Only 1% of leadership research has focused on servant leadership. However, servant leadership is the second most googled leadership theory or approach. (I discussed this in an earlier blog.) There are many questions about servant leadership that need to be researched.  How do servant leaders affect the culture of their organizations? How do they affect the bottom-line?

Three researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and another from Michigan State reported a large-scale study of servant leadership in the prestigious Academy of Management Journal in 2014. Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser studied nearly 1000 employees in 71 restaurants in 6 states using survey methods and corporate data. They suggested the concept of the leader focusing on serving followers differentiates servant leadership from other leadership theories. Here are some insights from their review of servant leadership studies and Robert Greenleaf’s writings:

• Employees see servant leaders as humble, more concerned with others than themselves.
  
• Employees see servant leaders as role models, whose behaviors they choose to emulate.
  
• Because employees emulate the servant leader’s behaviors, the servant leader creates a  “serving culture.”
  
• “Cultivation of servant leadership among followers is central to servant leadership” (p. 1436)
  
• Demonstrating empathy and ethical behavior elevates the perception of the servant leader. 
  
• A serving culture positively affects an organization’s bottom-line.

Here are findings from their study:

• “Store manager servant leadership was positively related to serving culture” (p. 1444).
  
• “Serving culture related positively with store performance” (p. 1444).
  
• Employees in “serving cultures” identified more strongly with their stores. 
  
• Identification with stores was positively correlated with creativity and willingness to find “divergent ways of accomplishing tasks” (p. 1446). 

My take-aways:

1.  I concur with the authors that “servant leadership is at an early stage of theoretical development.” The authors suggested social learning theory and modeling of the leader’s behaviors as an underlying mechanism. I would lean toward a Rychlakean perspective. Those followers so inclined adjust their premises to fit in and perhaps see a fuller meaning in their work experiences.

2.  Overall, while I see the benefits of servant leadership, I suggest there are large individual differences among leaders here. Some leaders simply have a low probability of being able to put others first consistently or genuinely. My guess is this becomes more difficult as one climbs the corporate ladder. On the other hand, servant leadership may be a great fit for small business owners.

3.  There are also individual differences among followers. People work for many reasons beyond the economic (see Decoding the Workplace, Chapter 4). For some people a serving culture may be inconsistent with how they view the workplace. They may not fit in.

4.  The effectiveness of servant leadership on the bottom-line is an important finding in this study. This needs replication. My hypothesis would be that the effectiveness of servant leadership is situational.

5.  You probably know whether you are a servant leader or can grow as one. You probably also know those around you who are servant leaders and those who are not. Regardless knowing yourself and understanding those around you are major factors in determining your success as a leader.

Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Liao, C., & Meuser, J. D. (2014).  Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance. Academy of Management Journal, 37 (5), 1434-1452.

“Graduation.” Image from my collection.
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Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations
Now available at leading on-line bookstores such as Amazon.com.
Follow me on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/johnballardphd
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My book, Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations, has just been released by Praeger. It is available at Amazon.com and other online book retailers. This is my first book. It is the book I wanted to put in the hands of my children as they moved into the world of work. Little prepares us for the dynamics of the workplace. It is mostly learning by trial and error – or often not learning at all. Decoding the Workplace has insights that can help almost anyone.

The origins of the book were graduate students who were working professionals. They thought the stories and concepts we discussed in classes should have a broader audience, that there were those who would benefit who would never be in our classes. So I began. I was into the writing process when changes arose in my academic department. As a result of these changes in direction, the department needed me to refocus on my academic research and writing more for peer-reviewed journals. That’s what our academic department needed most. I agreed and put the book on the shelf. That was 2003.

In 2011 I returned to the book and rewrote and moved forward. In the summer of 2012 I attended the Antioch Writers’ Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio. That opened my eyes to how little I knew about the business of books. That fall my university awarded me a sabbatical to complete the book. In December the first of 15 drafts was complete.

In 2013 I used my spare time to produce a 50-page book proposal and research, rank order 50 agents with whom I might like to work. It took eight months. It then took another month to craft a three-paragraph email to query prospective agents. I emailed my top three choices. One asked to see the proposal, then suggested improvements in the proposal. In January of 2014 I resubmitted the revised proposal. Maryann Karinch of the Rudy Agency asked to represent me. In the fall of 2014 we sold the book to Praeger, an imprint of ABC-CLIO. I worked with my Praeger editor Hilary Claggett to prepare the manuscript. Working with Hilary, other Praeger employees, and a few to whom work was outsourced, we completed the process of producing the finished book.

My take-aways:

1.  No matter the task, no matter the project, there is always more to learn. Even at this point in the process, everyday I am learning something new about the book business.

2.  Research is critical and a deciding factor. I researched the literary agents I ranked. I studied the kinds of books and authors they represented. I looked for factors that suggested we could relate to each other, work productively with each other.  The result: I emailed only three queries to literary agents. How much work do you put into researching new clients, your best customers? How much do you know about the peer with whom you need help to accomplish a project? Research, good research, yields knowledge. Knowledge improves decision-making and reduces risks.

3.  Building new productive relationships is essential to success. Much of my involvement in the book business has been forging new relationships, mostly by email. It does take a village. Different personalities, different work habits, different motivations, different places in life. I enjoy getting to know others. I consider that a blessing. The quality of new relationships can affect the eventual outcome. Quality relationships, whether in business or personal life, involve work, openness, reflection, and above all, listening. At the heart of human interaction is the communication of meaning.

4.  Your network can greatly affect outcomes. Who do you know that can help you? How often do you cultivate old friendships? Who knows someone who can help you? The research features of LinkedIn have facilitated this process. People in your network can open doors, create opportunities. Again and again in moving Decoding the Workplace forward, I have benefited by the generosity of people in my network, a network built across a lifetime.

5.  Reach for the stars. Dream big. Set goals. This book was a goal – specific, measurable, and somewhat difficult. It was not an impossible dream. It took long hours, much work, and an understanding, loving partner, God bless her.

Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams. Learn, research, build relationships, let your network help, and continue to reach for the stars.  

Cover of Decoding the Workplace used with permission of Praeger.
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Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations
Here is the Google preview. 
Available for at leading on-line bookstores such as Amazon.com