Category: Unit 4

First introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 as a concept, servant leadership is understood to be distinct from other leadership theories because of the priority placed by the leader on serving and developing followers. Although there is “no consensus about a definition and theoretical framework of servant leadership” (Van Dierendock, 2011, p. 1229) there is an abundance of writing which identifies elements, strengths and weakness of servant leadership.

According to Van Dierendock (2011), there are ten essential elements identified by Spears (1995, as cited by Van Dierendock, 2011) which are considered to be essential to servant leadership. These are listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment, and building community (Van Dierendock, 2011). Searle & Barbuto (2011) demonstrate how these ten essential elements work together to encourage growth of followers and a positive increase in job performance. Servant leaders facilitate “positive moral behavior in their followers” (Searle & Barbuto, 2011, p. 111).

Servant leadership is distinct from transformational leadership in that leaders are focused on desired outcomes seen in individual followers rather than in positive organizational outcomes. Van Dierendock (2011) affirms that “more satisfied, more committed, and better performing employees” (Van Dierendock, 2011, p. 1247) are produced within the framework of servant leadership which results in higher quality followers who help the leader become better. The hope is servant leadership results in positive organizational outcomes which would have broader societal impact (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004).

As a specific element of the servant leadership approach, awareness is concerned with an understanding of the well-being of the followers, “that each person deserves to be loved” (Van Dierendock, 2011, p. 1231). Emotional intelligence or self-awareness is more concerned with the leader’s understanding of oneself.

Modelled by Southwest Airlines’ president Colleen Barrett, awareness as a concept within servant leadership is exemplified when she says, “At the top of our pyramid in terms of the most important priority that we have is our employees… 85 percent of my time is spent on employees and on delivering proactive customer service to our employees” (KnowledgeAtWharton, 2008).

 

Reference
[KnowledgeAtWharton]. (2008, July 9). Southwest airlines’ Colleen Barrett on ‘Servant Leadership’. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TgR95vnM0c

Searle, T.P. and Barbuto, J.E. (2011). Servant Leadership, Hope, and Organizational Virtuousness: A Framework Exploring Positive Micro and Macro Behaviors and Performance Impact. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies 18(1), 107-117. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1548051810383863

Smith, B.N., Montagno, R.V. and Kuzmenko, T.N. (2004). Transformational and servant leadership: Content and contextual comparisons. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies 10(4), 80-92. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/107179190401000406

Van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management 37(4), 1228-1261. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206310380462

Transformational leadership is focused on changing people, the work they are doing and the character of who they are (Northouse, 2018). Transformational leaders are focused on visioning, empowering and resourcing people to help them grow and achieve organizational goals (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004).

Burns, in his book Leadership, first identified transformational leadership (as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 164). According to him, “the crucial task of transformational leaders is to raise the awareness and consciousness of their followers to higher levels of conduct and morality” (Burns, 1978, p. 20 as cited in Mulla & Krishnan, 2011, p. 130).

To accomplish this, transformational leadership is concerned with four factors: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration (Northouse, 2018; Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004). When successful, transformational leadership allows “followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected of them” (Northouse, 2018, p. 172).

Strengths of transformational leadership identified by Northouse (2018) include extensive research, appeal for leaders and followers with needs met for both, a broader view of leadership as a whole, attention to the character of followers, and overall effectiveness. Transformational leadership has also been found to be effective when organizations need to grow, when facing external challenges, and when followers are able to be given the freedom to innovate and take risks (Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004).

Northouse (2018) identifies many criticisms and weaknesses of transformational leadership from lack of clarity of the concept and of the MLQ, the primary measurement tool. Criticism exists also that transformational leadership “treats leadership as a personality trait or personal predisposition rather than a behavior that people can learn” (Bryman, 1992, pp. 100-102, as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 181). There is also not yet clear evidence that followers are changed, even as the group or company succeeds in its goals. A significant criticism is the potential abuse of transformational leadership around the leader’s motives for personal gain or the pursuit of evil outcomes, as well as the risk of manipulation or the rise of narcissism (Van Dierendonck, 2011).

I would consider Abraham Lincoln a good example of a  transformational leader. Lincoln’s vision that all should be free was accomplished through his ability to motivate and transform people around him to accomplish what they did not believe was possible.

Lincoln leveraged his influence as president, his motivation through letters and speeches, his intellectual ability as a lawyer through individualized relationships with military and political leaders. The abolishment of slavery in the United States stands as a testament to Lincoln’s ability to lead in a way that results in both individual and national transformation.

Reference
Mulla, Z.R. and Krishnan, V.R. (2011). Transformational leadership: Do the leader’s morals matter and do the follower’s morals change? Journal of Human Values 17(2), 129-143.Retrieved from https://ezproxy.student.twu.ca/login?url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/097168581101700203

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.