner, Ph.D.

Michael Kirchner, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Director of Organizational Leadership at Purdue University-Fort Wayne (PFW), where he teaches courses in the areas of human resources and organizational behavior. His research exploring veteran career transitions, military leader development, and employee onboarding has been published in numerous journals and books including Human Resource Development Quarterly, Advances in Developing Human Resources, Organization Management, New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, and Industrial and Commercial Training. Kirchner has a Ph.D. in adult and continuing education with an emphasis on human resource development and a master’s degree in administrative leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Dr. Kirchner frequently consults for organizations seeking to address staffing issues or improve employee training and satisfaction while concurrently providing leadership development workshops and leadership coaching to clients. Dr. Kirchner is a Veteran of the US Army National Guard after having served in Baghdad, Iraq from 2004-2005.

Michael Kirchner speaks at Military Appreciation Day at Purdue Fort Wayne
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Courses Taught

  • OLS 252--Human Relations in Organizations
  • OLS 375--Training Methods
  • OLS 475--Human Resource Development
  • OLS 515--Foundations of Human Resources
  • OLS 555--Workforce Planning and Employment
  • OLS 565--Employee Relations
  • TLI 253--Principles of Technology Strategy
  • TLI 254--Leading Change in Technology Organizations
  • ADLSHP 607--Coordination of Staff Development and Training

 

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

  • Figueroa, M., Jordan, J., & Kirchner, M. J. (2025). Application of person-organization fit to military veterans. Organization Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/OMJ-05-2024-2182
  • Koudsia, S., & Kirchner, M. (2024). Reducing cognitive overload for students in higher education: A course design case study. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 24(10). https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v24i10.
  • Kirchner, M. (2024). Three portrayals of military veterans: Implications for their career transitions. Journal of Veterans Studies 10(3), 57-63.
  • Caldwell, C., & Kirchner, M. (2022). Humility as self-discovery—Leadership insights for human resource professionals. Business and Management Research, 10(3).
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Yelich Biniecki, S. (2022). Learning to navigate a global pandemic from military training. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 34(2), 16-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/nha3.20356
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Stull, F. (2021). Employee onboarding and satisfaction in manufacturing companies. Industrial and Commercial Training, 54(2), 267-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-06-2021-0044
  • Kirchner, M. J., & London, M. (2021). The co-created classroom: Enhancing students’ professional identity through a teaching apprentice assignment. College Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2021.1915235
  • Kirchner, M. J., Stull, F., & Holloway, K. (2021). Perceptions and practices of military friendly organizations. Journal of Veterans Studies, 7(1), 1-13.
  • Kirchner, M. J., Minnis, S. E., & Hunter-Johnson, Y. (2020). Editor’s notes. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2020 (166), 5-10.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Pepper, S. (2020). Student veteran engagement in online education. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2020 (166), 93-108.
  • Kirchner, M. J., Stull, F., & Minnis, S. (2020). A guide for training organizations to promote veteran friendly practices. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2020 (166), 161-174.
  • Stull, F., Herd, A., & Kirchner, M. J. (2020). Learning challenges faced by transitioning servicemembers: Voices of military transition counselors. Journal of Military Learning, April, 36-56.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2019). Exploring inclusion of leadership development into new employee orientations: A proposed approach from Army leader development. Organizational Management Journal. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/15416518.2019.1618694.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2019). Exploring the applications of the U.S. Army leader development model in non-military organizations: Implications for human resource development. Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 19(3).
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Yelich Biniecki, S. (2019). Student veteran career pathways: A proposed framework for higher education. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 31(2), 27-40.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2019). An empirical investigation of the acquisition of leadership KSAs in the U.S. Army: Implications for veterans’ career transitions. Journal of Veterans Studies, 4(1), 110-127.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Schmidt, G. (2018). Applying structured on-the-job training in a live setting: An example from a TEDx event^. Journal of Human Resources Education, 12(4), 1-12.
  • Akdere, M., Hickman, L., & Kirchner, M. J. (2018). Developing leadership competencies for STEM fields: The case of Purdue polytechnic leadership academy. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 21(1) 49-71.
  • Kirchner, M. J., Minnis, S. (2018). Engaging military friendly in organizations: An empirical-based definition. Journal of Veterans Studies, 3(2), 94-108.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & O’Connor, K. (2018). Incorporating reflection exercises to identify soft skills in Army education^. Journal of Military Learning, 2, 47-57.
  • Kirchner, M. J. (2018). Veteran as leader: The lived experience with Army leader development. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 29(3), 67-85.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2017). Military leadership development strategies in commercial training: Implications for technology and innovation. Industrial and Commercial Training Journal 49(7/8), 357-364.
  • Kirchner, M. J. (2015). Supporting student veteran transition to college and academic success. Adult Learning, 26(3), 116-123.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2014). Examining leadership development in the U. S. Army within the human resource development context: Implications for security and defense strategies. Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, 26(3), 351-369.
  • Kirchner, M. J., Coryell, L., & Yelich Biniecki, S. (2014). Promising practices for engaging student veterans. Quality in Higher Education Journal, 5(1), 12-18.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Akdere, M. (2014). Leadership development programs: An integrated review of literature. The Journal of Knowledge Economy and Knowledge Management, IX, 137-146.

 

Book Chapters & Case Studies

  • Kirchner, M., & Yelich-Biniecki, S. (2025). The cyclical process of teaching excellence: Reflections from two professors’ development of pedagogical competence.
  • Kirchner, M., & Vick, M. (2025). Leadership education in military studies. In J. P. Dugan, S. E. Patterson, & K. C. Skendall (Eds.), Handbook for leadership education & impact.
  • Kirchner, M. J. & Minnichiello, A. (2024). Identifying a veteran friendly organization. In Y. Hunter-Johnson, T. Ros, & M. Alfred (Eds.), Military veterans transitioning to higher education and the civilian workforce: Challenges, opportunities, supports, and resources.
  • Minnichiello, A. & Kirchner, M. J. (2024). At war with ourselves: Academic professional identity development in the aftermath of military service. In M. Abdulghani & K. Myint (Eds.), Professional identity development: Continuing and enhancing professionalism in higher education.
  • Minnis, S., Huyler, D., & Kirchner, M. J. (2024). The essentialness of scholar practitioners. In T. Rocco, M. L. Morris, & R. Poell (Eds.), 2024 handbook of human resource development.
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Yelich Biniecki, S. (2024). The future of employee onboarding. In T. Rocco, M. L. Morris, & R. Poell (Eds.), 2024 Handbook of human resource development.
  • Kirchner, M. J. (2023). Jake Jackson's first day [case study]. In K. McDonald and L. Hite, Career development: A human resource development perspective (2nd ed.).
  • Kirchner, M. J. (2023). The new training specialist [case study]. In K. McDonald and L. Hite, Career development: A human resource development perspective (2nd ed.).
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Herd, A. (2021). Supporting the National Guard and Reservists as Civilian Employees. In N. D. Ainspan & K. N. Saboe (Eds.), Military veteran employment: A guide for the data-driven leader. Oxford University Press.
  • S. Minnis, & Kirchner, M. J. (2021). Veteran experts: Transitioning military expertise into civilian work. In M. Germain & R. Grenier (Eds.), Expertise at work. Palgrave Macmillan, Cam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64371-3_5
  • Kirchner, M. J., & Minnis, S. (2019). College majors: Leading you to employment. In D. Vacchi (Ed.), Straight talk for veterans: A guide to transitioning into higher education and the civilian workplace. Waxhaw, NC: Bookbaby.
  • Minnis, S., & Kirchner, M. J. (2019). Resources for academic success. In D. Vacchi (Ed.), Straight talk for veterans: A guide to transitioning into higher education and the civilian workplace. Waxhaw, NC: Bookbaby.