A Paradigm Shift: Investigating the Predictors of Servant Leadership in Public Service Organizations

Abstract

This study examines servant identity and moral potency as predictors of servant leadership behavior among local government managers, using a mixed-method approach in two studies. Study 1 comprised an online survey of 228 employees and 99 managers serving in local government agencies in a large State in the United States. The Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) results of the survey data revealed that both servant identity and moral potency positively and significantly relate to servant leadership behavior manifestation among local government managers. In Study 2, three qualitative case studies of the local government leaders who obtained high servant leadership scores in the online survey were conducted. Findings from case studies revealed that the leader’s life experiences, beliefs, and values determine his or her servant identity to manifest servant leadership behavior. Overall, the results suggest that servant identity and moral potency are important individual leader attributes that predict the manifestation and development of servant leadership in public service organizations.