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Alex Stajkovic

Alexander D. Stajkovic

Associate Professor | Management and Human Resources
The Dean's Professor in Business
4102 Grainger Hall

About Alexander

Alex is a Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior in the Management and Human Resources Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Business. He is a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was a visiting scholar in the psychology department at Stanford University.

Alex's research examines public leaders' role in addressing grand challenges - pressing problems with ripple effects across society. His recent papers provide new insights into qualities associated with leadership effectiveness in addressing grand challenges and highlight the potential for diversity in leadership positions to achieve favorable outcomes.

His paper on U.S. Governors' female leadership advantage during the COVID-19 crisis received a Responsible Research Finalist Award from the Academy of Management in 2021. Alex also received a Gaumnitz Distinguished Research Award (UW-Madison, WSB), a Mabel Chipman Excellence in Teaching Award (UW-Madison, WSB), and an Excellence in Teaching Award at UC-Irvine, GSM. He has served on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Applied Psychology (contributing editor), Academy of Management Journal, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, South African Journal of Human Resource Management, Organizational Dynamics, and as a member of the Advisory Council of Harvard Business Review.

Alex has published in premier psychology and management journals such as Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Personnel Psychology, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Organizational Behavior. This research generated over 15,000 citations.

Alex received his PhD (Organizational Behavior) and MA (Management) degrees from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a BSc in Economics from University of Belgrade (Serbia). He teaches in the WSB Professional MBA program, has conducted executive education seminars globally (e.g., Australia, Chile, China, Germany, Korea, Singapore, South African Republic), and has presented at over 100 professional conferences.

Selected Published Journal Articles

Stajkovic, A. & Stajkovic, K. (2024). A summer of protests: Using event system theory to test an intersectional leadership advantage Journal of Management

Stajkovic, K. & Stajkovic, A. (2023). Ethics of care leadership, racial inclusion, and economic health in the cities: Is there a female leadership advantage? Journal of Business Ethics

Stajkovic, A. & Greenwald, J. & Stajkovic, K. (2022). The Money Priming debate revisited: A review, meta-analysis, and extension to organizations Journal of Organizational Behavior

Sergent, K. & Stajkovic, A. (2020). Women’s leadership is associated with fewer deaths during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative and qualitative analyses of United States governors Journal of Applied Psychology

Stajkovic, A. & Lee, D. & Greenwald, J. & Raffiee, J. (2015). The role of trait core confidence higher-order construct in self-regulation of performance and attitudes: Evidence from four studies Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Latham, G. & Stajkovic, A. & Locke, E. (2010). Relevance and viability of subconscious goals in the workplace Journal of Management

Stajkovic, A. & Lee, D. & Nyberg, A. (2009). Collective efficacy, group potency, and group performance: Meta-analyses of their relationships, and test of a mediation model Journal of Applied Psychology

Stajkovic, A. (2006). Development of a core confidence higher-order construct Journal of Applied Psychology

Stajkovic, A. & Locke, E. & Blair, E. (2006). A first examination of the relationships between primed subconscious goals, assigned conscious goals, and task performance Journal of Applied Psychology

Stajkovic, A. & Luthans, F. (2003). Behavioral management and task performance in organizations: Conceptual background, meta-analysis, and test of alternative models Personnel Psychology

Stajkovic, A. & Luthans, F. (2001). Differential effects of incentive motivators on work performance Academy of Management Journal

Stajkovic, A. & Luthans, F. (1998). Self-efficacy and work-related performance: A meta-analysis Psychological Bulletin

Stajkovic, A. & Luthans, F. (1997). A meta-analysis of the effects of organizational behavior modification on task performance, 1975-95 Academy of Management Journal

Practitioner-Oriented Publications

Stajkovic, A. & Stajkovic, K. (2022). Meta-Analysis as a Business Research Method Oxford Encyclopedia of Business and Management

Stajkovic, A. & Sergent, K. (2019). Social Cognitive Theory Oxford Classics in Management

Graduate Courses

Doctoral Seminar in Organizational Behavior (MHR/MHR 872), Fall 2019.

Managing Behavior in Organizations (MHR 704), Fall 2021.
Examines the effective management of behavior in organizations. Focuses on the application of theories of leadership and work motivation. Includes critical conceptual and analytical assessment of these theories. Emphasizes the management of work performance, managerial skill building, and enabling followers.

Organizational Behavior (MHR 700), Fall 2021.
Employee work attitudes and behaviors in organizations. Analysis of how individual, group and organizational characteristics influence employee attitudes, such as satisfaction and alienation, and employee behaviors, such as participation and performance. How managerial policies and practices such as reward systems and leadership influence work attitudes and behaviors. Enroll Info: None

Learning/Teaching Oriented Publications

Stajkovic, A. & Sergent, K. Management and Leadership

Popular Media

  • Webinar: Motivating Exceptional Performance Through Transformational Leadership (2015).
  • Video: What is Confidence? (2015).
  • Blog: How to Predict Employee Performance and Satisfaction (2015).
  • In the News: Huge Mortgage gift grows beyond UW expectations (2015).
  • LinkedIn post: Office Hours Gone Golden (2015).
  • A Quantitative Examination of Trends in I-O Psychology 2001 – 2005 .
  • Podcast: Work Motivation, Self Efficacy, & Social Cognitive Theory (2013).
  • Podcast: Self-efficacy.
  • Podcast: Social Cognitive Theory.
  • Webinar: How Confidence and Self-Efficacy Impact Professional Success (2016).
  • Developing Leadership Savoir-Faire: What B-Schools Can Do for Graduates (2017).
  • Faculty Blog: How to Predict Academic Achievement (2017).
  • Issue: Putting Faculty in the Limelight.
  • Core Confidence Across Walks of Life (2017).
  • Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail and How to Make Them Work Based of Goal-Setting Theory (2017).
  • Wisconsin State Journal.
  • Banter’s on Business.
  • Reuters (2021).
  • Toronto Star (2021).
  • Forbes (2021).
  • The Washington Post (2021).
  • Bloomberg (2021).
  • COVID Monologues: Research-Based Theater by Johns Hopkins University (2021).
  • Inc. Magazine (2021).
  • BBC News (2021).
  • Harvard Business Review (2020).
  • Greater Baton Rouge Business Report (2021).
  • Becker’s Hospital Review (2021).
  • The Hindu (2020).
  • I/O At Work (2020).
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology (2020).
  • WebMD (2020).
  • PsyPost News (2020).
  • Wisconsin Public Radio (2020).
  • UW-Madison National News Tipsheet (2020).
  • Wisconsin School of Business (2020).
  • Fisher College of Business: Lead Read Today (2020).
  • New York Times.
  • Wisconsin School of Business (2018).
  • The Boston Globe.
  • Interview: Elle Magazine (2007).
  • Midwest Airlines Magazine.

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