Their revelation about how leaders seek constructive criticism has already taken the field of management by storm, and it could transform corporate effectiveness as well.

Penn State Great Valley Professor John J. Sosik and former faculty member Jae Uk Chun authored the best research paper submitted to the Southern Management Association during its recent leadership conference.

The paper, “Leader Feedback-Seeking From Subordinates and Evaluation of Leader Effectiveness in Leader-Subordinate Relationships: Subordinate Expertise Does Matter,” delved into the value of utilizing feedback from expert subordinates, rather than mediocre staff, to improve effectiveness and management skills in a time of shared leadership and crowdsourcing.

“This could be a critical issue from a managerial perspective,” Penn State Great Valley’s Sosik said. “It is certainly a less-than-optimal use of readily available resources. More attention should be paid to fostering feedback-seeking behavior as a way to improve leader effectiveness.”

As a result, Sosik will bring two awards back to his Master of Leadership Development Program at Penn State Great Valley following the SMA’s Oct. 26 annual meeting: the SMA’s Best Organizational Behavior Track Paper and Best Overall Conference Paper.

The duo’s findings and practical implications will be presented at Penn State Great Valley during its Sept. 14 noon Management Research Showcase.

Read more about Sosik’s and Chun’s award-winning paper here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Penn State Great Valley here.