Servant leadership is becoming an increasingly important and recognizable approach to management in contemporary organizations. This report provides a comprehensive review of scientific research on this phenomenon, based on findings from reputable academic and business journals. Servant leadership, based on the philosophy of serving others before fulfilling one’s own goals, has a significant impact on organizations and their employees.
Concept and foundations of servant leadership
The concept of servant leadership was created by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 in his essay “The Servant as Leader”. Greenleaf defined a servant leader as someone who primarily wants to serve, and only later lead. He described a servant leader as “primus inter pares”, meaning “first among equals”, emphasizing that the highest priority of such a leader is to serve others, rather than to fulfill personal needs.
Servant leadership is a philosophical approach and a set of practices that emphasize the development and humanity of employees. In contrast to traditional top-down leadership forms, servant leadership focuses primarily on the well-being, development, and success of those being led, placing these before the leader’s personal ambitions.
Servant leadership is distinguished from other leadership styles, such as transformational leadership. While transformational leaders focus on building employee engagement in achieving organizational goals, servant leaders focus on meeting the needs of their subordinates, making the achievement of organizational goals a secondary and subordinate outcome.
Impact of servant leadership on organizational outcomes
Scientific research consistently shows a positive impact of servant leadership on organizations. Over 300 peer-reviewed articles confirm numerous benefits, including increased profits, improved work climate, and better employee well-being and productivity.
Managers with servant leadership skills are 15% more effective in achieving business project goals than those who do not possess them, according to Gartner’s research. This proves that servant leadership is not only a humanistic approach but also a business strategy that yields measurable results.
Research by Hakanen and Van Dierendonck (2013) shows that the servant leadership style is associated with greater life satisfaction and less burnout among employees. It also affects employee engagement (Van Dierendonck and Nuijten, 2011), trust in leadership (Joseph and Winston, 2005), organizational commitment (Bobbio et al., 2012), and organizational citizenship behaviors (Walumbwa et al., 2010).
Mohammad Harisur Rahman Howladar and Md Sahidur Rahman in their research revealed that servant leadership directly affects organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviors. These findings highlight the ability of servant leadership to shape positive attitudes and behaviors in the workplace.
Impact on psychological well-being and employee development
Clarence and colleagues (2021) documented that leaders practicing a servant leadership style positively impact the psychological well-being of their subordinates. Employees experiencing higher levels of support at work tend to maintain a positive mood, and when they feel connected to a servant leader, they exhibit and demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviors at work.
Kiker and colleagues (2019) found that a servant leader’s ability to connect with employees on an individual level leads to employees displaying positive behaviors at work, affective engagement, and job satisfaction. Servant leadership also fosters positivity among employees through positive interactions and presence.
Research by Chiniara and Bentein (2016) showed that servant leadership is positively related to competence and autonomy. Servant leadership increases task performance by meeting psychological needs for autonomy and competence. A servant leader communicates and understands the expectations of their subordinates, enabling employees to take initiative in their work.
Coetzer and colleagues (2017) note that servant leaders provide organizational support to their employees, which employees receive through opportunities for personal and professional development. A servant leader creates opportunities for employees to use their abilities and take on more responsibility at work, creating an environment in which all organizational tasks can be completed efficiently.
Mediating mechanisms in servant leadership
Research identifies various mediating mechanisms that explain how servant leadership influences organizational and individual outcomes.
Newman and colleagues (2017) discovered that the leader-member exchange (LMX) mediates the relationship between servant leadership and employee citizenship behaviors. This means that the quality of the relationship between the leader and the subordinate is a key factor in influencing employee behaviors.
Ozyilmaz and Cicek (2015) tested the positive effects of servant leadership on organizational citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction, stating that the psychological climate partially mediates this relationship. This underscores the importance of creating a positive work environment by servant leaders.
Hunter and colleagues (2013) studied both the direct effects of servant leadership at the individual level (decreased turnover intentions and less withdrawal) and indirect effects at the team level (decreased turnover intentions, helping behaviors, and sales) through the mediation of the service climate. These findings illustrate how servant leadership works at multiple organizational levels.
Shao and colleagues (2022) stated that servant leadership enables employees to perceive fit with their jobs (person-job fit), which leads to perceiving work as meaningful. This ability to create meaning is a significant factor in employee engagement and job satisfaction.
Development of measures and models of servant leadership
Over the years, researchers have developed various tools to measure and assess servant leadership.
Liden and colleagues (2015) developed the shortest 7-item scale (SL-7) to measure global servant leadership, based on the earlier 28-item scale (SL-28) developed in 2008. This scale was tested in three independent empirical studies and serves as a useful tool for evaluating servant leadership in various contexts.
Dennis and Bocarnea (2005) developed and tested a scale measuring five of the seven constructs of servant leadership based on Patterson’s theory: agapao love (meaning love in a social or moral sense), humanity, vision, trust, and empowerment. This theoretical development was based on Russell’s (2001) literature review, which provided an overview of the values related to servant leadership.
Eva and colleagues (2019) made a significant contribution by providing integrative theoretical frameworks, offering clear conceptual distinctions of servant leadership compared to other approaches, evaluating and analyzing the most rigorous construct scales developed to date, and highlighting the key antecedents, outcomes, and mediating and moderating mechanisms identified in the literature.
Importance of servant leadership for new generations
The concept of servant leadership is gaining importance in today’s workforce climate, especially in the context of changing expectations from new generations of employees. Adopting the practice of servant leadership becomes crucial if a manager wants to succeed as a leader in an environment that strongly emphasizes workplace culture, pay equity, and fair employment practices.
Research conducted by the MIT Leadership Center indicates that non-traditional leadership styles, including servant leadership, have appeared in organizations of all types in recent years—not only in innovative companies like Google, but also in established giants like GE and Citibank. These trends are part of a desire for greater authenticity from leaders.
Challenges of servant leadership
Despite its numerous benefits, servant leadership faces certain challenges in practice. Research indicates that one of the biggest challenges for leaders adopting servant leadership is the fear of losing authority, which can be overcome by building trust and consistent actions.
Scott Mautz identifies four major issues with the classic servant leader approach. First, servant leaders may be perceived as too “soft”, sometimes prioritizing the way results are achieved over the results themselves. Second, they may fail to establish their authority and competence, excessively abdicating power in an attempt to “lead from behind”. Third, servant leaders may struggle with the authoritative aspects of leadership. These challenges highlight the need for a balanced approach to servant leadership.
Servant leadership and employee engagement
Studies have shown that employee engagement is positively related to servant leadership through various mediators, including leader-focused factors such as empowerment, team-focused factors such as team cohesion, organization-focused factors such as a positive organizational climate, work-focused factors such as challenging tasks, and employee-focused factors such as proactive personality.
Some factors may also hinder the relationship between servant leadership and employee engagement, particularly those related to the work environment: namely, high pressure, poor work-life balance, and remote work. Awareness of these factors can help leaders implement servant leadership more effectively.
Conclusions and recommendations for practice
The results of research show that servant leadership improves the positive psychological orientation of employees, which has significant implications for human resource management strategies. Selection and promotion competencies may include people who show care for others along with leadership traits. Priority can be given to the dedication to serving others, which should be considered an important leadership trait and can be assessed as part of a 360-degree performance management system.
Partnership between HR and management can create a psychologically safe climate, promoting the values demonstrated by servant leaders. Initiatives and interventions such as mentoring and reward programs can support servant leadership behaviors. Additionally, succession planning should identify potential future leaders who exemplify service traits.
Leadership development programs should be prioritized to develop servant leadership traits in both managers and employees. Spaces and contexts should be created in which individuals who want to connect and share organizational goals can do so.
Postul’s research (2024) shows that both competencies and values are important in leadership because each brings unique benefits to a leader’s ability to lead effectively and influence others. Competencies are the skills and abilities that enable a leader to perform job duties effectively, while values are the principles or beliefs guiding the leader’s decision-making and actions. Servant leaders should strive to develop both skills and values to lead effectively and influence others.
Conclusion
Servant leadership is a powerful management approach that places the needs and development of employees first. Research consistently shows its positive impact on employee well-being, organizational outcomes, and engagement. Although it faces certain challenges in practice, its importance in shaping a positive organizational culture and supporting employee development is invaluable.
As organizations continue to adapt to changing workforce expectations and business challenges, servant leadership can offer an effective strategy for maintaining employee engagement, promoting innovation, and building sustainable business success. Further research on this phenomenon will continue to uncover its complexities and applications in various cultural and organizational contexts.
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