Beck, C. D. (2014). Antecedents of servant leadership: A mixed methods study. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 21(3), 299-314.

What was the purpose of the study?

The study’s purpose was to explore the antecedents of servant leadership, given the lack of empirical study regarding this topic. The study explores the antecedents of servant leadership using a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design.

Is there a rationale provided for needing a mixed methods design?

There is strong rationale provided for using a mixed methods design in this study. The articles references Creswell and Plano-Clark (2007) who suggest that quantitative data is inadequate in addressing the complexities of leadership and that qualitative data should be included in order to interpret the quantitative data. The article also highlights the lack of mixed methods research done on this topic and argues that more is needed in order to explore this topic more completely.

Rating: 3

Is the choice of the mixed methods design appropriate and justified?

The study once again follows the recommendation of Creswell and Plano-Clark (2007) who suggest a sequential explanatory design. This included two phases, the first being the quantitative study, followed by the second phase in which a qualitative study was conducted. The quantitative study used a Servant Leadership Questionnaire while the qualitative study used interviews to further explore the topic. The design was well thought out and completely explained.

Rating: 3

What were the results of the study?

The study had four major findings. First, the longer a leader is in a leadership role, the more frequent he or she will demonstrate servant leader behaviours. Second, leaders who volunteer at least one hour a week demonstrate higher servant leader behaviours. Third, servant leaders influence others through building trusting relationships. And fourth, servant leaders demonstrate an altruistic mindset (Beck, 2014).

These findings were determined through the combination of the quantitative and qualitative data from the study.

Does the use of mixed methods produce a good understanding of the study’s purpose?

The findings from the study do indeed go beyond the findings from the separate quantitative and qualitative findings. In the discussion of the study the findings from both phases of the study are used in order to provide in-depth answers to the study’s research questions. I was impressed by the use of the mixed methods approach in this study and will use this article for future reference as the question it explores is valuable.

Rating: 3

References

Beck, C. D. (2014). Antecedents of servant leadership: A mixed methods study. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 21(3), 299-314.

Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.