Michael Bednar

Michael Bednar

Associate Professor of Business Administration and Director of Experiential Learning and Robert & Karen May Faculty Fellow

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Biography

Michael Bednar is an Associate Professor of Business Administration, Academic Director of Experiential Learning, and Robert & Karen May Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His primary research interests include corporate governance, executive leadership, and the relationship between organizations and the media. He joined the University of Illinois in 2008 after receiving his PhD in strategic management from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds a BS from Brigham Young University, graduating cum laude in 2002. Bednar has received numerous teaching awards, including the Gies College of Business Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2019 and the Dean’s Impact Award in 2018. He serves on the editorial review boards for Strategic Management Journal and for Academy of Management Journal.

Contact

4062 Business Instructional Facility

515 Gregory Dr

Champaign, IL 61820

217-244-0330

mkbednar@illinois.edu

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Listings

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Strategic Management, University of Texas at Austin, 2008
  • B.S., Cum Laude, Accounting, Brigham Young University, 2002

Positions Held

  • Academic Director of Experiential Learning, Business Administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019 to present
  • Associate Professor, University of Illinois, 2016 to present
  • Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, 2008-2016

Recent Publications

  • Bednar, M., Westphal, J., & McDonald, M. (2022). Birds of a feather flock (even more) together: An intergroup relations perspective on how #MeToo-related media coverage affects the evaluation of prospective corporate directors. Strategic Management Journal, 43 (11), 2313-2350.

Other Publications

Articles

  • Love, E., Lim, J., & Bednar, M. (2017). The face of the firm: The influence of CEOs on corporate reputation. Academy of Management Journal, 60 (4), 1462-1481.
  • Boivie, S., Bednar, M., & Aguilera Vaques, R. (2017). Why is it so hard for boards to govern? The Corporate Board, 38 (222), 16-20.
  • Bednar, M. (2016). Overcoming barriers to effective board oversight. CGMA Magazine, 40-43.
  • Boivie, S., Bednar, M., & Andrus, J. (2016). Boards Aren't the Right Way to Monitor Companies. Harvard Business Review (online).
  • Boivie, S., Bednar, M., Aguilera Vaques, R., & Andrus, J. (2016). Are boards designed to fail?: The implausibility of effective board monitoring. Academy of Management Annals, 10 (1), 319-407.
  • Bednar, M., Love, E., & Kraatz, M. (2015). Paying the price? The impact of controversial governance practices on managerial reputation. Academy of Management Journal, 58 (6), 1740-1760.
  • Boivie, S., Bednar, M., & Barker, S. (2015). Social Comparison and Reciprocity in Director Compensation. Journal of Management, 41 (6), 1578-1604.
  • Aguilera Vaques, R., Desender, K., Bednar, M., & Lee, J. (2015). Connecting the Dots: Bringing External Corporate Governance into the Corporate Governance Puzzle. Academy of Management Annals, 9 (1), 483-573.
  • Bednar, M., Boivie, S., & Prince, N. (2013). Burr under the saddle: How media coverage influences strategic change. Organization Science, 24 (3), 910-925.
  • Bednar, M. (2012). Watchdog or lapdog? A behavioral view of the media as a corporate governance mechanism. Academy of Management Journal, 55 (1), 131-150.
  • Westphal, J., & Bednar, M. (2008). The pacification of institutional investors. Administrative Science Quarterly, 53 29-72.
  • Westphal, J., & Bednar, M. (2005). Pluralistic Ignorance in Corporate Boards and Firms' Strategic Persistence in Response to Low Firm Performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 50 262-298.

Book Chapters

  • Bednar, M. (2017). The Role of the Media in Corporate Governance. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management.
  • Bednar, M., & Westphal, J., David Ketchen and Donald Bergh (Ed.) (2006). Surveying the Corporate Elite: Theoretical and Practical Guidance on Improving Response Rates and Response Quality in Top Management Survey Questionnaires. Research Methodology in Strategy and Management, Volume 3 ( pp. 37-55). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Conference Proceedings

  • Bednar, M., Love, E., & Kraatz, M. (2011). The Reputational Impact of Corporate Governance: The Case of Poison Pills. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings.
  • Westphal, J., & Bednar, M. (2006). How top managers use interpersonal influence to neutralize the effects of institutional ownership. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings.
  • Hendron, M., Bednar, M., & Henderson, A. (2005). How aspiration levels affect response to a punctuating technological change: An empirical test. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings.

Presentations

  • Allen, A., Bednar, M., Girndt-Clougherty, T., & Noonan, J. (2023). Integrating Competencies and Professional Development into Experiential Learning. SEE 52nd Annual Conference, Society for Experiential Learning (SEE.
  • Park, J., & Bednar, M. (2023). CEOs as a prism: How CEO self promotion affects journalists' evaluation of controversial firm events. Academy of Management.
  • Wu, Z., Lee, J., & Bednar, M. (2023). Local Media Coverage and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from a Natural Experiment. Academy of Management.
  • Bednar, M. (2023). Infusing experiential learning into your school’s DNA: Lessons from Gies College of Business. Leaders of Experiential Project-Based Education (LEPE.
  • Bednar, M., & Allen, A. (2023). Experiential Learning at Any Scale. GMAC Annual Conference.
  • Bednar, M., Kurtz, J., Noonan, J., & Swenddal, H. (2023). Unschooling students to think beyond the A: Fostering meaningful student engagement in client-based projects. Leaders of Experiential Project-Based Education (LEPE.
  • Wu, Z., Lee, J., & Bednar, M. (2022). Local Newspaper Coverage and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence From a Natural Experiment. Strategic Management Society (SMS) Annual Conference.
  • Bednar, M. (2020). How Experiential Learning can enhance the value of a university education given the COVID disruption of the traditional campus experience. LX/BYU Experiential Learning Summit Series.
  • Ramaswamy Vijayasankaran, A., & Bednar, M. (2019). Stakeholder Management and CEO Compensation: Main effects and interactions. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Lim, J., Love, E., & Bednar, M. (2019). Changing of the guard: The impact of CEO succession on corporate reputation. 35th EGOS Colloquium.
  • Bednar, M. (2017). Paying the price: The reputational impact of controversial governance practices. Oxford Univ. Reputation Centre Annual Conference.
  • Bednar, M. (2016). Content Analysis in Organizational Research: Techniques and Applications. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M. (2016). Exploring more effective ways to study board effectiveness. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Lee, J., Bednar, M., & Hendron, M. (2015). Media Capture: How Inter-organizational Ties Shape Media Coverage about Corporate activities. Oxford Univ. Reputation Centre Annual Conference.
  • Lee, J., Bednar, M., & Hendron, M. (2015). Fair and Balanced? How Resource Dependence Shapes Media Coverage. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Vadera, A., & Aguilera Vaques, R. (2014). Minding the store: Board independence, board expertise, and white-collar crime. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Love, E., Lim, J., & Bednar, M. (2013). The face of the firm: How CEOs affect corporate reputation. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Vadera, A., & Aguilera Vaques, R. (2013). Minding the store: How formal and social board independence affect white-collar crime. Midwest Strategy Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Love, E., & Kraatz, M. (2013). The reputational impact of corporate governance: The case of poison pills. BYU-Utah Strategy Conference.
  • Lee, J., & Bednar, M. (2012). How interlocking boards of directors influence media coverage. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
  • Lim, J., Love, E., & Bednar, M. (2012). The face of the firm: How CEOs affect corporate reputations. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., & Boivie, S. (2011). The Ratchet Effect of Director Pay: Social Comparison and Reciprocity in Director Compensation. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Love, E., & Kraatz, M. (2011). The Reputational Impact of Corporate Governance: The Case of Poison Pills. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Love, E., & Kraatz, M. (2011). The reputational impact of corporate governance: The case of poison pills. Midwest Strategy Meetings (Purdue University.
  • Bednar, M., Boivie, S., & Prince, N. (2010). Burr under the saddle: How media coverage influences strategic change. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M. (2009). Symbolic action and the media as a governance mechanism. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., & Fang, E. (2009). An examination of what, how and when TMT experience matters for firm innovativeness. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Boivie, S., & Hendron, M. (2009). The Ratchet Effect of Director Pay: Social Exchange and Status in Director Compensation. 29th Annual International Conference of Strategic Management Society Conference.
  • Kilduff, M., Hendron, M., & Bednar, M. (2009). How Self-Monitoring and the Five-Factor Model Relate to Network and Strategic Change. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M. (2007). Increasing board effectiveness by overcoming barriers to knowledge sharing among directors. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Bednar, M., Hendron, M., & Kilduff, M. (2007). The social networks of entrepreneurs: A dynamic approach. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Westphal, J., & Bednar, M. (2006). How top managers use interpersonal influence to neutralize the effects of institutional ownership. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Hendron, M., Bednar, M., & Henderson, A. (2005). How aspiration levels affect response to a punctuating technological change: An empirical test. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.
  • Westphal, J., & Bednar, M. (2005). On the road to Abilene: Pluralistic Ignorance on corporate boards and firms' strategic persistence. Academy of Management Annual Meeting.

Working Papers

  • Bednar, M., Vadera, A., & Aguilera Vaques, R. Minding the store: The relationship between formal and social independence of the board and white-collar crime.
  • Hendron, M., Bednar, M., & Henderson, A. How performance relative to aspiration levels affects strategic response to technological discontinuity.

Honors and Awards

  • Robert & Karen May Faculty Fellow, University of Illinois, Gies College of Business, 2019 to present
  • List of Teachers Rated as Excellent, University of Illinois, 2008 to present
  • Poets and Quants Top 50 Undergraduate Professors of 2020, Poets and Quants, 2020
  • Gies College of Business Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, Gies College of Business, 2020-2020

Service

  • Editorial Review Board, Strategic Management Journal, 2013 to present
  • Editorial Review Board, Academy of Management Journal, 2013-2022

Research Interests

Corporate Governance, Boards of Directors, Top Management Teams, Media

Current Courses

  • Managing Organizations (BADM 509) Examines and analyzes the organization as a social system and the impact of its various components on work attitudes and behavior; topics include the development of organizational structures, organizational effectiveness, decision making and policy formulation, leadership, and change.

Contact

4062 Business Instructional Facility

515 Gregory Dr

Champaign, IL 61820

217-244-0330

mkbednar@illinois.edu

Google Scholar

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