Servant Leadership and Follower Need Satisfaction

Abstract

Given the fallout from the global financial crisis and the plethora of corporate scandals around the world in the past decade, many citizens are fed up with organizational leaders who they perceive to be corrupt. Perhaps as a response to public sentiment, many organizational scholars have started developing and examining leadership that has an ethical component (Avolio and Gardner, 2005; Brown and Treviño, 2006; Northouse, 2001; van Knippenberg et al., 2007). One leadership style – servant leadership – has been the subject of several theoretical and empirical articles as of late and, of course, is the focus of this entire book. Servant leadership is distinct from related styles of leadership, as the leader is viewed as a ‘servant’ to help satisfy the needs of his or her followers (Graham, 1991; Greenleaf, 1970, 1977). At a time in history when business leaders have damaged reputations and are overwhelmingly thought of as selfish and greedy, the increased interest in servant leadership is refreshing, relevant, and important.