Learning Activity 4.3:
- Does the review include relevant literature?
The article includes a reference section that is roughly 3 and a half pages in length. The authors referenced numerous sources related to the article. The authors clarify that the purpose of their study was to examine the research that is available on servant leadership (Parris and Peachey, 2013, P 378). They discuss that they systematically chose which research to include in their study and chose to include research that “ included empirical studies that investigated servant leadership in an organizational context and excluded studies with a primary focus on model development or testing measurement instruments.” (Parris and Peachey, 2013, P 378). The authors were very selective with which research to include.
- Does the review examine sources that are recent and of high quality?
The reference pages prove that the majority of their research was current. According to Clark and Creswell, current research includes research that has been published within the last ten years. (Clark and Creswell..) Although there are some sources that date back as far as the 70’s, the majority of their sources were published within the last ten years.
- Is the literature review documented properly?
All citations are done correctly in this piece of research. The authors included some citations which were found in more than one piece of research. For example, “Three studies (Fridell et al. 2009; McCuddy and Cavin 2009; Taylor et al. 2007) attempted to identify demographic characteristics conducive to practicing servant leadership. However, these studies lacked methodological quality sufficient to support any conclusions.” (Parris and Peachey, 2013, P 388).
- Is the literature thoughtfully synthesized?
The authors divide their research into subtopics that make sense for the research topic. They categorize their subtopics in a way that flows logically and is easy to read and comprehend.
- Is the literature critically examined?
Yes the literature is critically examined, first, in analyzing whether or not it should be included in the literature review at all, and then again, once it is included. For example, they mention that the lack of one accepted conceptual outline of the characteristics of Servant Leadership Theory has resulted in a state of confusion and fragmented the outcomes of the research (Van Dierendonck, 2011) in (Parris, D., & Peachey, J., 2013, p. 389).
- Does the study have a strong foundation in the literature?
The study is actually the first in this topic area to provide a “a synthesis based upon evidence in published peer-reviewed journal of empirical studies conducted on servant leadership theory in organizational settings” (Parris, D., & Peachey, J., 2013, p. 380).
- Does the literature fit the study’s overall approach?
Yes overall it does. It is a comprehensive review of recent literature in the subject matter. I would rate the article at 3.
References
Parris, D., & Peachey, J. (2013). A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts. Journal Of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377-393. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6