Theoretical development of servant leadership in a military context: A mixed methods research

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to both develop and validate a model for servant leadership in a military context. Design/methodology/approach: The exploratory sequential mixed methods design with two phases was used. Firstly, in the qualitative phase, the process of servant leadership in a military context was developed using a systematic approach of grounded theory. Secondly, in the quantitative phase, the relationship between the components of servant leadership was explained and the developed model was validated. Findings: The result of the qualitative phase show certain personal, organizational and social antecedents form the ideology of sacrifice in leaders which include: spiritually, intelligent and developed personality (personal antecedents); organizational culture, models and incentives (organizational antecedents); and reference groups and social events (social antecedents). The ideology of sacrifice resulted in choosing special behaviors of servant leadership by leaders. These behaviors include: creating service climate; developing standards; building trust; empowering followers comprehensively; and effective persuasion which cause positive personal and organizational outcomes. According to the results of quantitative phase, the proposed model has an appropriate fitness. Practical implications: The results of this research can be used to develop certain criteria for selecting servant leaders. Accordingly, certain training programs can be developed to promote competencies in organizational leaders. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to develop a model for servant leadership in a military context using a mixed methods design.