Research

The Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute provides financial support for research initiatives focused on advancing cutting edge research in leadership through several initiatives.
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Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute Sponsors Award for Best Symposium at AOM 2026

The Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute, in partnership with the Department of Management at the University of Miami Business School, is pleased to announce the recipient of the Management Education and Development (MED) Division's 2026 Best Symposium in Management Education and Development Award, presented at the Academy of Management's Annual Meeting (AOM 2026).
The Institute's sponsorship of this award reflects its ongoing commitment to advancing excellence and innovation in leadership and management education, and to recognizing scholarship and educational initiatives that make a meaningful contribution to the field.

About the award

This award recognizes the symposium judged to offer the most significant contribution to advancing management education and development — an objective closely aligned with the mission and values of the Leadership Institute.

2026 Award Winner
This year's award was presented to the Professional Development Workshop (PDW) titled "Conscious Leadershift: Toward Mindful Responsibility in the Face of Complex Global Challenges."

Organizing Team:

  • Professor Joan Marques, Woodbury University
  • Professor Sandra Waddock, Boston College
  • Professor Emeritus Chris Laszlo, Case Western Reserve University
  • Professor Sharda Nandram, Nyenrode Business School

The award was accepted on behalf of the team by Dr. Puneet Bindlish, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The Institute congratulates the organizing team on this well-deserved recognition and thanks them for their contribution to advancing the field of management education.

Most Promising Leadership Research Proposal Award 
The Most Promising Leadership Research Proposal Award recognizes an early-career scholar whose innovative research demonstrates exceptional potential to advance the field of leadership. Presented annually at the Academy of Management's Leadership Professional Development Workshop (PDW), the award celebrates original scholarship that introduces new perspectives, challenges conventional thinking, and contributes to the future of leadership research. By supporting emerging scholars and groundbreaking ideas, the award reflects the Johnson A. Edosomwan Leadership Institute's commitment to fostering excellence, innovation, and the next generation of leadership research.


Congratulations to our Winner: Dr. Aybike Mergen, an Assistant Professor of Management, Özyeğin University in Turkey for proposal titled: Riding the Meme: Leadership Emergence as Collective Identity Alignment through Memetic Resonance and Co-construction.

This research develops a fresh framework for understanding how leaders emerge. Rather than focusing on individual traits, it explains leadership as a dynamic, relational process between leaders, followers, and the cultural “memes” (narratives, symbols, and ideas) that connect them. Leaders gain legitimacy by creating and aligning with shared cultural touchpoints, while followers actively interpret and co-shape them, together forging a collective identity.  

Annual GPL Research Proposal Competition

An annual research proposal competition to promote interdisciplinary research in the leadership and governance field open to all business school faculty as well as doctoral students

  • $1500 award to be used for research related activities
  • Select research topics funded by the competition have included the effect of cultural background on perceptions of leader incivility, political discourse at work, and corporate fake news on social media
  • Past winners include: Cecily Cooper, Professor, Department of Management, for the research proposal of “Political Discourse at Work”; Rosy Xu, doctoral student, Department of Accounting, for her proposal of “Corporate Fake News on Social Media”.

Teams Research Incubator (TRI)

A unique opportunity for scholars to collaborate, share knowledge, and drive innovation in the study of teamwork and leadership.

  • Interdisciplinary Approach: Incorporates perspectives from diverse researchers in various academic fields.
  • Benefits: Combines diverse presentations and various academic perspectives with ample networking opportunities in a small group format, fostering the development of new research ideas and building valuable research relationships.
  • Impact: Feedback has significantly advanced many research projects to publication.