ABERDEEN, S.D. – Dr. Sal Villegas, Northern assistant professor of management, had three papers published in highly ranked business journals.
Two, which were co-authored, are being published in the Journal of Management History: "Business Process Reengineering Leadership: Princes of Machiavelli" and "Emerging from the chaos of Management Theory Jungle: A historical analysis of the development of the four principles of management."
Villegas co-wrote “The Lived Experiences of Individuals with High-Functioning Autism During the Job Interview Process: A Phenomenological Study” with two other researchers, which was published in the Journal of Employment Counseling.
Faculty research plays an important role in education.
“It gives way for faculty to stay up to date in their field and convey it in the classroom, ensuring students are receiving the latest knowledge and trends when they graduate,” said Sara Schmidt, interim dean of business and associate professor of accounting.
Villegas worked with contacts and friends he made during his graduate studies and academic conference affiliations. Although he hasn’t previously published with these journals, two of his co-authors have.
“We regularly find an interesting topic, do some initial research, then invite others in as collaborators,” Villegas said.
Each paper took about a year to finish, from inception to conference presentation, then publication. The process went as smoothly as could be expected, Villegas said.
“There are always struggles with reviewers, but this is par for the course,” he said. “The peer review process is meant to make papers stronger in the fields of theoretical research and practical application.”
Villegas is currently working on two other papers.
“One discusses the return on investment of sustainability practices within the global energy sector,” Villegas said. “The other deals with situational leadership as the preeminent leadership style for working with high functioning autistic adults.”
Although most faculty are required to conduct research, the amount varies.
“The amount of research Sal has done and continues to do is above and beyond,” said Schmidt.