Servant Leadership: Its Origin, Development, and Application in Organizations
Is the topic interesting?
As someone who loves the theory and practice of servant leadership, the topic is interesting. I believe it would be interesting for someone unfamiliar with servant leadership as well. However, while I enjoyed learning about the origins of servant leadership, the article leaves the reader wanting more as modern day examples of servant leadership are lacking.
Rating: 2
Is there a meaningful problem?
The problem in the article is unclear, even though the author identifies the problem as a lack of research (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002, p. 57). Much of the article focuses on defining and describing servant leadership and its origins. It is only in the introduction and conclusion that the author shows why more research is needed. In fact, for the majority of the article the author is arguing the potential and benefits of servant leadership. While there is a problem, the authors do not use the majority of the article to help show why this problem exists.
Rating: 2
Is the importance of the problem justified?
Again, I am hesitant to give a confident affirmation here. The authors certainly do show why more research is needed in the conclusion but the justification is confusing. The authors argue more research is needed in order for servant leadership to become a valuable leadership theory (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002, p.63). Yet it seems as though the article is arguing that in fact, servant leadership already is a valuable theory.
Rating: 2
Are there deficiencies int he knowledge about the problem?
Based on the time of writing, I believe the authors used the most current sources they could to inform their writing. Thus, I believe they were knowledgable about the problem.
Rating: 3
Is an audience identified and are there specific examples of how the audience can use the missing knowledge?
The audience is not identified though the topic is presented clearly and identifies a clear philosophy of servant leadership. It is unclear who this article is written for.
Rating: 1
Does the passage clearly argue that the study is warranted?
The passage does lead logically to the conclusion that more research is needed on the topic. It also lends to the need for a definition and application of servant leadership which the authors give in the article.
Rating: 3
Is the passage well written?
This article is well written and is engaging. I enjoyed this read and found the comparison of servant leadership to Jesus’ own life compelling. Though the problem and audience were somewhat unclear, overall, it is a useful and inviting article.
Rating: 2
Overall Score: 15 (Adequate quality)
References
Servant Leadership: Its Origin, Development, and Application in Organizations. (2002). Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 9(2), 57-64.
January 28, 2018 at 1:56 am
Thank you for your comments Oliver. The article by Sendjaya and Sarros (2002) is a literature review that is intended to examine the philosophical foundation of servant leadership rather than an empirical investigation. This is why there is not much discussion about a problem, an audience, or different research articles mentioned. In fact there was very little if any empirical research on the topic of servant leadership before the early 2000’s. f you are interested you can take a look at the Parris and Peachy (2013) article and you will see a very different type of literature review on the same topic. The goal of the Parris and Peachy (2013) article was to “provide an evidence-informed answer to how does servant leadership work, and how can we apply it?” (p. 377).
Dr. Strong
Parris, D. L., & Peachey, J. W. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory. Journal of Business Ethics, 113 (3), 377-393.
Sendjaya, S., & Sarros, J. C. (2002). Servant leadership: Its origin, development, and application in organizations. Journal of Leadership and Organization Studies, 9(2), 57-64.