John J. Sosik

John Sosik headshot
Personal Website
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Management and Organization, Management Division
[email protected]
610-648-3254
Main Building, 220 L3

John J. Sosik (Ph.D., State University of New York at Binghamton) is distinguished professor of management and organization, and was professor-in-charge of the Master of Leadership Development program from 2004 to 2021 at The Pennsylvania State University, Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, where he has received awards for excellence in research, faculty innovation, teaching, and service. Dr. Sosik teaches leadership, organizational behavior, and research methods courses. His research focuses on leadership and mentoring processes in face-to-face and virtual environments, teams, and organizations. He is an expert on transformational leadership, having published over 100 articles, books, book chapters and proceedings and delivered 95 academic conference presentations since 1995, and has conducted training and organizational development programs for profit and non-profit organizations. Dr. Sosik was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study virtual teams at Unisys Corporation. He is also a Certified Management Accountant.

Awards

  • Sosik and Dinger (2007, The Leadership Quarterly) named winner of 2007 Center for Creative Leadership/Leadership Quarterly Award
  • Sosik, Kahai, and Piovoso (2009, Group and Organization Management) named winner of 2009 Sage Publications Best Macro Paper
  • Eight Penn State Great Valley awards for research, innovation, teaching and service since 1995

Editorial board memberships

  • Group & Organization Management
  • Journal of Applied and Behavioral Management
  • Journal of Character and Leadership Development
  • Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies
  • The Leadership Quarterly
  • Character strengths and development
  • Charismatic and transformational leadership
  • Group and team processes and outcomes
  • Leadership in virtual and electronic contexts (e-leadership)
  • Mentoring and career success

Selected Publications

Avolio, Bruce. J., Jane M. Howell, and John J. Sosik. "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Bottom Line: Humor As A Moderator Of Leadership Style Effects." Academy of Management Journal 42, no. 2 (1999): 219-27. doi:10.2307/257094.

Avolio, Bruce J., John J. Sosik, Surinder S. Kahai, and Bradford Baker. "E-leadership: Re-examining Transformations in Leadership Source and Transmission." The Leadership Quarterly 25, no. 1 (2014): 105-31. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.003.

Jung, Dong Il., and John J. Sosik. "Transformational Leadership in Work Groups: The Role of Empowerment, Cohesiveness, and Collective-Efficacy on Perceived Group Performance." Small Group Research 33, no. 3 (2002): 313-36. doi:10.1177/10496402033003002.

Sosik, John J. Leading with Character: Stories of Valor and Virtue and the Principles They Teach. 2nd ed. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2015.

Sosik, John J., Bruce J. Avolio, and Surinder S. Kahai. "Effects of Leadership Style and Anonymity on Group Potency and Effectiveness in a Group Decision Support System Environment." Journal of Applied Psychology 82, no. 1 (1997): 89-103. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.82.1.89.

Sosik, John J., Jae Uk Chun, Ziya Ete, Fil J. Arenas, and Joel A. Scherer. “Self-control puts character into action: Examining how leader character strengths and ethical leadership relate to leader outcomes.” Journal of Business Ethics 160, no. 3 (2019): 765-781. doi:10.1007/s10551-018-3908-0

Sosik, John J., William A. Gentry, and Jae Uk Chun. "The Value of Virtue in the Upper Echelons: A Multisource Examination of Executive Character Strengths and Performance." The Leadership Quarterly 23, no. 3 (2012): 367-82. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2011.08.010.

Sosik, John J., and Veronica M. Godshalk. "Leadership Styles, Mentoring Functions Received, and Job-related Stress: A Conceptual Model and Preliminary Study." Journal of Organizational Behavior 21, no. 4 (2000): 365-90. doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1379(200006)21:43.0.co;2-h.

Sosik, John J., and Dongil Jung. Full Range Leadership Development: Pathways for People, Profit, and Planet (2nd edition). New York: Routledge, 2018.

Sosik, John J., and Lara E. Megerian. "Understanding Leader Emotional Intelligence and Performance: The Role of Self-Other Agreement on Transformational Leadership Perceptions." Group & Organization Management 24, no. 3 (1999): 367-90. doi:10.1177/1059601199243006.

  • B.S., King's College
  • MBA, Wilkes University
  • Ph.D., State University of New York at Binghamton