In memoriam: David P. Lepak

• Author: Scott A. Snell,Riki Takeuchi
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21908
• Published date: 01 January 2018
• Date: 01 January 2018

IN MEMORIAM

In memoriam: David P. Lepak

Scott A. Snell | Riki Takeuchi

It is with tremendous sadness that we mourn the loss of our friend

and colleague, David P. Lepak. Dave died suddenly on December

7, 2017, at the age of 46. Dave was the Berthiaume Endowed Chair

of Business Leadership at the Isenberg School of Management at the

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and one of the true global

thought leaders in the field of strategic human resource management

(HRM). He leaves behind a legacy of personal and professional contri-

butions that extend well beyond his short time with us.

From the earliest stage of his career, even as a graduate student,

Dave had perspective, insight, and “traction”—the ability to get things

done—that distinguished him among his peers. In his unassuming

way, he challenged us to approach research not only to help organi-

zations manage human resources (HR) more effectively, but to help

them approach strategy more effectively. Our research on HR archi-

tecture was designed to frame how firms use multiple configurations

of human capital, employment options, and HR practices to improve

strategic capability and performance.

Throughout his career, Dave continued to encourage the profes-

sion to think more expansively about what it means to manage

human resources strategically. He was among the first to study

empirically how employee skills, motivation, and behavior mediate

the HR–firm performance relationship. Dave also advocated the use

of multilevel theories and methods in strategic HRM research, partic-

ularly the cross-level influence of human resource systems on individ-

ual outcomes. Dave was a prolific researcher, respected and admired

by his peers. By one estimate, he collaborated with over 80 different

scholars in his short career. For his work, he received numerous acco-

lades and prestigious research awards, including the Academy of

Management’s Scholarly Achievement Award and the International

HRM Scholarly Research Award.

Dave also had a profound effect on his graduate students, many

of whom were inspired by him as a teacher and scholar, but also by

his willingness to take a chance on them, encourage them, and treat

them as equals. His PhD seminars embodied Dave’s brilliance, wit,

and energy, which is why so many students sought him out. Dave

was generous with his time and set an example of what it means to

be a mentor and advisor. The success of his students is a testament

to his capacity to work collaboratively with students and develop a

new generation of scholars.

Dave’s impact on the field will continue well after his passing.

His body of work includes edited volumes and more than 60 papers

in top-tier journals, and that work continues to be cited as founda-

tional for today’s strategic HRM research. His book on managing the

global workforce is considered a “must read”for international HR

professionals, and his textbook of strategic HRM is considered as a

useful “reference throughout one’s professional career.”Dave’s ser-

vice to the profession is extensive; he was the Associate Editor for

the Academy of Management Review and Editor-in-Chief for Interna-

tional Journal of Human Resource Management. He was the immediate

past chair of the HR Division of the Academy of Management

(AOM). As a master teacher, he gave over 60 speeches and presenta-

tions in a variety of organizations and developed and taught 26 differ-

ent HRM courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels in four

universities. He held academic appointments at Penn State (where he

earned his PhD), the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, Uni-

versity of Bath, and University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Perhaps most importantly, Dave was a dedicated husband and

father and is survived by his wife, Ellen, and their four children. He

was, above everything else, a warm, kind, and positive person. One of

our colleagues said it very well: “In the many years we’ve known him,

no one has ever said a negative word about Dave.”He was that kind

of guy and had that kind of impact on us. We will miss Dave dearly,

and our hope, first and foremost, is that his family can see what a

great scholar (researcher and teacher) their father was (in addition to

being a great dad) and the impact he has had on people’s lives. In

addition, we hope that we can keep his positive outlook in life and

the lessons he sought to teach us all—to constantly challenge our-

selves and our own thinking with a sense of humor, and be a role

model for others by a willingness to go the extra mile so that the pro-

fession we are in can thrive and flourish.

DAVID P. LEPAK: REPRESENTATIVE

PUBLICATIONS

HRM articles

Jiang, K., Hu, J., Liu, S., & Lepak, D. P. (2017). Understanding employees’

perceptions of human resource practices: Effects of demographic

DOI: 10.1002/hrm.21908

Hum Resour Manage. 2018;57:411–412. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrm © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 411