A Strategic Dimension of Transformational Servant Leadership || HC1-post 2.1
Leadership as defined by Northouse (2013), Is a process whereby an individual influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p.5). The definition focused on the “influence” and “the common goal,” whereby, strategic leadership defined as “Individuals and teams enact strategic leadership when they create the direction, alignment, and commitment needed to achieve the enduring performance potential of the organization” (Hughes, Beatty, and Dinwoodie, 2014, p.11). The focus of TS strategy is “the enduring performance potential of the organization” (Hughes et al., 2014, p.11). TS leader wants to achieve the potential of the organization and flourish it in the long term. TSL focus on the capability and commitment of the employees to compete in a dynamic environment.
Transformational Servant leadership Strategic Direction
TSL is engaging others in creating shared direction, alignments, commitment, and demonstrate as much by collectives. Furthermore, it can be exercised by engaging and stimulating employees to act to further specific goals and purposes, which represents the needs and wants, values and motivations, aspirations and high performance of both strategic leaders and employees.
Regarding, bringing more focus to Al Stubblefield observation regarding the turn-around of the Baptist Healthcare organization as noted in the Leadership Integration Project Manual (2018, p.13)
“How did we achieve such a tremendous turnaround so quickly? We discovered that the key to patient satisfaction is to focus not on patients first, but on your employees. We quickly realized that the satisfaction of our patients was directly related to the satisfaction of our employees; only happy, fulfilled employees will provide the highest level of healthcare to our patients. Therefore, we reasoned, “all” we had to do was find a way to satisfy every employee, who would then, in turn, create happy customers. With that determination, we faced an even harder question: How do we fill our organization with satisfied employees? (2005, p.5) Stubblefield’s experience extensively chronicled in The Baptist Healthcare Journey to Excellence.
Conceiving leadership as outcomes of (DAC) needs “strategic leadership approach that allows the flexibility that, how those outcomes achieved, are varied and context-dependent” (Van Velsor, McCauley, & Ruderman, 2010; as cited in Hughes et al., 2014, p. 41-42). Thereby, the success is too dependent on the blending of the capabilities and have the strategic leader engendering strategic leadership in others by diffusing the power and the potential of the entire organization to serve its performance potential. As a result, shared direction with each person in the organization towards the attainable goal, when prioritized and planned successfully, will help members to stay focused and engaged. Nevertheless, TSL influences the commitments to the organization’s strategic direction through learning and engagement (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 145).
It is essential to “sustain competitive advantage in contemporary organizations” (Hughes et al., 2014, p. 145), and have people on the same page regarding strategic direction. Additionally, “when strategy lacks meaning for people, it is highly unlikely that they will assimilate the strategic directives and perform to their highest potential. Gaining commitment and aligning individuals with the overarching organizational aim require investing time and energy into crafting people-oriented strategies that bring the business model to life (Hughes et al., 2014, p.230-231). In health care and according to Hughes et al. (2014), the focus on the employee’s satisfaction will serve patient satisfaction the most. It is the indirect relationship that achieves the most desired outcome. Three conditions that are important for the performance of individuals that has positive impacts on the performance outcomes of the organization at large: “the motivation to perform, the ability to perform, and a work context that provides an opportunity to perform” (Blumberg & Pringle, 1982; Dinwoodie, 2011; as cited in Hughes, et al., 2014, p. 232).
The behavioral component of TSL
Respecting, strategic leadership context, Transformational leadership has conceptualized as containing four behavioral elements (Bass & Avolio, 1993 (as cited in Northouse, 2016); Smith, Montagno & Kuzmenko, 2004):
a) Idealized influence ( It’s the emotional component of the leaders and followers want to emulate and follow the vision of the leader),
b) Inspirational motivation ( leaders communicate high expectations to the team to become committed to, and part of the shared vision in the organization ad mobilized commitment to a higher level for the sake of group development),
c) Intellectual stimulation ( stimulate followers creativity and Innovative thinking to challenge their own beliefs and values, they are tolerant of followers mistakes, involve them in problem-solving and new ideas),
d) Individualized consideration (followers’ achievement and growth well supported
The transformational leader serves as a role model and supports the group development by creating two-way personalized communication with followers (Smith et al., 2004), in other words, this strategy incorporates both followers’ and leaders’ needs (Northouse, 2016). Therefore, TL becomes motivated to transcend their self-interest for the good of the group or organization towards the shared vision and provide the necessary resources for developing their potential.
Transformational servant leadership decisions
“high change environment requires empowered dynamic culture of transformational leadership” (Smith, 2004, p.80). Assessing follower’s motives and satisfy their needs, require having an evidence-based decision-making strategy in their leadership context (Northhouse, 2013). Decision makers cannot assume that followers will be committed to a decision without being part of the process. Evidence-based decision -making helps a transformational leader in making well-informed choices by having the best available evidence and managed outcome. Transformational leadership is a relationship when mutual stimulation raises the level of human conduct as well as the aspirations of both the leader and members, resulting in a transformational that affect both to serve.
Transformational Servant Leadership focus
Servant leadership is a unique leadership philosophy that defined by Greenleaf (1971) as “begins with a natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead” (as cited in Northouse, 2018, p. 220). The three main components of servant leadership model noted from Liden, Wayne, Zhao, and Henderson (2008) and Liden, Panaccio, Hu, and Meuser (2014) are antecedent conditions, servant leader behaviors, and leadership outcomes (as cited in Northouse, 2016, p.225); thereby, facilitate the shared vision and trust that are necessary for the organization (Van Dierndoneck, 2011). This approach emerged from the previous focus of the transformational leadership approach. The conditions that influenced the leader to become a servant leader are Organizational culture and context, leader’s attributes, follower’s receptivity (Northouse, 2016). The Internalized values of SL explained by Van Dierndoneck, (2011) such as honesty, fairness, integrity, and justice are rooted to have a significant impact on followers. SL behaviors viewed as a multidimensional, that, included conceptualizing, emotional healing, putting followers first, helping followers grow and succeed, behaving ethically, empowering, and creating value for the community (Linden, Wayne et al., 2008; as cited in Northouse, 2016).
Leader-member exchange (LMX) quality in a dyadic relationship with Servant Leader, produce multiple positive outcomes on the follower’s performance and growth. Therefore, they influence organizational performance through organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and have a positive impact on society (Van Dierndoneck, 2011; Northouse, 2016, p.182).
Self- awareness considered as a foundation for emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2017) needed by servant leaders to manage emotions. The servant with high EI, understand the emotional state and the needs of others, share leadership with followers, take an active and keen interest in providing quality service to customers; therefore, they resonate with their surroundings (Mukonoweshuro & Sanangura, 2016). Bringing the self-awareness of the servant leaders into the center of the strategy is preferred approach when needed to change, leads, to insight about when, how, and where you see things differently (Hughes, 2014, p.83). Dealing with the complexity of the shared vision of TL and SL, regards, ensure shared understanding within their organizations and teams by thinking systemically to uncover the answers to complex problems. The mindset of strategic thinking, in a similar manner of strategic acting and influencing, are rooted in TSL.
Listening, is an inclination in servant leadership approach; it’s a mindset of strategic thinking that help in understanding the situation and make sense only in the context of a particular point (Hughes, 2014, p.54), collectively, considering the present and future as well as the rigorous and analytical side, and the challenges in such environment; whereby, “embraced more collective leadership” (Hughes, 2014, p.56).
Visioning is one of the strategic thinking skills in the inclination of the TSL approach, which in regards, used to express the ideal and values and affirm the human dimension and have a meaning to the context that connect the members to its core values and clarify the expectation about the desired growth (Hughes, 2011, p.77). Using the idea of the inverted pyramid organization as a metaphor (Hughes, et al., 2014, p.81-82): “instead of thinking of the senior leaders at the top of the pyramid and being “served by” everyone else in the organization, think about senior leaders at the bottom of the pyramid and serving everyone else. Developing vision to where the organization needs to be in the future and have a broader perspective on the competitive landscape require scanning, visioning, reframing, making common sense (Hughes, 2014). Considering the TL approach with SL approach as a central focus of strategic leaders will create an environment that has its unique movement towards the goals when prioritized and identified.
What kind of relationship is needed to transform? And What makes strategic leadership different?
A person who further the decision-making process of a group demonstrates effective leadership. The critical thinking principles rooted in TSL and performed, are implicated in the understanding of the situation as a strategy of a learning process. In this learning process, TSL requires to engage others in the form of curiosity, humility, and collaboration. “… critical thinking is about taking a step back and thinking logically and carefully about the information and evidence you have, rather than believing and acting on everything you read, see and hear. (Aveyard, Woolliams, & Sharp, p. 7; as cited on LDRS 501-Strategic Leadership, 2018). Regarding this excerpt, the principles of critical thinking begins with an initial discovering the new opportunity, defining of the situation according to leadership context, followed by exploration of the leadership context, generating possibilities through brainstorming, building a prototypes that can be tested, often a number of times, and the findings used to refine the resolution associated with the context.
Furthermore, endeavouring the practical process that can engage the divergent mindset to explore and develop the full range of potential solutions; thus, can deliver value to the members and organization. “leader is how to make changes that progressively build on each other and represent an evolving enhancement of the organization’s well-being” (Hughes, 2014, p.21). The critical thinking process in any organization wants to achieve long-term performance, ties with a strategy as a learning process. Hughes, et al., (2014) imperative work in explaining critical thinking strategy as a learning process, starts with assessing the internal and external environment (p.23-25), clarifying mission, vision, and values (p.25-26), discover and prioritize drivers (p.26), create business strategy in a pattern of choices to position itself for superior performance over time (p.30), develop leadership strategy that involve human emotions, needs, beliefs, and desire as part of the change (p. 32), execute, perform and learn what need to happen within the organization to maximize those drivers(p.33-35). The functionality of the learning process occurs through the movement and iteration of all the elements in a circle; therefore, there is a potential for emerged direction to the desired outcome to benefit the leadership context. Regarding, TSL traits are critical thinkers, intellectually humble, and intellectually empathic. They have confidence in reason and intellectual integrity; they provide support, intellectual courage; hence, become autonomous. I agree with John Maxwell (2013) statement about different leadership levels; it’s a learning growing process. People follow you because of who you are and what you have done. Bringing TSL capabilities and paradox thinking to any organization will benefit any strategic context. TSL will keep the premises of critical thinking principles as a rooted strategy to navigate purposes and strategic directions to furthermore potential growth and superior organizational performance.
It’s a call for all leaders in the leadership context to respond with a positive, substantive response. Looking forward to welcoming a new opportunity for sharing and learning!
References
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Hughes, R. L., Beatty, Collarelli-Beatty, K., & Dinwoodie, D. L. (2014). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization’s enduring success. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Imbenzi, G., Williaume, D. & Page, D. (2013). Transformational servant leadership.
JohnMaxwellCo (2013, Sep 10). John Maxwell The 5 levels of leadership [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwXeg8ThWI
Leadership Integration Project Manual 2018. (2018). Unpublished manuscript, Master of Arts in Leadership, Trinity Western University, Langley, Canada.
Mukonoweshuro, Jeskinus & Sanangura, Cleopas. (2016). The role of servant leadership and emotional intelligence in managerial performance in a commercial banking sector in Zimbabwe. Banks and Bank Systems. 11. 94-108. doi10.21511/bbs.11(3).2016.10. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309141829_The_role_of_servant_leadership_and_emotional_intelligence_in_managerial_performance_in_a_commercial_banking_sector_in_Zimbabwe
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice, Seventh Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 971452203409
Unpublished manuscript, Master of Arts in Leadership, Trinity Western University, Langley, Canada.
Van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management 37(4), 1228-1261.