Gertrude I. Hewapathirana

Meet Professor Hewapathirana

Years at Knox: 2024 to present

Dr. Hewapathirana’s professional interests encompass teaching, research, and service. As an educator, her philosophy centers on inspiring students to become lifelong learners and critical thinkers. She firmly believes in the transformative power of one individual to make meaningful change. Guided by this belief, she is passionate about developing innovative, future-oriented courses that respond to the evolving demands of the global landscape.

While her primary areas of expertise are related to Business, Strategic Management, and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Hewapathirana actively seeks opportunities to expand her teaching portfolio. Since joining Knox College, she has designed and taught new courses beyond her core specialization, including BUS 395: International Business and a unique course on The Creative Advantage of Cultural Diversity, Ethics, CSR, and Innovation. She plans to develop a new course titled Technology and Innovation Strategy to further enhance students' preparedness for the dynamic business environment.

Dr. Hewapathirana’s research interests are diverse and interdisciplinary, with a strong focus on global business strategy, entrepreneurship, women in development, women of color in leadership, and the role of artificial intelligence in business innovation. She is currently engaged in several research projects. These include an investigation into The Creative Advantage of Cultural Diversity in Innovation, Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Business, and a study on Women of Color in Leadership Positions. Dr. Hewapathirana serves as an editor and a reviewer for several journals, including the International Journal of Entrepreneurship, and as a track chair, reviewer, and author for the Academy of HRD and the Academy of Management for several years. She is also an active mentor for the Global Mentoring Program organized by the AHRD South Asia Special Interest Groups.

Dr. Hewapathirana is deeply committed to community and social development. She has taken leadership roles in various community initiatives, such as spearheading efforts to rebuild homes for those affected by the tsunami disaster. At present, she is actively mentoring students in conducting research aimed at publication and is an active member of the Global Mentoring Program of the AHRD, fostering both academic excellence and real-world impact.

Education

Ph.D., 2009, Human Resources/International Business Strategy, University of Minnesota
M.A., 2006, Comparative International Development, University of Minnesota
MSc., 2004, Scientific & Technical Communication, University of Minnesota
M.B.A., 1992, Business Administration, Postgraduate Institute of Management, Sri Jayewardenepura University, Sri Lanka
International Business and Marketing Specialization, 1998, Hubert Humphrey International Fellow, University of Minnesota
B. A. Economics, 1990, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Teaching Interests

Global Business Strategy, Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Business Ethics, Marketing, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), International Business, Organizational Development, Human Resource Development (HRD), and the Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Business.

Selected Professional Accomplishments

Research expertise: Competent in teaching quantitative and qualitative research methods: Statistics, Ethnography, Case Study, Phenomenology, Grounded Theory, and Foundations of Inquiry.

Before joining Knox College, Dr. Hewapathirana served as the Head of the Internal Review Board (Ethics Committee), College Strategy Development, and Research and Development committees at the Gulf University of Science and Technology, Kuwait.

Editorial Board member: International Journal of Entrepreneurship

Websites:

ORCIDID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8373-8718

Scopus Author ID: 57133112600

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gertrude-hewapathirana-4322475/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=d4HyNCcAAAAJ&hl=en

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gertrude-Hewapathirana-2

PUBLICATIONS:

SELECTED JOURNAL ARTICLES:

Ouakouak, M. L; Ouedraogo, N; Hewapathirana, G. I.; Zaitouni, M. (2025). Role of leaders’ positive mindset in mitigating the effects of crises on organizations: The case of Canadian organizations. PloS one 20 (3), e0319931 Ranking Q1.

Zaitouni, M., Hewapathirana, G. I., Mostafa, M., Al Hajj, R., ElMelegy, A.R. (2024). Work-Life Balance: A Landscape Mapping of Two Decades of Scholarly Research, Heliyon,10(14),
Doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34084 Ranking Q1.

Ouakouak, M. L., Al-Buloushi, N., Ouedraogo, N., & Hewapathirana, G. I. (2024). Examination of the relationship between competitive work environment and employees’ openness to knowledge sharing. Global Journal of Business, Economics and Management: Current Issues, 14(1), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.18844/gjbem.v14i1.9370 Rank Q2.

Ouedraogo, N., Ouakouak, M. L., Hewapathirana, G. I. (2023). Leaders' political skills and organizational change. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 42, (1)
https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22216 Ranking Q1.

Almasri, F., Hewapathirana, G. I., Fatimah Alhashem, Cathy E. Daniel & Nick Lee (2022): The effect of gender composition and pedagogical approach on major and non-major undergraduates’ biology students’ achievement, Interactive Learning Environments,
DOI: 10.1080/10494820.2022.2066138 Ranking Q1
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2066138

Wijeratna, M. P., Hewapathirana, G. I. (2022). Hidden stories behind global love”: Acculturative and social integration challenges of marriage migrant women in South Korea, International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 89, 111-123. Ranking Q1.

Wijeratna, M. P., Hewapathirana, G. I. (2022). What drives? What restrains? Hidden dynamics of knowledge transfer from Buddhist male managers to female trainees. South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases. 11(3), 1205-1225. Ranking Q4
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/22779779221126107

Almasri, F., Hewapathirana, G. I., Alhashem, F, Lee, N., & Ibrahim, B. (2021). Measuring Students’ attitudes towards Biology Major and Non-Major: Effect of gender, group composition, and learning environment. PLOS ONE Journal 16(5): e0251453.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251453 Ranking Q1.

Wijeratna, M. P., Hewapathirana, G. I. (2019). An interplay between Sri Lankan employees and South Korean employers: Conflicting priorities, attitudes, and cross-cultural perceptions in a 3-D workplace, Journal of Business Diversity, 19(2), 123-138.

Park, S., Chaudhuri, S., Hewapathirana, G. I., Johnson, K., & Bowen, M. (2016). An analysis of award-winning refereed articles from the journals sponsored by the Academy of Human Resource Development. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 15, 169-176. DOI:10.1002/hrdq.21251. Ranking Q1.

Cho, Y., McLean, G. N., Chang, W., Hewapathirana, G. I., Horimoto, M., Lee, M. M., Lee, J., Manikoth, N. N., Othman, J., Hamzah, S. R. (2015). Asian women in top management: Eight Country cases. Human Resource Development International, 18(4), 407-428. Ranking Q2.

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2014). Bridging, bonding and linking global entrepreneurs: the case of Sri Lanka, Human Resource Development International, 17 (2), 164-182. Ranking Q2.

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2013). Global entrepreneurs: Values that matter. Human Resource development International Journal, Taylor & Francis, 15(4), 489-499.
dx.doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2012.690970 Ranking Q2.

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2012). Organizational leader’s social identity: A basis for employer-employee motivation in small organizations in Sri Lanka. Human Resource Development International Journal, 15(4), 489-499. Ranking Q2.

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2011). The role of social identity in internationalization of women owned small business in Sri Lanka. Journal of Asian Business Studies, 5(2), 173-193. Ranking Q2.

Books and Book Chapters

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2010). Internationalization of small business: Multiple cases of successful small business managers in Sri Lanka, VDM Verlag Dr. Müller E.K. ISBN 978-3-639-23781-8.

Hewapathirana, G. I. & Almasri, F. (2022). Active Learning Compared with Lecture-based Pedagogies in Gender and Socio-cultural Context Specific Major and Nonmajor Biology Classes, pp 293-319. Ed Keengwe, J., Handbook of Research on Active Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education, IGI Global Publishers.

Johnson, K R., Hewapathirana, G. I. & Bowen, M. M. (2022, September). Faculty Development for Online Teaching, In Eds Khosrow, M et al., The Research Anthology on Remote Teaching and Learning and the Future of Online Education IGI Global Publisher pp 554-569 release date September 2022. Published by Information Resources Management Association. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-7540-9.ch028
https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/faculty-development-for-online-teaching/312744

Hewapathirana, G. I. & Almasri, F. (2021). Talent Development Challenges and Opportunities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Boundaryless Career Theory Perspectives. In edited book: Fourth Industrial Revolution and Business Dynamics: Issues and Implications, Palgrave Macmillan. Pp 287-320.

Johnson, K. R., Hewapathirana, G. I., Bowen, M. M. (2018). Faculty Development for Online Teaching. In J. S. Keengwe (Ed.). Handbook of Research on Virtual Training and Mentoring of Online Instructors. IGI Global Disseminator of Knowledge. ISBN13: 9781522563228. In Press. https://www.igi-global.com/book/handbook-research-virtual-training-mentoring/199832

Chaudhuri, S., Park, S., Hewapathirana, G. I., (2018). Indian women in Asian context. I Cho, Y., Ghosh, R., Sun, J.Y., McLean, G.N. (Eds.). Current Perspectives on Asian Women in Leadership: A Cross Cultural Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan, 978-3-319-54995-8 ISBN 978-3-319-54995-8. In Press. https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319549958

Pandey, S., Hewapathirana, G. I. & Dinyar, M. Pestonjee (2016). Human Resource Development in South Asia. In T. N. Garavan; Alma Mc Cathy; & Michael Morley (Eds.). Global Human Resource Development: Regional and Country Perspectives.
Rutledge Publishers. ISBN -13:978-0-415-73722.
https://www.amazon.com/Global-Human-Resource-Development-
Perspectives/dp/0415737222

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2012). Book Reviewed: Kramer, M. B. (2010). Organizational Socialization: Joining and Leaving Organizations. Journal of Work, Employment and Society, 26(2), 336-337.

Selected Conference Presentations

Ferreira dos Reas, G., Hewapathirana, G. I., Ghosh, R. (2025). Rethinking Effective Intervention for Women of Color (WOC) through the lenses of critical HRD: A literature review. Academy of Human Resource Development Conference Proceedings in America, Feb 19-21, 2025.

AlBuloushi, N., Ouedraogo, N., Ouakouak, M. L., Hewapathirana, G.I. (2024). Examination of the Role of Competitive Work Environment in Enhancing Employees’ Openness to Share Knowledge. Academy of Management Proceedings 2024 (1), 12835.

Hewapathirana, G. I., Al Hajj, R. ElMelegy, A. R., Moustafa, M., Nguyen L. (2024). A Bibliometric Analysis of Four Decades of Artificial Intelligence in Human Resources Research
Academy of Management Proceedings 2024 (1), 16248.

Hewapathirana, G. I. (2024). A Bibliometric Analysis of Artificial Intelligence in Human Resources. Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in America, Proceedings, February 19-21.

Hewapathirana, G. I., AlHejji, H., Mahenthiran, S. (2024). Entrepreneurial Orientation and Firm Performance in Saudi Arabian Firms: An Empirical Study. Academy of Human Resource Development in America, Proceedings, February 18-20, 2024.

Hewapathirana, G. I., Moustafa, M., Zaitouni, M. Al Hajj, R. ElMelegy, R.A. (2023). Work-life Balance: A Landscape Mapping of Two Decades of Scholarly Research Academy of Management Proceedings 2023 (1), 15321.

Ouedraogo, N., Ouakouak, M. L. & Hewapathirana, G. I. (2022). The Role of Leadership Political Skills in the Context of Organizational Change. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2022 (1), 10654.

Wijeratna, M. P., Hewapathirana, G. I. (2021). South Asian Women’s Views on Leadership, Academy of Human Resources Development, Proceedings, Feb 17-19.

Wijeratna, M. P., Hewapathirana, G. I. (2021). Women’s Views on Working with Women, Academy of Human Resources Development Proceedings, Feb 17-19.