Trinity Western University

Faculty Directory

Lachlan (Lach) Whatley, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

  • Biography

    Lachlan (Lach) R. Whatley is a practitioner/scholar who believes that sound management is based on solid theory, and solid theory is grounded in practice. To this end, Lach has an undergraduate degree in business with a major in accounting, two (2) accounting designations (CGA–Canada; CPA–Australia), a master of commerce in finance, and a master of arts in organizational leadership. Lach also holds a Ph.D. in organization development from Benedictine University, Illinois, USA. His research interests are in group dynamics and the use of positive psychology to improve performance. During his Ph.D. program, Lach received an award for best English paper at the 2012 Management Consulting Division of the Academy of Management, Lyon France.

    Lach currently works as Associate Professor in the School of Business at Trinity Western University, TWU, and, since 2008, has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in business. Lach received the School of Business’ “Professor of the Year Award”, as determined by the TWU graduating class of 2010/2011. Prior to joining TWU, Lach was a faculty member at the University of the Fraser Valley, UFV. During part of his tenure at UFV, Lach held the position of Chair of the School of Business and was a member of the University's senate.

    Additionally, Lach has been a partner in a national (Canada) accounting firm, and has worked within the Johnson & Johnson family of companies and with the Australian-based holding company that owned Fleischmann's Yeast, Spice Islands, Mauri Foods, Pinnacle, and Dromedary Cornwell's, among others—leading brands within the company's brand portfolio. Lach's experience in the accounting field and with both of these companies—multi-nationals with outstanding leadership, processes and systems—provides him with significant insight into the application of theory.

    As a result of this broad practical and scholastic background, Lach is a rare individual who can and does balance the practical aspects of building sustainable businesses, while ensuring that the organization strives to be humanistic and to aid all involved.

    Lach enjoys spending time with his wife and their two children. He also enjoys reading, writing, triathlon training, and attending live theatre, particularly Shakespeare.

  • Education

    • Ph.D. (Organization Development), Benedictine University, USA
    • M.A. (Organizational Leadership) Gonzaga University, USA
    • M.Com. (Finance) University of New South Wales, Australia
    • B.B.A. (Accounting) University of Technology, Australia
    • C.G.A., Canada
    • C.P.A., Australia

  • Research & Scholarship

    Lachlan’s research interests are in the areas of group dynamics, teams, the dynamics of change and innovation, and ethics. The lens taken to his research interests is from the perspective of positive psychology.

  • Recent Publications

    Academic Publications and Presentations

      • Whatley, L. R. and Kliewer, H. (2013). Contextual Influences on Team Effectiveness & Consultant Identity: Implications for Consulting & Consultation. In Press. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 10(1).
      • Whatley, L. R. (2012). Use of Psychological Capital, Humility, and Discrepancy Theory as Inputs for Strategy and Sociotechnical Systems — Phase One of an Action Research Case Study. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 12(3/4): 99-114.
      • Whatley, L. R., Popa, A. B., and Kliewer, H. (2012). Community and Leadership: The Role of Humility, Rhythm, and Experiential Learning. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics , 9(4): 113-143.
      • Whatley, L. R. (2012). Individual “States” Model for Healthy Group Dynamics.   Organization Development Journal, 30(3): 40-53.
      • Whatley, L. R. (2012). An “Ethical Mindset” — Linking OD and the Implicit Assumptions Leaders Make When Reviewing the Insights of Douglas McGregor. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 9(3): 104-114.
      • Whatley, L. R. (2011). A New Model for Family Owned Business Succession. Organization Development Journal , 29(4): 21-32.
      • Popa, A. B., Hazel, M., Whatley, L., Andenoro, A., & Crandall, H. (2012). What is the Role of Perceived Leadership Capacity in Presidential Politics? Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol. 5, No. 3: 25-39.  

       Conference Presentations  

      • Midwest Academy of Management 55th Annual Conference entitled “Leadership and the Dawn of the New Economy”. Paper presented entitled, “Private Equity Firms: Decisions Influenced by Time and the Implications for Value Harvesting”. (Doucette & Whatley, 2012). Itasca, Illinois, October 4-6, 2012. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Bill Doucette.
      • 2012 Annual Meeting of the Christian Business Faculty Association. Panelist in panel discussion on “Organizational Virtue: Prospects and Problems for Christian Business Scholarship”. Trinity Western University, Langley, Canada, June 28, 2012.
      • 4th International Conference and Doctoral Consortium entitled "Organizational Development and Change". Presented a paper entitled, "The Use of Psychological Capital, Humility, and Discrepancy Theory as Inputs for Strategy and Sociotechnical Systems. Phase One of an Action Research Case Study". (Whatley, 2012). Lyon, France, June 5-6, 2012. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Southwest Academy of Management 39th Annual Conference. Presented a paper entitled, “Contextual Influences on Team Effectiveness & Consultant Identity: Implications for Consulting & Consultation”. (Whatley & Kliewer, 2012). New Orleans, Louisiana, February 29–March 3, 2012. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Midwest Academy of Management 54rd Annual Conference entitled “The Power of Positivity: Research and Practice that Makes a Sustainable Difference”. Presented a paper entitled, “Background, Foreground, Tenets of Group Dynamics”. (Whatley, 2011). Omaha, Nebraska, October 20-22, 2011. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies. Virtual presentation of a paper entitled “Education through the use of film: How “The Green Mile” demonstrates key learnings from Hall’s Human Development Model & Styles of Leadership.” (Whatley, 2011). Barcelona, Spain, July 4-6, 2011. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Academy of Management MCD Division 5th International Conference on Management Consulting entitled “Exploring the Professional Identity of Management Consultants”. Presented preliminary research on, “Building Consulting Capabilities within the Financial Role for Family Owned Businesses.” (Whatley, 2011). Amsterdam, Holland, June 9-11, 2011. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Southwest Academy of Management 38th Annual Conference entitled “Recover, Rebuild, Renew”. Presented a paper entitled, “OD, Transformational vs. Transforming Leadership and Douglas McGregor.” (Whatley, 2011). Houston, Texas, March 9-12, 2011. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Southwest Academy of Management 38th Annual Conference entitled “Recover, Rebuild, Renew”. Presented preliminary research on, “Family-Owned Business (FOB) Succession: A Canadian Case Study.” (Whatley, 2011). Houston, Texas, March 9-12, 2011. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Midwest Academy of Management 53rd Annual Conference entitled “Strategizing, Leading and Motivating: Achieving a Hat Trick in Challenging Times”. Presented preliminary research on, “The Rule of Saint Benedict and its implications for the contemporary organization in regards to leadership and authentic community”. (Whatley, 2010). Grand Forks, North Dakota, October 14-16, 2010. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Midwest Academy of Management 53rd Annual Conference entitled “Strategizing, Leading and Motivating: Achieving a Hat Trick in Challenging Times”. Presented preliminary research on, “The Renaissance Period and its implications for the contemporary organization in regards to leadership and community”. (Whatley, 2010). Grand Forks, North Dakota, October 14-16, 2010. (Peer reviewed) Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Verge Arts Series 2009 Conference entitled “Arts and Knowing”.
Presented a paper entitled, “Integrating the Tenets of Epistemology, through the use of Contemporary Film, to Aid in the Development of an Individual’s Metacognitive Processes”. (Whatley, 2009).
Trinity Western University, October 29, 2009. (Peer reviewed)
Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.
      • Alliance of Universities for Democracy (AUDEM) 2009 Conference. Paper presented entitled, “Take Me to Your Leader: Young Voter’s Perceptions of Candidate’s Leadership Capacity”. (Popa, A, B., Hazel, M., Whatley, L, R., Andenoro, T., & Crandall, H., 2009).
Uludag University, November 10, 2009. (Peer reviewed)
Presenter: Adrian Popa.  

      Publications & Research Reports in Progress  

      • Whatley, L. R. and Doucette, B. (2013 expected). “Private Equity Firms: Decisions influenced by Time and the Implications for Value Harvesting.”
      • Whatley, L. R. (2013 expected). “The Role of Humility within Group Dynamics, Leading to Superior Performance.” 

      Workshops/Seminars  

      • Professional development workshop on “Change Management & OD Continuum,” at at the BC Organization Development Network (BCODN), February 21, 2013, Vancouver, BC. Presenter: Lachlan Whatley. 
      • Professional development workshop on “Action Research as a Lens for Organizational Intervention,” at the BC Organization Development Network (BCODN), October 25, 2012, Vancouver, BC. Presenter: Lachlan Whatley.

    • Memberships & Affiliations

      • Academy of Management
      • Midwest Academy of Management
      • Southwest Academy of Management
      • Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA)
      • Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences
      • British Columbia Organization Development Network
      • Certified General Accountants (CGA)
      • Certified General Accountants Educational Advisory Group
      • Reviewer for Organization Development Journal
      • Reviewer for AUDEM: International Journal of Higher Education & Democracy

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    • Courses Taught at TWU

      • BUSI 342 - Business Finance
      • BUSI 441 - Advanced Topics in Business Finance
      • BUSI 490 - Integrative Group Project – Managing for Eternity
      • IDIS 410 -Influencing the Changing Work Place
      • MBA 542 - Managerial Finance
      • MBA 655 - Financial Management of Non-Profit and Charitable Organizations
      • LDRS 320 – Leadership and Ethical Decision Making
      • LDRS 420 – Leadership and Change Management

    • Awards & Honours

      • Recognition for role as 2012Track Chair, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, at Mid-West Academy 55th Annual Conference, Itasca, Illinois.
      • Best English Speaking Academic PaperAward for paper entitled "The Use of Psychological Capital, Humility, and Discrepancy Theory as Inputs for Strategy and Sociotechnical Systems. Phase One of an Action Research Case Study"(Whatley, 2012) at the 4th International Conference and Doctoral Consortium on "Organizational Development and Change", June 5-6, 2012, Lyon, France.
      • Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service in Preparing the 2011 ODC Scholarly Program, Academy of Management Annual Meeting, August 12-16, 2011, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
      • Professor of the Year Award, 2010/11, Student Business Association, School of Business, Trinity Western University, Canada.

    Lachlan (Lach) Whatley works in School of Graduate Studies, and School of Business in the departments of MBA, and iMBA.

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