About Alex's Research

My research focuses on leadership and work motivation within the fields of Organizational Behavior and, more broadly, Management. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, this work emphasizes that though individuals are shaped by their environment, they also actively regulate their behavior through self-referent thought. Specifically, I study how goals and self-efficacy function as psychological mechanisms of self-regulation in the workplace.

My research spans both laboratory and field settings and draws on a range of analytical methods, including ANOVA, Structural Equation Modeling, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Meta-Analysis, Meta-Analytic SEM, and, more recently, Large Language Models. This body of work has led to multiple peer-reviewed publications, and a recent paper on gender differences in U.S. governors’ effectiveness during COVID-19 was honored with the Academy of Management Fellows' Award for Responsible Research in Management.

I have also contributed to the field through editorial service on the boards of Journal of Applied Psychology (since 2008), Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Academy of Management Journal. I’ve served on the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council since 2009. Over the years, I’ve delivered more than 100 conference presentations and executive education seminars around the world, including in Australia, Canada, China, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Montenegro, Serbia, South Korea, Vietnam, and South Africa.

My academic journey began with an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Belgrade in Serbia, followed by a master’s in management from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. I earned my Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Fred Luthans was my advisor. Since 1999, I’ve been on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with prior academic appointments at Stanford University (as a visiting scholar), the University of California–Irvine, and Washington State University.