# Herman van Niekerk, PhD Associate Dean College of Doctoral Studies 1. Biography 2. Research 3. Teaching 4. Industry Experience 5. Media Biography ## About van Niekerk Dr. Herman van Niekerk originally hails from South Africa and relocated to the United States in July 2015. He currently serves as the Associate Dean for the[Doctor of Business Administration](https://www.phoenix.edu/online-business-degrees/business-administration-doctoral-degree.html)and[Doctor of Management](https://www.phoenix.edu/online-business-degrees/management-doctoral-degree.html)programs in the College of Doctoral Studies.  His past professional experience included military duty as well as serving as a diplomat at the United Nations in New York. In the early 2000s, he was the country director for an European business school with campuses in South African and Nigeria.  > My beliefs about teaching are strongly influenced by a learning philosophy shaped by fundamental educational principles encompassing cognitive functioning, adult learning theory and curriculum design and assessment. **Herman van Niekerk**Associate Dean From 2003-2015, Dr. van Niekerk was a partner/owner in a consulting company implementing knowledge management systems and advising businesses on the optimization of organizational information assets to increase their competitiveness.   - PhD, Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management, Stellenbosch University, 2001-2004 - MEd, Educational Philosophy, Free State University, 1985  - BEd, Free State University, 1983 - BA and HED, Free State University, 1979  > My beliefs about teaching are strongly influenced by a learning philosophy shaped by fundamental educational principles encompassing cognitive functioning, adult learning theory and curriculum design and assessment. **Herman van Niekerk**Associate Dean Research ## Research interests: - Critical thinking and analysis  - Leadership and organizational decision-making  - Organizational learning and knowledge management  ## Research contributions:  - Van Schalkwyk, W., Van Niekerk, HJ & Underdahl, L. 2021. Reframing Start-Up Success Action Learning and Beyond. Small Business Institute 2021 Conference. Conference Presentation.  - Van Niekerk, H.J. & Conrad, K. 2020. Is All News Fake News? Association for Psychological Science (APS) 32nd Annual Convention, Chicago.   - Conrad, K. A., & van Niekerk, H. (2019). Unreal or REAL leadership? Choose well! Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science, 31st Convention, May 2019, Washington, DC.  - Van Niekerk, H.J. (2018). Sensing the Weak Signals of the Future: Attributes of the SPL Mode. KWB Virtual Summit, Schools of Advanced Studies, University of Phoenix.  - Van Niekerk HJ. 2017. Diversity across cultures. In Diversity and Inclusion in the Global Workplace: Aligning Initiatives with Strategic Business Goals. Aquino, C. and Robertson, R.W. (Eds.) Springer International Publishing, AG. Cham. DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-54993-4. ISBN 978-3-319-54993-4. (September, 7).  - Mannie, A., Van Niekerk, HJ & Adendorff, CM. 2013. Significant factors for enabling knowledge sharing between government agencies within South Africa. SA Journal of Information Management 15(2), Art.#569, 8 pages.[http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v15i2.569](http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v15i2.569).  - Van Niekerk, HJ & Pretorius, A. 2012. Knowledge Management’s Next Frontier: Analysing Unstructured Content Using Visual Analytics to Develop Organizational Knowledge. ICKM 2012 Conference Paper, Sandton. South Africa. ISBN 978-0-86970-998-6.   - Goosen, RJ & Van Niekerk, HJ: 2009: Collaborative authoring technology in support of organizational sense making and intelligence analysis in complex environments. Eskom Conference on Industry Knowledge Management Success Stories.  - Van Niekerk, HJ. 2007. Revisiting Action Learning: South African Institute for Management Scientists (SAIMS) Conference Paper, Sandton, South Africa.  - Van Niekerk, HJ. 2007. Setting standards for knowledge management: Is it realistic? Professional Management Review 15(11)  - Van Niekerk, HJ. 2006. The Quest for Knowledge: The relationship between Knowledge Management, Business Intelligence and Competitive Intelligence: iWeek Magazine: 6 July 2006.  - Van Niekerk, HJ. 2005. Achieving National Competitive Advantage through Knowledge Strategies: A Conceptual Framework for Developing Countries based on the South African Experience.  - Van Niekerk, HJ. 2004. New Leadership Competencies for the 21st Century: The Next Generation. South African Journal for Information Management. November 2004.  - Van Niekerk, HJ. 2004. Article published in a book: Bridging Africa’s Pedagogical Divide: The Relevance of Action Learning. In African philosophy of education: thoughts, possibilities and constraints edited by Professor Yusef Waghid.  Teaching ## Courses: - [BUS/700: Introduction to Business Administration in Doctoral Study](https://www.phoenix.edu/online-courses/bus700.html)  - [DOC/714S: Symposium I](https://www.phoenix.edu/online-courses/doc714s.html) - [DOC/719S: Symposium II](https://www.phoenix.edu/online-courses/doc719s.html) Industry Experience ## Awards: - Best Paper Award at International Conference on Knowledge Management ## Credentials: - External Examiner for Business School Netherlands - IRB Certification/Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) - Storytelling Certificate, University of Phoenix Media - [University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies’ scholars present at 2023 International Leadership Association 25th Global Conference](/press-release/college-of-doctoral-studies-scholars-present-at-ils-global-conference.html) — Press Release | September 29, 2023 • 2 minutes - [Is Knowledge Relative?](/research/news/2023/is-knowledge-relative-) — Leadership and Entrepreneurial Research | June 08, 2023 • 5 minutes - [The Scholar Practitioner Leader as a Communicator](/research/resources/the-scholar-practitioner-leader-as-a-communicator) — Leadership and Entrepreneurial Research | January 01, 2023 • 5 minutes [View Academic Leadership Team](/about/academic-leadership.html)