Headshot of Dr. Gill Robinson Hickman

Dr. Gill Robinson Hickman

Professor Emerita
Curriculum Vitae

  • Profile

    Dr. Gill Hickman's expertise is in management, with an underpinning of organization theory, organization behavior, and human resource management. As an inaugural faculty member of the Jepson School, Dr. Hickman participated in the early structuring and formation of the School's curriculum, beginning in 1992.

    She taught classes on theories and models of leadership, leadership in organizations, leading change, and leadership in a diverse society and retired in 2012 as professor of leadership studies emerita. She is still engaged in research in several areas, including invisible leadership (leadership of the common purpose), leadership during personal crisis, and leadership in socially active businesses, and is the author or editor of seven books.

    A former board member of the International Leadership Association and member of several other professional, scholarly, and community organizations, Dr. Hickman is the recipient of several awards, including the University of Richmond Distinguished Educator Award and the International Leadership Association Leadership Legacy Lifetime Achievement Award. 

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    • Awards

      International Leadership Association Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016

      Jepson School Award for Leadership and Service, 2012

      Distinguished Educator Award, University of Richmond, 2004

      Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society

      Most Outstanding Member of the Faculty, Black Students of the University of Richmond, 2000

  • Selected Publications
    Books

    Hickman, Gill Robinson & Laura E. Knouse. (2020). When Leaders Face Personal Crisis: The Human Side of Leadership. Abingdon, Oxon, U.K., and New York, N.Y., U.S.A., Routledge.

    Hickman, G.R. (Ed.). (2015). Leading Organizations: Perspectives for a New Era (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 

    Hickman, G.R. & Georgia J. Sorenson. (2013). The Power of Invisible Leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Hickman, G.R. (Ed.). (2010). Leading Organizations: Perspectives for a New Era (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Hickman, G.R. (2010). Leading Change in Multiple Contexts: Concepts and Practices in Organizational, Community, Political, Social, and Global Settings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Hickman, G.R. & Lee, D. (2001). Managing Human Resources in the Public Sector: A Shared Responsibility. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.

    Hickman, G.R. (Ed.). (1998). Leading Organizations: Perspectives for a New Era. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Journal Articles

    Hickman, G.R., & Creighton-Zollar, A. (1998). Diverse self-directed work teams: Developing strategic initiatives for 21st century organizations. Public Personnel Management, 27, 187-200.

    Hickman, G.R., & Creighton-Zollar, A. (1997). Teaching leadership for a diverse society: Strategies, challenges, and recommendations. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(1), 90-106.

    Hickman, G.R. (1994). Practicing what we preach: Modeling leadership in the classroom. Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(4), 135-144.

    Book Chapters

    Hickman, G. R. (2016). Real, Intended Change: Business Movements?” In G. R. Goethals (ed.), Politics, Ethics and Change: The Legacy of James MacGregor Burns. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

    Hickman, G. R. (2007). Can organizations meet the test of transforming leadership? In R. A. Couto (Ed.), Reflections on leadership. Lanham: University Press of America.

    Hickman, G. R. & Couto, R. A. (2006). Causality, change and leadership. In G. R. Goethals and G. Sorenson (Eds.), A quest for a general theory of leadership: A multidisciplinary experiment (pp. 152-187). Cheltenham, U.K.: Edward Elgar Publishing.

    Hickman, G. R. (2004). Invisible leadership. In J. M. Burns, G. R. Goethe’s & G. Sorenson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (pp. 750-754). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Hickman, G. R. (2004). Transformistic theory. In J. M. Burns, G. R. Goethals & G. Sorenson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of leadership (pp. 1570-1573). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Hickman, G. R. (2004). Organizations of hope: Leading the way to transformation, social action and profitability. In R. Riggio & S. S. Orr (Eds.), Improving leadership in non-profit organizations (pp. 151-162). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

  • In the News

    Can we be honest about the study of leadership? (New York Times, Leading Thoughts)
    Mon., Apr. 28, 2014

    Hickman writes on "Organizations of Hope"
    Mon., Aug. 3, 2009

    A closer look at special needs education
    Mon., Nov. 23, 2009