The role of servant leadership in fostering inclusive organizations

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 985-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Gotsis ◽  
Katerina Grimani
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Organizational Practices ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
Indirect Relationship ◽  
Societal Expectations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative framework of servant leadership and employees’ perception of inclusion. The authors argue that servant leadership embodies an inclusive leadership philosophy that is in a position to facilitate feelings of belongingness and uniqueness among diverse employees. Design/methodology/approach A theoretical model capturing the effect of servant leadership in shaping climates for inclusion, is developed. The authors elaborate on research streams focussing on climates for inclusion, and examine servant leadership as a potential predictor of inclusion. In this respect, the authors posit that inclusive practices mediate the servant leadership and inclusion relationship, while leaders’ inclusiveness beliefs moderate the servant leadership and inclusive practices relationship. Findings The model introduces mediating mechanisms that intervene in the indirect relationship between servant leadership and climates for inclusion. In so doing, the authors seek to identify how organizational practices supported through servant leadership behaviors address employee needs for belongingness and uniqueness. The model predicts multi-level beneficial outcomes for social identity groups. Practical implications The paper identifies a bundle of organizational practices facilitating employees’ perceptions of inclusion, by placing an emphasis on how servant leaders can enact and implement practices in view of attaining inclusiveness pursuits. Social implications Servant leadership is inclusive by empowering diverse employees and fostering equitable and more humane workplaces, as well as by being more sensitive to various societal expectations. Originality/value The paper is intended to explore precisely how servant leadership can help inclusive ideals to thrive in diverse work environments.

Personality traits and personal values of servant leaders

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-192
Author(s):  
Peter Sun ◽  
Sudong Shang
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Personal Values ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Direct Reports

Purpose Servant leaders focus on their direct reports to enable them to grow to be independent and autonomous leaders. The purpose of this paper is to understand the way personal values and personality traits collectively influence this other-centered behavior. This will go a long way to unravel this unique style of leadership. Design/methodology/approach The study surveys managers and their direct reports. Leaders rated their personality trait and personal values, while their direct reports rated the leader’s servant leadership behaviors. Age, educational level, conscientiousness, extraversion and neuroticism of leaders were used as controls. The study also checked for endogeneity threats. Findings Using a sample of 81 leaders and 279 of their direct reports, the study finds that the personal value of benevolent dependability relates negatively to servant leadership behaviors. In addition, the personality traits of agreeableness and openness/intellect moderate the relationship between benevolent dependability and servant leadership behaviors. Research limitations/implications The findings shed important insights into what motivates servant leaders to engage in other-directed behaviors, thereby enabling future research into individual characteristics that define servant leaders. Originality/value Although studies have examined how values and personality traits influence leadership behaviors, no research has examined both types of individual differences in a single study. Studies examining the individual differences of servant leaders are few, and this study answers the call by Liden et al. (2014) to examine individual characteristics that are both personality based (traits) and malleable (values).

Seeking and measuring the essential behaviors of servant leadership

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Winston ◽  
Dail Fields
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Development ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Leader Effectiveness ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Leader Behaviors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature of how servant leadership is established and transmitted among members of an organization. The second goal was to identify and evaluate the unique actions by a leader essential to establishing servant leadership. The authors’ efforts resulted in identification and validation of ten leader behaviors that seem to be essential to servant leadership. Design/methodology/approach – The authors’ methodology consisted of two stages. In the first stage, The authors developed an item pool of 116 items drawn from previously developed operationalizations of servant leadership. The authors then engaged a panel of 23 researchers attending a conference focused exclusively on the study of servant leadership to evaluate the. Each participant was asked to independently rate each item using a four-point scale where 1=not useful in describing servant leaders and 4=contributes greatly to describing servant leaders. The authors retained only the most highly rated items. This resulted in retention of 22 leader behaviors for further analysis. In the second stage, the authors developed a questionnaire including these items as well as items measuring transformational leadership behaviors, transactional leader behaviors, servant leadership as measured by the instrument developed by Liden et al. (2008), and a measure of leadership effectiveness developed and used by Ehrhart and Klein (2001). The questionnaire was placed in internet-based survey software and the link provided to students and faculty at a private mid-Atlantic university and to university alumni and colleagues in a variety of organizations. Each respondent was asked to describe a leader he/she had worked for in the past five years and included specification of the job role for both the respondent and the leader. Findings – The ten-item scale accounts for 75 percent of the variance with a scale reliability α=0.96. Convergent validity was determined through comparison to Liden et al. (2008) measure of servant leadership. Discriminant validity was established through confirmatory analysis of leader effectiveness, transformational leadership’s four dimensions, a measure of transactional leadership, and an alternative multi-dimensional measure of servant leadership. Originality/value – This paper clarifies and provides a measure of the essential behaviors of servant leaders. This provides a useful measurement tool for leadership development.

The effect of servant leadership, perceived organizational support, job satisfaction and job embeddedness on turnover intentions

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias M. Huning ◽  
Kevin J. Hurt ◽  
Rachel E. Frieder
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Perceived Organizational Support ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
Job Embeddedness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide insights into the effect of servant leadership on turnover intentions. The authors investigate the mediating effects of perceived organizational support (POS), job embeddedness and job satisfaction on the relationship between servant leadership and turnover intentions. In doing so, the authors seek to make the following contributions. First, the authors seek to provide additional empirical evidence for servant leadership as an effective organizational theory. Additionally, the authors seek to establish POS, embeddedness and job satisfaction as underlying mechanisms that transmit the positive effects of servant leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from a paper and pencil survey questionnaire provided to employees of different organizations in a metropolitan area in the southeastern United States. The sample consisted of 150 participants; complete (listwise) data were available for 115 participants.FindingsThe study shows that POS and embeddedness are mediating mechanisms through which servant leadership is related to employee turnover intentions. The authors found POS and job embeddedness to be significant mediating constructs which help explain the nature of the relationship between servant leadership and turnover intentions.Originality/valueBy investigating these constructs in the present framework, we help to provide answers to the questions of how and why servant leadership affects employee outcomes. These answers are an important step towards more fully understanding the complex ways by which followers respond to servant leadership.

scholarly journals Servant leaders as underestimators: theoretical and practical implications

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton Sousa ◽  
Dirk van Dierendonck
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Polynomial Regression ◽  
The Self ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a new interpretation of underestimation for the particular case of servant leadership, contending the ideas that underestimation is caused by lack of self-awareness or low self-esteem, and that self-other agreement is a necessary condition for self-awareness. Additional reflections are provided on the development of servant leadership in organizations. Design/methodology/approach A revision of the self-other agreement literature was done, with a focus on underestimation. The theoretical foundations of servant leadership were analysed. The main hypothesis was derived, including a set of supporting propositions. An empirical study was conducted based on a polynomial regression and 3D surface analysis, including 36 managers and 160 followers. Findings Underestimation was the strongest predictor of servant leadership effectiveness in generating psychological empowerment amongst followers. The theoretical revision provides arguments to support the claim that servant leaders underestimate themselves because of their humility and valuing of others. Practical implications With the increasing adoption of servant leadership, this study supports the need to develop specific processes for detecting, assessing, and developing servant leaders in organizations. Additional care is necessary on the interpretation of self-other ratings through 360-degree instruments in light of the leadership model being considered. Originality/value It is the first empirical study within the self-other leadership agreement that incorporates servant leadership. It provides an alternative explanation of underestimation for servant leaders. The paper also provides a reflection on the practical implications of underestimation for developing servant leadership in organizations.

Servant leadership and followership creativity

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wallace Alexander Williams ◽  
Randolph-Seng Brandon ◽  
Mario Hayek ◽  
Stephanie Pane Haden ◽  
Guclu Atinc
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Political Skill ◽  
Workplace Spirituality ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conceptual Skills

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how servant leadership and political skill combine to impact workplace spirituality and employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach Participants were working adults recruited by graduate and undergraduate students from a US public regional comprehensive university. Data were collected across three time periods, with a final sample size of 280 participants. Findings The authors’ findings suggest that servant leaders impact employee creativity by fostering an environment that promotes workplace spirituality. Furthermore, this relationship is strengthened to the extent that the servant leader possesses high levels of political skill. Research limitations/implications This study provides a foundation for the interplay between servant leadership and political skill. Therefore, the data collection procedures undertaken in this study (i.e. from sources in multiple organizations) are beneficial. A limitation to this study is the use of a single informant to measure all of the constructs, which may cause a bias in the results. Practical implications This study provides a foundation for the interplay between servant leadership and political skill. Therefore, the data collection procedures undertaken in this study (i.e. from sources in multiple organizations) are beneficial. Originality/value Although servant leadership research continues to receive increased attention in the extant literature, researchers have tended to focus on the relational aspects of servant leadership. Curiously, the “leader” side of servant leadership has been largely neglected. As a result, some have questioned the construct as a viable leadership model. Greenleaf (1977), however, noted that servant leaders also possess conceptual skills; yet, these skills are rarely included in servant leadership measurements or empirical studies. The authors argue that political skill captures the essence of these abilities, and that including it strengthens the servant leader’s impact on workplace spirituality, ultimately influencing employee creativity.

The effect of servant leadership on employee turnover in SMEs in Nigeria: the role of career growth potential and employee voice

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 885-904
Author(s):  
Okechukwu Ethelbert Amah ◽  
Kabiru Oyetuunde
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Employee Turnover ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Career Growth

PurposeEmployee turnover has been established as a major cause of the abysmal performance of SMEs in Nigeria. Hence, the study explored the role of servant leadership and the work climate created by the leader in the reduction of employee turnover in SMEs.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved 1,000 participants drawn from 200 SMEs in the city of Lagos. Cross-sectional data was acquired through questionnaire designed in such a way as to minimise common method variance.FindingsResults indicate that servant leadership reduced employee turnover, and that employee voice and the career growth dimensions partially mediated this relationship. The study variables explained 59% of the variance in employee turnover.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights that SMEs leaders who adopt servant leadership behaviour can reduce employee turnover directly and through the positive work environment they create. SMEs leaders must not only be servant leaders but must ensure that the entire organisation is managed by servant leaders. They achieve this through recruitment and promotion process.Originality/valuePast studies in Nigeria were in the area of government intervention and the effects of turnover on the productivity of SMEs. This appears to be the only paper that studied the effects of leadership on employee turnover in SMEs in Nigeria. This study advances research by studying the effect of servant leadership and the work environment created by leaders on employee turnover. Thus, the study advances past studies by suggesting possible ways to reduce employee turnover and enhancing the needed productivity of SMEs in Nigeria.

Servant leadership and perceived employability: proactive career behaviours as mediators

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aamir Chughtai
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Perceived Employability ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Planning Skill

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of servant leadership on perceived employability and examine the mediating role of three proactive career behaviours, namely, career planning, skill development and networking behaviour in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were collected from 176 employees who were working in a large food and beverage company operating in Pakistan. Structural equation modelling and the bootstrapping procedure were used to test the research hypotheses. Findings Results showed that servant leadership was positively related to career planning, skill development and networking behaviour, which, in turn, were positively associated with perceived employability. Furthermore, it was found that the three proactive career behaviours fully mediated the effects of servant leadership on perceived employability. Practical implications The findings of this study indicate that servant leadership can play a key role in enhancing workers’ employability. Thus, it is important that organisations focus on creating conditions, which help them to develop servant leaders. Originality/value This is the first study, which has empirically established a link between servant leadership and perceived employability. In addition, it uncovers three distinct mechanisms in the form of career planning, networking behaviour and skill development through which servant leadership can influence workers’ employability.

The influence of servant leadership, trust in leader and thriving on employee creativity

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeraj Kumar Jaiswal ◽  
Rajib Lochan Dhar
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Creative Behavior ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Trust In Leaders ◽  
Trust In Leader

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how servant leadership, trust in leader and thriving drive employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach Using a dyadic sample of 48 teams (each team comprising a supervisor and the subordinates under him), the authors investigated the role of servant leadership in predicting employee creativity, the mediating role of trust in leader and interactive role of thriving therein. Findings Findings of the study revealed that servant leaders instilled trust within followers, which acted as a mediator in predicting creativity. Further, thriving was found to act as a moderator that influenced the relationship between trust in leader and employee creativity. Findings also indicated that thriving employees exhibited a greater degree of creative behavior when they trusted their leader. Research limitations/implications Based on these findings, the study draws the attention of managers toward the role of servant leadership, trust in leaders and thriving in promoting employee creativity. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to integrate servant leadership, trust in leader, thriving and creative behavior into a single theoretical model. The study further provides evidence to validate the proposed model in context of predicting employee creativity.

What every leader ought to know about becoming a servant leader

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 228-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Mertel ◽  
Carol Brill
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Competency Assessment ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Attributes ◽  
A Value ◽  
Values Assessment

Purpose – Employees want to be supported to do their best work, but not every leader is comfortable or motivated to serve an employee’s “soft, emotional” needs. One key to help leaders become servant leaders is connecting serving others to their own values (even if “serving others” is not a value). Two assessments provided the framework for understanding this link between servant leadership attributes and the leader’s values. A case study demonstrates this link within a healthcare system where these tools helped develop servant leadership skills to support employee performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used a servant leadership competency assessment and values assessment with leaders in a healthcare organization. By citing several leadership experts, and explaining how values relate to servant leadership behaviors, the authors offer a way to help leaders understand that anyone can improve their success with servant leadership. Findings – By offering two case studies of anonymous yet actual participants in the study the authors show how leaders gained insights they needed to change their habits in working with others. Research limitations/implications – The research results are from two distinct assessments. Researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further with other similar assessments. Practical implications – The paper includes implications for the development of a leader’s servant leadership behaviors, which in turn supports employee engagement and organizational success. Social implications – In today’s age of mass technology, it has become a unique proposition to relate to others on the basis of serving their needs by relating to their values one-on-one. This paper inherently promotes in-person conversation with “soft” skills such as, listening, empathy, appreciation, and kindness. Originality/value – This paper fulfills an identified need to study how servant leadership behaviors can be improved by using a second tool focused on values.

Motivating language as a mediator between servant leadership and employee outcomes

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1234-1250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Gutierrez-Wirsching ◽  
Jacqueline Mayfield ◽  
Milton Mayfield ◽  
Wei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Servant Leadership ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Citizenship Behavior ◽  
Servant Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Motivating Language

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose motivating language as a mediator to increase the positive effects of servant leadership on subordinates’ outcomes. The authors propose that motivating language acts as a mediator to transmit servant leadership traits and enhances the positive impact that servant leadership verbal behavior has on employees’ performance. Design/methodology/approach – By developing a conceptual model, the authors propose a connection between servant leadership and motivating language. Findings – In the proposed model, motivating language acts as a full and a partial mediator. The authors further categorize three distinct outcome sets that should be improved from this relationship. The first set includes improved worker performance, job satisfaction, absenteeism and worker innovation. The second set is composed of self-efficacy, organizational citizenship behavior and employee commitment. Finally, the third set includes trust, satisfaction with the leader and inspiration to become servant leaders. Research limitations/implications – Empirical research needs to be conducted to test this model. Practical implications – The positive effects of servant leadership through the use of motivating language could be operationalized in multiple ways. First, potential servant leaders could take the well-established, reliable and valid motivating language scale to diagnostically identify their leader-member communication strengths and weaknesses. Then, tailored motivating language trainings could be implemented which target motivating language weaknesses and key strategic outcomes in the proposed model. Furthermore, motivating language training would be a valuable instrument for transmission of a servant leadership culture. Social implications – Servant leadership style responds to the demand for positive ethical behavior that is much needed during these times when emphasis is given to profitability and lack of concern for people is the norm rather than the exception. It is also synchronized with the current benefits of organizational citizenship behaviors that have recently emerged in the field of managerial research. Originality/value – This paper aims at addressing a gap in the literature by developing a model of how leader strategic language, namely, motivating language, mediates between servant leadership and worker outcomes.

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