Below is my review of the literature in the article titled: Servant Leadership: Its Origin, Development, and Application in Organizations, by (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002). I performed the evaluation by applying criteria provided by (Plano-Clark & Creswell, 2015).

 

Did the review include relevant literature?

Rating – 3/3

I found the review as being extensive; covering over ten different sources, and comprising relevant journals and books from different authors. I also found the subtopics in the reviewed literature as being relevant to the study; some of these subtopics were related to leadership and performance, transformational leadership, charisma, the future of leadership, and service, among others.

 

Did the review examine sources that were recent and of high quality?

Rating – 2/3

The authors made judicious use of literature from original sources mostly journals and books. With the exception of classical literature like The Holy Bible, I found that some of these reviewed materials, although relevant, were dated later than 10 years. Based on this, I would rate the review sources as being good.

 

Was the literature review documented properly?

Rating – 3/3

The documentation of the literature review was excellent. The authors documented the materials in a logical, sequential and well thought out manner; providing correct citations.

 

Was the literature thoughtfully synthesized?

Rating – 3/3

The use of literature in the qualitative study, was simply brilliant! I found the authors synthesis of existing literature dynamic and very well coordinated; it judiciously explored and linked tastefully with servant leadership at every passage of the study. This was also consistent with the purpose of the research, which was to provide a philosophical basis that would aid further research on the subject of servant leadership.

 

 Was the literature critically examined?

Rating – 3/3

The authors also did justice by critically examining the literature and its implications for the study’s design. They highlighted the limitations of Greenleaf’s essay, which provided one of the conceptual basis for the study, as not being rooted in “solid research studies” (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002). In a different example, they cited separate studies of thirteen different scholars (p. 57), which all supported the authors’ claims that the link between servanthood and leadership had attracted the attention of leadership scholars.

 

 

Did the study have strong foundation in the literature?

Rating – 3/3

Again, absolutely yes! There was a very obvious connection between the literature reviewed and the study problem, purpose, approach, methods and interpretation. Every literature reviewed was consistent with, and contributed towards the purpose of the study.

 

Did the literature fit the study’s overall approach?

Rating – 3/3

Being a qualitative study, I found the literature review very informative and dynamically applied in every passage in the study. The conceptual framework laid through the literature review was referenced in every passage that followed.

 

References

Plano-Clark, V., & Creswell, J. (2015). Understanding research: A consumer’s guide (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Bass, B.M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.

 

Link: https://create.twu.ca/ldrs591-sp18/unit-4-learning-activities/