Scholarship

Publications, books, and presentations

My public writing grows out of a longer body of research on organizational culture, collective empathy, and change in complex systems. A selection of that scholarship is below; the full record lives in my curriculum vitae.

View the full curriculum vitae (PDF)

Publications

Articles in refereed journals

  • Harkins, D. L., & O’Neil, D. A. (2025). Leadership, culture, and the dynamics of collective empathy: A nonprofit case study. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance. View the article →

  • Harkins, D. L. (2021). The Boy Scouts of America: How society’s changing attitudes affect nonprofit culture. Organization Development Journal, 39(2), 83–96.

  • Rogers, B. Q., O’Brien, K. I., Harkins, D. L., Mitchell, T. G., & O’Neil, D. A. (2021). COVID-19 and OD: Unplanned disruption and the opportunity for planned talent development. Organization Development Review, 53(2), 61–67.

Books

Books and book chapters

Building a Better World Together: Social Entrepreneurship from Individual Action to Systems Transformation

Book in preparation. Chapters in use in 2025–2026 Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship courses.

When Industry Leaves: Social Construction, Anomic Collapse, and the Limits of Social Entrepreneurship Practice in Post-Industrial Communities

In preparation. Invited chapter in Carter, S., Cogan, S., & Shaw, E. (Eds.), Handbook on Social Entrepreneurship as a Practice. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Presentations

Selected peer-reviewed and invited presentations

  • When Scaling Isn’t Enough: Cultural Mediation as a Change Capability for Systems Impact in Social Entrepreneurship

    IMD Social Entrepreneurship Annual Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland (2026).

  • From Design Empathy to Systems Insight: Teaching Social Complexity Through Fieldwork and Global Comparison

    The Lilly Conference on Innovative Strategies to Advance Student Learning, Asheville, NC (2026).

  • Design Thinking Meets Social Enterprise: An Interdisciplinary Learning Community Model for Problem-solving

    Society for Arts Entrepreneurship Education Annual Conference, Kansas City (2025). Best Workshop Award.

  • The Impact of Collective Empathy on Organizational Performance

    International Society for Organization Development and Change, Mobile, AL (2023).

  • How Society’s Changing Attitudes Affect Nonprofit Culture

    OD&C Online Symposia, Bowling Green State University (2021).

A complete list of presentations and workshops is available in the curriculum vitae.

Doctoral Research

Dissertation

Exploring the conditions under which collective empathy forms, embeds, and sustains in an organization: A grounded theory case study.

Doctor of Organization Development and Change, Bowling Green State University, 2022.

Read the dissertation on OhioLINK →
Doctorate
Organization Development and Change, Bowling Green State University
Appointment
Assistant Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, Belmont University
Appointment
Co-founder and President, Human Works Group Inc.
Appointment
Co-founder, Center for Collective Transformation

Background

What is a social scientist?

A short explanation of what I do and how it shapes the way I work with organizations.

Read →