Professor Larry Hrebiniak passed away January 18. 2022.
Wharton Press Release
Philadelphia Inquirer Release
Knowledge @ Wharton Release
Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, a beloved father, brother and a great friend to many, passed away suddenly at home on January 18, 2022. He was 78. Hrebiniak is survived by his son, Justin Hrebiniak, a brother, Greg Hrebiniak, and two nephews, Adam Hrebiniak and Joshua Hrebiniak, and close friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Donna Hrebiniak, who passed away in 1994 and to whom his book “Making Strategy Work” is dedicated.
Hrebiniak was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Cornell University in 1964. He went on to earn an MBA in strategic management and a PhD in management, both from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and he taught at Pennsylvania State University before joining the faculty at Wharton.
Hrebiniak was a longtime faculty member who joined the Management Department in 1976 and was tenured in 1980. He was an expert in management strategy and instrumental in developing courses on the subject for the MBA and Executive Education programs at Wharton. He earned numerous awards for teaching excellence, including one in 2008 for his Competitive Strategy course. Hrebiniak was also a prolific author who published several books during his career, most notably Implementing Strategy with co-author William F. Joyce, which was released in 1984, and Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change, which was first released in 2005 with a second edition in 2013. Hrebiniak’s expertise and affable nature made him a favorite with business media. He was often quoted in news and magazine articles and was a commentator for “The Wharton Report,” a nationally syndicated show on the Financial News Network.
Prior to his academic career, Hrebiniak worked for several years in various positions at Ford Motor Company, including as a district field manager. He served as a consultant throughout his career, working with companies such as AT&T, Isuzu, DuPont, Microsoft, Bristol Meyers-Squibb, and Chase Manhattan Bank. Hrebiniak was an avid sportsman who loved the outdoors, fly fishing, and golf. He was drafted out of high school to play professional baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, but he chose college instead. He played football and baseball while at SUNY-Buffalo and Cornell.