Servant Leadership Research Articles

Resilience! An intensifier for servant leadership? An employee engagement perspective

PurposeDrawing insights from the “Substitutes for Leadership” Theory, this study intends to examine the moderating role of resilience between servant leadership (SL) and employee engagement (EE). Particularly, relying on the issue that there are certain barriers, which hamper the effective execution of SL in the workplace, this study proposes to check that whether or not, resilience can intensify the effect of SL on EE.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study was conducted on 241 employees working in the Indian Banking and Insurance (B&I) sector using the SPSS (v20), and the AMOS software (v21).FindingsThe study’s results revealed that SL is significantly related to EE. Also, this relationship is stronger for the employees who experience a high level of resilience, thus denoting that resilience works as a booster for SL.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has certain limitations like being cross-sectional in nature and covering only B&I sector employees.Practical implicationsSince resilience helps in intensifying the effect of SL on EE, the organizational HR managers should devote efforts to make their workforce resilient.Originality/valueThis paper is the first of its kind which empirically investigated the intensifying role of resilience for SL style.

Servant leadership and citizenship behavior in the Pakistani tourism and hospitality industry: The role of harmonious environmental passion and a green work climate

This research investigated the mechanisms and contextual factors influencing the relationship between servant leadership tailored to specific environments and environmental citizenship behavior, considering the Conservation of Resource Theory as a theoretical lens. Data collection was collected from 300 employees and their supervisors, including several organizations within the Pakistani Hospitality and Tourism sector, and the data underwent analysis using PLS-SEM. Empirical findings showed that the relationship between environmental-specific servant leadership and organizational environmental citizenship behavior is mediated by harmonious environmental passion. The green work climate positively moderates the indirect effects of harmonious environmental passion on organizational environmental citizenship behavior, suggesting that this effect is strengthened when employees have a higher green work climate than with a lower green work climate. Guidelines for future research are provided.

A Systematic Review of Thriving at Work: A Bibliometric Analysis and Organizational Research Agenda

ABSTRACTThriving at work has gained considerable research attention over the past decades. This study aimed to systematically unpack the knowledge of the past, present, and future of thriving at work by using bibliometric analysis. Following the PRISMA protocol, this study assesses 281 peer‐reviewed papers published between 2005 and 2024. Results are as follows: (1) We identify the prominent authors, significant publications, top countries, leading affiliations, and journals in thriving at work. (2) Six clusters (i.e., work–family enrichment, career commitment, servant leadership, challenge stressors, job satisfaction, and psychological capital) are identified based on the keywords that map the emergent core themes via content analysis. (3) Based on the job demands–resources model, we map a detailed framework of thriving at work about its antecedents, moderators, and outcomes. (4) We propose prospective directions for future research using the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics, Method) framework.

Impediments to Effective Leadership in Public Service: A Case of Administrative and Political Challenges in County Governments in Kenya

This study addresses the substantial challenges facing leadership effectiveness in Kenya's county governments, focusing on bureaucratic inertia, political interference, resource limitations, and issues with meritocratic appointments that undermine governance and public trust. The research aimed to comprehensively analyze these barriers and propose actionable strategies for improvement. What are the primary administrative impediments to effective leadership in public service within county governments in Kenya? How do political dynamics influence leadership effectiveness in the public service sector at the county level? And what strategies can be implemented to overcome these impediments and enhance leadership effectiveness in county governments? The research questions were: Grounded in theories of transformational and transactional leadership the study explores the contrast between these leadership styles in overcoming the identified challenges. The study employs a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative data from interviews and case studies, alongside quantitative insights gathered through surveys of county officials, public servants, and community leaders, provide a holistic perspective. Purposive sampling ensured diverse participant viewpoints were captured because it allows for targeted sampling. Key findings using Likert scale of 1-5 underscore significant impediments to effective leadership: bureaucratic inertia (rated 4.0), political interference (3.9), resource constraints (3.8), insufficient training (3.7), and political appointments lacking meritocracy (4.2), corruption (4.1), fraudulent academic credentials (3.5), patronage (3.8), and tribalism (3.7). These findings reveal systemic challenges that hinder leadership effectiveness and governance outcomes. In conclusion, entrenched bureaucratic practices, external political pressures, and systemic flaws in leadership appointments hinder effective governance in Kenyan county governments. Addressing these issues necessitates comprehensive reforms, including transparent appointment processes, strengthened anti-corruption measures, strategic resource allocation, and enhanced professional development for public service leaders. From the findings the study recommends implementing transparent and merit-based appointment systems, bolstering anti-corruption efforts, prioritizing targeted resource allocation, and investing in continuous leadership development programs. These measures are crucial for fostering transparency, accountability, and sustainable development in Kenya's county governments

The Impact of Women Leadership and Decision-Making on Employee Performance with Servant Leadership Style as a Moderating Variable

This study aims to examine the influence of women's leadership and decision making on employee performance, as well as the moderating impact of servant leadership style in the context of the food and beverage subsector manufacturing industry in the Greater Bekasi area. A quantitative approach was used with nonprobability sampling techniques, and data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), involving 219 respondents as research samples. The results showed that female leadership and decision making had a significant effect on employee performance. In addition, servant leadership style moderates the relationship between these variables, suggesting that the application of this leadership style can strengthen the positive impact of women's leadership and decision-making on employee performance. The practical implication of this study is the importance of women's leadership development and the application of servant leadership style in improving employee performance in the industrial sector under study

Moderating effect of chief executive officer servant leadership on the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance

Although entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is widely believed to benefit firms, it is increasingly considered necessary but insufficient for achieving superior firm performance. To better understand the circumstances under which EO is beneficial for firms, we adopt a resource-based perspective to introduce chief executive officer (CEO) servant leadership as a critical moderator of the EO–performance relationship. We validate our predictions using multi-point data from 170 small firms in India. The results reveal that three servant leadership behaviours – altruistic calling, wisdom and emotional healing – strengthen the EO–performance relationship. Furthermore, consistent with systems logic, the performance benefits of EO are found to be greater when the CEO servant leadership is closer to an ‘ideal’ configuration of behaviours. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of CEO leadership behaviours in fully actualising EO’s performance potential, thus illuminating the importance of aligning a firm’s strategic posture with other constructs of interest.

CONTEMPORARY THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP: CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS

The relationship between leadership and culture and the influence of culture on leadership have been relevant to scholars for the last 50 years. Culture itself is one of the determining factors that directly influence the leadership model that is most effective in a particular culture, because even understanding the model of effective leadership depends on the culture and its underlying values. Different national cultures understand the model of effective leadership in different ways, because they have different basic values and models of behavior that are the basis of a specific effective model of leadership. According to the dominant values of a national culture, people subconsciously imagine their leaders as behaving in accordance with these ideals of leadership and value their leaders accordingly. The study of leadership in a cultural context has undergone significant transformations along with the evolution of leadership theories and the development of cross-cultural management. The purpose of this study is to analyze contemporary theories of leadership in the cross-cultural context and determine the influence of culture on modern models of effective leadership. The cross-cultural analysis of contemporary leadership theories determined that almost all theories emphasize a significant influence of culture on modern models of effective leadership. Behavioral theory and contingency theory of leadership emphasize that cultural norms play a key role in a cross-cultural context. The autocratic leadership style has been found to have significant cultural limitations to its effective use, whereas transformational leadership can be used and be effective in any culture. In transactional leadership is based subordinates are not self-motivated because they need to be closely observed and controlled. Servant leadership will now gain even more acceptance in different cultures, but has already proven to be effective primarily in cultures based on individualism, democracy, and egalitarianism. Contemporary leadership theories such as relational leadership, complex leadership, ambidextrous leadership, and adaptive leadership also emphasize the need to consider the interaction between leaders and the environment as influenced by culture.

Trajectories and Associations of Perceived Servant Leadership and Teacher Exhaustion During the First Months of a Crisis

Trajectories and Associations of Perceived Servant Leadership and Teacher Exhaustion During the First Months of a Crisis

Seeking silver lining for leaders' well-being: understanding gender differences in work-family conflict, leadership style and prioritizing coping strategy

PurposeOur study addresses the impact of COVID-19-induced work-family conflict on leaders' well-being and explores the influence of leadership style, coping strategies, and gender disparities in this context, filling a research gap on crisis-related leadership well-being.Design/methodology/approachWe used hierarchical regression analysis and SPSS's PROCESS macro to analyze a dataset of 516 paired responses, including 231 leaders and 285 subordinates, from Mongolian organizations.FindingsStrain-based work-family conflict (WFC) negatively affects leaders' workplace well-being. Servant leadership exacerbates this impact. In contrast, servant leadership positively moderates the relationship between time-based WFC and job-related well-being. Leaders who prioritize work and family responsibilities experience a stronger positive (negative) impact of time-based (strain-based) WFC on their workplace well-being. Furthermore, we observed that strain-based WFC has a more detrimental effect on female leaders' well-being, highlighting gender disparities in leadership roles.Practical implicationsOur study elucidates the intricate relationship between work-family conflict and leaders' well-being, underscoring the need to recognize gender differences and coping strategies. We advocate for organizations to proactively establish support structures tailored to various leadership styles and gender-specific challenges, especially in times of crisis.Originality/valueThis study focuses on leaders' well-being during COVID-19 and how it is influenced by work-family conflict, servant leadership, coping strategy, and gender. The study also differentiates between time-based and strain-based work-family conflict and uses dyadic data from Mongolian organizations. More importantly, we identify that gender disparity plays a crucial role in the pandemic-caused leadership challenges and leaders' coping behaviors.

The Influence of Servant Leadership and Organizational Climate on Employee Performance with Job Satisfaction as Intervening Variables (Study at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana University)

The Influence of Servant Leadership and Organizational Climate on Employee Performance with Job Satisfaction as Intervening Variables (Study at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana University)

Factor Contributing To Organizational Citizenship Behavior

This study explores the interplay between organizational culture and servant leadership and their collective impact on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The purpose of this research is to ascertain and analyze how organizational culture and servant leadership affect organizational citizenship behavior at PT. Surya Furniture Indonesia. There is a quantitative study type that is conducted. Furthermore, using associative techniques to determine the ways in which Organizational Culture and Servant Leadership impact Organizational Citizenship Behavior. There were seventy-three subjects in this investigation, and nonprobability sampling with saturated sample techniques was used to identify the samples. In line with the respondent company, PT. Surya Furniture Indonesia. Instruments employ a Likert scale. To find out how much organizational culture and servant leadership influence organizational citizenship behavior, a multiple regression analysis was carried out with SPSS 26.0. Organizational Culture was found to have a substantial beneficial impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (p=0.032, t=2,190). Servant leadership significantly improves organizational citizenship behavior (p-value = 0.000, t-count = 27688). Organizational culture and servant leadership both demonstrated a strong positive impact on organizational citizenship behavior, with a p-value of 0.000 and an f-count of 378,058. The findings suggest that a positive organizational culture significantly enhances the effectiveness of servant leadership practices, which in turn, fosters higher levels of OCB among employees.

Contribution of leadership styles to organizational performance in the South African banking sector

The main aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of different leadership styles on the performance of organisations in the banking sector of South Africa. The outcomes are expected to be utilised in order to construct leadership development initiatives, which will facilitate the cultivation of leadership competencies that contribute to the success of a company. The research conducted a synthesis of 50 empirical studies through the use of secondary source content analysis. A one-sample t-test was used to assess the presence of a statistically significant association between organisational success and a manager's lifestyle. A unidirectional analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to determine the correlation between different leadership styles and organisational performance. The Pearson's Correlation Coefficient was employed to examine the correlation between leadership styles and organisational performance. Research has confirmed that Transformational leadership has a positive impact on financial success, customer satisfaction, and staff engagement. Transformational leaders foster innovation and exceptional performance through their inspiring vision and tailored assistance. Transactional leadership ensures operational stability and adherence to regulations, but it does not have a substantial impact on staff engagement and innovation. Servant leadership emphasises the establishment of a supportive work environment through the enhancement of staff morale and customer service. An optimal approach for enhancing organisational performance in the South African Banking sector is to adopt a well-rounded strategy that incorporates transformational, transactional, and servant leadership principles. The Transformational leadership style has been determined to be the most effective in the banking sector, as it has shown the highest improvement in organisational performance. Banks executives and managers should consider embracing transformational leadership, cultivating innovation, and allocating resources towards staff development.

The Influence of Servant Leadership, Competency, Educational Qualifications, Work Environment on Employee Performance Mediated by Job Satisfaction

Performance is showing the quality and quantity of work achieved by an employee after carrying out the job duties assigned by the organization. Employee performance is influenced by many indicators such as servant leadership, competence, educational qualifications and work environment. This study aims to examine the influence of servant leadership, competency, educational qualifications and work environment on employee performance is mediated by job satisfaction. This research was conducted at the Regional Office X of the State Civil Service Agency with Civil Servants as research subjects. The population of this research is all Civil Servants who work at the Regional Office X of the State Civil Service Agency, totaling 89 people and using the saturated sample method, so that all employees are used as samples. Researchers used quantitative research with primary data from questionnaires distributed to Civil Servants of the State Civil Service Agency Regional Office X through google form with a Likert scale of 1-10. Using SEM Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis technique. The results showed that servant leadership, competence, educational qualifications and work environment have a positive effect and significant on job satisfaction. Servant leadership, competence, work environment and job satisfaction have a positive effect on employee performance but educational qualifications have a negative effect and not significant on employee performance. Job satisfaction is able to mediated the influence of servant leadership, competence, educational qualifications and work environment on employee performance. The implications of this research can contribute information in understanding the specific relationship of leaders in determining decisions related to employee performance appraisal by considering the competence and educational qualifications of employees, increasing servant leadership of leaders and improving the quality of the work environment in order to improve the performance.

Effect of Leadership on Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management in India

Purpose: To aim of the study was to examine the effect of leadership on organizational learning and knowledge management in India. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Effect of leadership on organizational learning and knowledge management in India reveals that effective leadership significantly enhances both areas by fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Leaders who prioritize open communication and knowledge sharing create an environment where employees feel empowered to contribute ideas and learn from one another. This, in turn, leads to improved knowledge management practices, as leaders who support training and development initiatives ensure that valuable knowledge is systematically captured, stored, and utilized. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Transformational leadership theory, knowledge-based View (KBV) & situational leadership theory may be used to anchor future studies on effect of leadership on organizational learning and knowledge management in India. Organizations should implement and continuously refine leadership development programs that emphasize the integration of transformational, participative, ethical, and servant leadership qualities. Organizations should establish policies that promote leadership styles conducive to effective knowledge management.

Lonely and Insecure: How salesperson Well-Being impacts performance

Loneliness has become increasingly common in society, especially for salespeople as they navigate the more remote, digital world of selling. Understanding how loneliness impacts the behaviors of salespeople – particularly as they interact with customers – is critical for firms aiming to improve sales performance and support their sales teams. Using objective self-awareness (OSA) theory as a lens, we explore the effects of loneliness and find it increases social insecurity in salespeople. Social insecurity subsequently damages salesperson outcomes by increasing sales call reluctance and conspicuous overspending on customers while inhibiting listening. As such, loneliness and social insecurity reduce sales performance, even when measured objectively from the records of a national sales firm. Results also demonstrate that rejection further exacerbates the effect of loneliness on social insecurity, and unfortunately, servant leadership does little to help. We thus offer recommendations to help managers lessen the challenges faced by lonely salespeople.

Championing in Sales Management: Construct Definition and Measurement Development

This study advances the understanding of a recently identified leader behavior known as championing, which is argued to be especially effective in a sales context. Championing occurs when sales managers protect their salespeople from nonessential tasks, enabling them to focus on activities that enhance sales performance. Building on the exploratory work by Peesker et al. (2019), the current study delves deeper into the theoretical underpinnings and practical implications of championing. The first major section is a literature review that relates championing to established leadership theories, including path-goal, transformational, ethical, and servant leadership. This review demonstrates how championing aligns with and reinforces these theoretical frameworks, providing a deeper understanding of the behavior. Following this theoretical groundwork, the authors developed a new multi-item measurement scale for championing by integrating traditional scale development methods with innovative techniques involving artificial intelligence. Specifically, items for the scale were generated using a chain-of-thought prompting process with ChatGPT-3.5. These items were empirically tested through conventional scale development procedures, which included analyzing data from a sample of 254 salespeople using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. This approach resulted in the creation of a robust four-item scale with a one-factor solution that demonstrated strong construct validity. Future researchers can use this measure to examine how championing interacts with other established leader behaviors to generate positive work outcomes, such as reduced role stress, increased trust in managers, and higher sales performance. Overall, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of championing by highlighting its relevance within the broader leadership literature, making a strong case for its effectiveness in a sales context, and offering a validated measurement tool for future research.

Co-Producing Paws on Campus: A Psychoeducational Dog-Facilitated Programme for University Students Experiencing Mental Health Difficulties.

Declining student mental health is a global public health issue. Campus-based animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) are popular and effective interventions to prevent and alleviate symptoms. How to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based, student-centred interventions that enjoy sustained stakeholder buy-in and support is less known. This paper presents the procedures and results of a three-stage co-production method and the resulting curriculum of a novel AAI aimed at university students experiencing serious mental health problems. Stage 1 shaped the focus and structure of the intervention based on online student surveying (N = 204) and consultations with stakeholders (N = 10), including representatives of Student Well-being Services leadership, veterinarians, animal welfare charities and Therapets volunteers. In Stage 2, we conducted co-production workshops with post-graduate students (N = 6), developing the curriculum based on Stage 1 insights. In Stage 3, through iterative prototyping and student feedback (N = 22) the Paws on Campus programme was finalised, resulting in a series of four, one-hour themed sessions: (1) Thoughts and Feelings, (2) Well-being and Welfare, (3) Care and Compassion and (4) Problem Solving and Help Seeking. We describe the co-production method and resulting programme characteristics and provide considerations for others interested in developing effective and sustainable AAIs for their respective populations and contexts.

Servant Leadership and Work–Family Conflict: The Dual Mediation Effects of Thriving at Work and Workaholism

ABSTRACTExtant research has uniformly demonstrated that servant leadership is beneficial for followers, teams, and even organizations. Drawing upon social information processing theory and social exchange theory, we challenge this prevalent conclusion by analyzing the dual impact mechanism of servant leadership on followers' work–family conflict. A total of 402 Chinese working adults responded to a three‐wave online questionnaire survey. The results revealed that: on the one hand, servant leadership can enhance thriving at work and reduce the work–family conflict of subordinates; on the other hand, servant leadership can also trigger workaholism in subordinates, which can increase work–family conflict. Traditionality of followers moderates the dual mechanism of servant leadership on work–family conflict. This study reveals the benefits and perils of servant leadership and the important role that traditionality plays in this unique leadership process.

Membangun Budaya Kelas Konstruktif Melalui Prinsip Servant leadership di Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang

This research explores the implementation of servant leadership as a strategy to overcome the problem of unconstructive classroom culture in the university environment. In the context of Islamic education, the importance of creating a learning culture that is balanced between intellectual, spiritual, and moral aspects is the main foundation. Support from the literature on constructivism and previous research shows that a constructive classroom culture has a positive impact on academic achievement, critical thinking skills, and the development of ethical values in Islamic education. Servant leadership, as a proposed solution, emphasizes service as the main approach, with leaders focusing on listening and responding to the needs of their class members. This research will explain in depth how the application of servant leadership by the Class Leader can form constructive classroom conditions at Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University Malang. Through qualitative methods with observation and in-depth interviews. The findings are expected to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between servant leadership and constructive classroom culture, with the potential to provide a basis for policy development or decisions related to leadership principles in creating positive and inclusive classroom conditions

BREADCRUMB LEGACY: THE EVERYDAY IMPACT OF OUR ACTIONS, DECISIONS, AND BEHAVIORS

AbstractThe author, professor merita at Central College, writes about her concept of breadcrumb legacy, including that our legacy is formed by our day‐to‐day actions over a long time period. She notes that in her interviews, “along with my own research and experiences working with leaders, drove home that legacy, much like leadership, is all about conscious impact, and living how you'd like to be remembered. But not in the way that you might think.” She draws on various examples, such as Robert Glazer, founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners; Sounds True founder Tami Simon; leadership adviser/authors Jim Collins, Stephen R. Covey, and Sally Helgesen; developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, psychotherapist David Richo; and authors Studs Terkel and Rob Salafia. Freed writes that a “leader’s legacy also includes how well the leader builds capacity for the organization to thrive after the leader has left. While some may call this succession planning, it is the mindset of any good steward and servant leader.” She concludes that “since leadership is a relationship, not a position or title, thinking about how we want to be remembered can positively impact all of our relationships. Call them strong skills, brave skills, or leadership superpowers–breadcrumbs.”