Servant Leadership Research Paper

Servant leaders puts their followers first versus the goals and objectives of the organization, which limits organizational strategy and processes and lacks continuous improvement of core competencies; therefore, there is no research to date that proves this leadership style increases organizational performance (de Waal & Sivro, 2012). In contrast, as a positive, communication strategies of servant leaders are rewarded with employee loyalty and decreased staff turnover which increase patient outcomes and satisfaction due to staff feelings of appreciation and compassion from the servant leader (Marquis & Huston,

Servant leadership is an effectual way to motivate the employees. Its unique emphasis on concern for

There are many advantages to practicing servant leadership to be experienced by all stakeholders. A balance is required of either incorporating other styles when the situation calls for them or there should be a good mixture of leadership styles among the leaders within the organization. This blend of leadership styles allows for all levels of employees to feel they play an important role in the success of the organization while continually

Servant Leadership is “an approach to leadership with strong altruistic and ethical overtones that asks and requires leader to be attentive to the needs of their followers and empathize with them; they should take care of them by making sure they become healthier, wiser, freer and more autonomous, so that they too can become servant leaders” (Valeri, 2007). Although there is not many servant leaders in this world but the concept of servant is one of the most leadership approach leaders today struggles with. Servant leadership is mainly about the leader helping to grow their followers or members personally and professionally through empathy, listening skills and compassion. The concept of servant leadership which was proposed by Robert K. Greenleaf in his 1970 writing indicated that servant leadership is a theoretical framework that advocated a leader’s primary motivation and role as service to others.

By supporting and resourcing, a leader provides an environment that is not only uplifting to the members, but one which propels actions and positive change. If members are in an environment where they know they will be supported and can find resources when in need, they will be more apt to strive for improvement and creating optimal goals. The act of engaging in honest self-evaluation adds to the latter because in addition to a supportive, resourceful environment, the members of the organization will see their leader trying to better themselves and they will do the same which in turn will generate positive change and an optimal atmosphere for goal achievement as well as goal development. Fostering collaboration as a servant leader is essential as well because it is an action that has the power to generate contemplation, problem solving, and openness. Since the servant leader is participating in the collaboration and providing an environment for the members of the organization in which to do so, it allows the followers to see that their leader does not hold themselves above everyone, but feels that each person’s input is vital to goal achievement. Communication is

Antecedents that influence leadership include factors such as the leader’s personality and ethics, followers’ openness, and cultural norms. Furthermore, the leader’s behaviors affect the process. For example, a leader needs to be knowledgeable regarding an organization’s goals to effectively address and handle difficult situations. A servant leader assists followers in achieving purposes. A leader treats followers fairly and respects personal values. The leader helps followers learn to make choices. An ideal outcome is a favorable effect on the followers, organization, and community. The leader can determine which needs will help followers progress and plan to meet those needs through developing programs or obtaining funding (Northouse, 2016).Servant leadership is important for management because it affects employee’s productivity. While a manager requires work to be completed and appears unconcerned if an employee has a problem, the servant leader may help a follower so he or she can work successfully. For example, although a manager may penalize an employee for arriving late, a servant leader may ask the employee what he or she needs to arrive to work on time. After the leader and the employee successfully collaborate, the effect is that the manager is appeased and the employee keeps a job. A servant leader can help employees develop a supportive community

Liden (2014) explained that servant leaders serve as a role model to their team on what needs to be done to reach the team goals. This supports that engagement is a positive strength to have as a servant leader. When leading a team, I delegate work but make sure that I spend time working on the project and go beyond just checking in with the group. It is important to take part of the process as well as leading the work that is being done on behalf of the organization. Focht (2015) did a study to define the most important elements of servant leaders and one of the ones identified by the study was empowerment. “Empowerment for the servant leader involves effective listening, making people feel significant, putting an emphasis on teamwork, entrusting

I consider that is very important that a Servant Leader has very highly defined morals and values, because the whole purpose is to serve others with love and as if we are doing it to serve God. Depending on this leader’s worldview his followers will be guided, so that is why I consider of outmost importance for the Servant leader to know who he is and for what guides his journey (Blanchard & Barrett, 2011). The strengths of the Servant Leadership approach are that it unites and creates a strong and friendly work environment; it also leads to having joyful people doing their work with love and care because they feel appreciated and important. I don’t believe there is a weakness to this approach other than the servant leader may become too lenient and forgetting that he is she is there to guide and redirect the ones that are not doing things right.

The servant leader empathizes with people s/he is leading, and get to understand them. This makes problem solving easy.

In the contemporary world, large-scale application of servant leadership in existent organizations remains uncommon. That is for sure given the large proportion of institutions, which are yet to implement this concept despite the efficacy depicted in the current state of evidence. Understanding of the barriers to implementation of servant leadership is inevitable.

One of the goals of servant leadership is to replicate servant leadership qualities and behaviors in others. The authors present an empirical investigation using a survey developed by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006), to determine if servant leaders can create a corporate culture where this is possible. This article points to the organizational level at which the tone or overarching direction is set and the key element of service and employee empowerment that impacts cooperation, learning and customer relations. It also reinforces the position that many of the research on this subject have stated, that employee fulfillment, leading by example and role modeling set the stage for servant leadership to be accepted and mimicked by employees. Participants in this study were interviewed to

By being a servant leader, I will put the needs of my employees first to ensure that my company is socially responsible through quality customer service rendered by me and employees. Since leadership is considered a critical force in producing positive outcomes in organizations through the performance of employees, it is very important to take servant leadership seriously (Grisaffe, VanMeter, Chonko 2016). My main and foremost priority as a servant leader is to serve others with real selflessness before aiming for profit. For instance, as a non-medical owner of a care

Listening. “The servant-leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps clarify that will. He or she seeks to listen receptively to what is being said. Listening, coupled with regular periods of reflection, is essential to the growth of the servant-leader” (Spears, 2004). In addition, “employees understand a deaf ear equates to a closed mind. Servant leaders understand that listening gains knowledge. Listening is a wonderful benefit, it enables leaders to obtain information and find meaning in what is being said” (Spears, 2004).

In the book The Servant, the author James C. Hunter discusses Servant Leadership, and the impact it has on every aspect of life. The book begins with a middle-aged man, John, who has it all, a supportive wife and kids and an authoritative job as a manager at a glass factory. John however, feels his life is falling apart, his employees aren’t respecting him and his relationships with his wife and kids are becoming distant and negative. In an attempt to make a change, John attended a week long religious retreat that’s main focus is Servant Leadership. The attendees at this retreat were all very different, their careers varied greatly, and their views on how to be a leader were not alike either. In the end though, they all agreed on one thing, making a change to become a Servant Leader was going to reshape their lives, through both their careers and relationships.

The authors of the review state that they focused on providing an informed answer to how servant leadership works and how it could be applied in organisations. A systematic literature review was conducted with a final tally of 39 studies deemed appropriate for the exercise.