A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts

A new research area linked to ethics, virtues, and morality is servant leadership. Scholars are currently seeking publication outlets as critics debate whether this new leadership theory is significantly distinct, viable, and valuable for organizational success. The aim of this study was to identify empirical studies that explored servant leadership theory by engaging a sample population in order to assess and synthesize the mechanisms, outcomes, and impacts of servant leadership. Thus, we sought to provide an evidence-informed answer to how does servant leadership work, and how can we apply it? We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR), a methodology adopted from the medical sciences to synthesize research in a systematic, transparent, and reproducible manner. A disciplined screening process resulted in a final sample population of 39 appropriate studies. The synthesis of these empirical studies revealed: (a) there is no consensus on the definition of servant leadership; (b) servant leadership theory is being investigated across a variety of contexts, cultures, and themes; (c) researchers are using multiple measures to explore servant leadership; and (d) servant leadership is a viable leadership theory that helps organizations and improves the well-being of followers. This study contributes to the development of servant leadership theory and practice. In addition, this study contributes to the methodology for conducting SLRs in the field of management, highlighting an effective method for mapping out thematically, and viewing holistically, new research topics. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research.     

The Impact of Spiritual Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Multi-Sample Analysis

This study investigates and compares the impact of spiritual leadership on organizational citizenship behavior in finance and retail service industries to determine the possibility of generalizing and applying spiritual leadership to other industries. This study used multi-sample analysis of structural equation modeling. The results show that values, attitudes, and behaviors of leaders have positive effects on meaning/calling and membership of the employees, and further facilitate employees to perform excellent organizational citizenship behaviors, including the altruism of assisting colleagues and the responsible conscientiousness toward organization. The effect of altruism toward colleagues is especially stronger. Finally, the effect of leaders’ values, attitudes, and behaviors on the spiritual survival of employees is stronger in retail than that in finance.     

变革型领导对企业员工组织信任影响的实证研究

文章以湖南省十家大中型企业251名员工为研究对象,构建了一个包括变革型领导、组织公平、组织政治知觉和组织信任在内的概念模型,运用结构方程建模方法,探讨变革型领导对员工组织信任的影响机制。研究结果表明,变革型领导不仅对员工组织信任具有直接显著的正面影响,而且还通过组织公平、组织政治知觉对员工组织信任产生间接的显著影响,组织公平和组织政治知觉是变革型领导影响企业员工组织信任的中介变量。文章的研究结论对我国企业的人力资源管理具有直接的现实意义。     

How Strategic Purchasing Orientation and Transformational Leadership Impact Performance: The Mediating Role of Information and Communication Technologies

Purpose: Purchasing orientation (greater efficiency, use of information and communication technologies; ICT) is becoming an underlying part of company strategy in an increasing number of business organizations. Transformational leadership by purchasing managers is also emerging as a tool to generate more intense and effective use of ICT and as a means of enhancing performance. The present research pursues 2 goals: firstly to explore how the strategic nature of the purchasing function and transformational leadership of purchasing managers impacts ICT use intensity and purchase efficiency, and secondly to pinpoint how the use of ICT affects purchase performance.

Methodology/approach: The empirical work is based on an analysis of the information provided by a sample of 130 Spanish firms. Empirical verification of the proposed model was carried out through partial least squares analysis.

Findings: Findings show that the strategic importance which management attaches to the purchasing function impacts the intensive use of ICT. However, the transformational leadership exercised by purchasing managers proves relevant in achieving greater cost efficiency and coordination with suppliers.

Research implications: This work has sought to merge as determinants of efficiency both strategic aspects of the purchasing function in the firm as well as managerial aspects of said function (manager’s transformational leadership and the use of ICT). This research breaks new ground by empirically comparing the relationship between the strategic nature of the purchasing function in a firm and intensity of ICT use, a relation which has been the subject of very little inquiry and for which the mediating role of ICT in the link between strategic orientation and purchase performance is brought to light.

Originality/value/contribution: The study makes a twofold contribution. Firstly, the present research seeks to bring together strategic aspects of the purchasing function in the firm as well as other management factors involved in said function (managers’ transformational leadership and use of ICT) as drivers of efficiency. In this sense, the findings point to the important role played by the purchasing manager vis-à-vis the strategic vision of the purchasing function in achieving cost efficiency and coordination with suppliers. Secondly, this research breaks new ground by empirically verifying the link between the strategic nature of the purchasing function in a firm and intensity of ICT use, a link which has been the focus of scant attention and for which we underpin the mediating role of ICT in the relationship between strategic orientation and purchase performance.     

变革型领导、组织支持感和员工离职倾向研究

员工离职倾向一直是很多企业研究的热点,因为这跟企业的稳定与发展有着非常密切的关系。如今,领导行为对于员工离职倾向的作用越来越明显。领导的言行、价值观等直接或间接地影响到了员工的工作态度和行为,所以研究领导行为对员工离职倾向的影响机制显得格外重要。     

Apologies and Transformational Leadership

This empirical investigation showed that contrary to the popular notion that apologies signify weakness, the victims of mistakes made by leaders consistently perceived leaders who apologized as more transformational than those who did not apologize. In a field experiment (Study 1), male referees who were perceived as having apologized for mistakes made officiating hockey games were rated by male coaches (n = 93) as more transformational than when no apology was made. Studies 2 (n = 50) and 3 (n = 224) replicated this effect in two vignette studies to enhance internal and ecological validity. Contrary to expectations in Study 3, there were no apology×leader gender interactions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

变革型领导行为与员工绩效研究的国内外文献综述

变革型领导行为会对员工的绩效水平产生直接影响,并最终对整个企业的绩效产生影响。通过对国内外有关变革型领导行为与员工绩效之关系等文献的研究,从变革型领导的概念界定、变革型领导的结构、员工绩效的概念及维度以及变革型领导行为与员工绩效之间的关系等方面得出的结论是:大多数学者都认为领导者的变革型行为可以对员工的工作满意度、工作投入和任务绩效产生影响;不少学者还建立了相关模型对其进行实证分析。但目前看,研究结论不尽相同,故基于理论的实证研究还有待于进一步提高。未来可通过不断研究,进一步开发领导者的变革型领导行为,从而达到激发员工的工作投入热情,提高员工的工作绩效的目的。     

公仆型领导:概念的界定与量表的修订

采用一组管理者-员工配对样本数据和一组管理者样本数据对西方的公仆型领导的结构与含义进行了深入分析并对量表的效度进行了验证.探索性因素分析(N=285)表明,公仆型领导由利他主义、情绪抚慰、智慧、说服引导和社会责任感五个维度构成.验证性因素分析(N=304)表明,五维度的结构模型对数据拟合最佳.为了更好地考察公仆型领导量表的结构效度和实证效度,采用"管理者-员工"配对样本(N=209)数据进行分析,结果表明,公仆型领导量表具有较高的结构效度和实证效度.     

How Servant Leadership Influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Roles of LMX,Empowerment, and Proactive Personality

While the link between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) has been established, the individual-level mechanisms underlying this relationship and its boundary conditions remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate the salience of the mediating mechanisms of leader–member exchange (LMX) and psychological empowerment in explaining the process by which servant leaders elicit discretionary OCB among followers. We also examine the role of followers’ proactive personality in moderating the indirect effects of servant leadership on OCB through LMX and psychological empowerment. Analysis of survey data collected from 446 supervisor–subordinate dyads in a large Chinese state-owned enterprise suggests that while servant leadership is positively related to subordinate OCB through LMX, psychological empowerment does not explain any additional variance in OCB above that accounted for by LMX. Moderated mediation tests confirm the moderating effect of proactive personality through LMX. By providing a nuanced understanding of how and when servant leadership leads followers to go above and beyond their job role, our study assists organizations in deciding how to develop and utilize servant leaders in their organizations.     

变革型领导与员工角色行为:一个多步多重中介模型

以变革型组织为研究对象,本文构建了变革型领导对员工角色行为产生影响的双中介模型,从战略执行过程中如何获得组织所需要的员工角色行为这一实践目的出发,先后引入组织支持感和员工自我效能感作为中介变量,形成一个多步多重中介模型进行实证研究。结果显示,变革型领导对员工角色行为有一定的直接影响;同时组织支持感和变革自我效能感在变革型领导和员工角色行为之间起到了多步多重的中介作用。这表明在变革的组织中,领导者需要突破以往管理思路,不仅通过测试甄选来获得高效执行战略的"完美员工",也需要尝试通过管理手段,管控员工的组织支持感和变革自我效能感,开发出更多能够进行高效执行的员工角色行为来支持组织的变革。     

领导-部属交换的调节和中介作用分析——以变革型领导为例

变革型领导理论和领导-部属交换理论作为领导者导向和关系导向的经典代表理论,其关系探究有助于进一步明晰领导-部属交换对变革型领导有效性的影响机制。本研究采用问卷调查法,在454份有效样本数据的基础上采用SPSS16.0软件分析领导-部属交换关系在变革型领导和下属工作满意度之间起到中介作用还是对其关系起到调节作用。层次多元回归分析表明:领导-部属交换在变革型领导的德行垂范和领导魅力维度与部属工作满意度之间起到完全中介作用;在愿景激励和个性化关怀维度与部属工作满意度之间起到部分中介作用;对愿景激励和部属满意度之间的关系起到调节作用。部属的年龄和职位对调节作用会产生特定影响。     

A New Scale to Measure Executive Servant Leadership: Development,Analysis, and Implications for Research

This article introduces a new scale to measure executive servant leadership, situating the need for this scale within the context of ethical leadership and its impacts on followers, organizations and the greater society. The literature on servant leadership is reviewed and servant leadership is compared to other concepts that share dimensions of ethical leadership (e.g., transformational, authentic, and spiritual leadership). Next, the Executive Servant Leadership Scale (ESLS) is introduced, and its contributions and limitations discussed. We conclude with an agenda for future research, describing ways the measure can be used to test hypotheses about organizational moral climate, ethical organizational culture, corporate responsibility, and institutional theory.     

Organizational Ethics in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis

Relationships with one’s employees, co-workers, or superiors create ethical dilemmas. Employees’ judgments and ethical perceptions have been extensively studied in Western cultures, but not in developing countries. The purpose of this investigation is to examine employees’ self-reported work-related ethics and compare them to their perceptions of co-workers’ and top managements’ along various morally challenging situations in three developing countries’ organizations. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, known as the Gulf countries, were selected as the research setting – and provided the sampling frame – for this study. The results suggest that respondents perceived all ethically challenging situations as unethical and had significant differences among themselves regarding the ethical perceptions of self, as compared to perceptions of peers’, and top managements’. Discussion of the results and implications are provided.     

The Influence of Servant Leadership on Restaurant Employee Engagement

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy which addresses the concerns of ethics, customer experience, and employee engagement while creating a unique organizational culture where both leaders and followers unite to reach organizational goals without positional or authoritative power. With employees viewed as one of the greatest assets for organizations, maintaining loyal, productive employees while balancing profits becomes a challenge for leaders, and drives the need to understand employee engagement drivers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore servant leadership from the perspective of employees. Participants were 11 employees from a servant leadership led restaurant who took part in two focus groups. The modified van Kaam method (Moustakas 1994) contributed to data analysis, which examined employee responses for comparison and assessment. Several themes emerged including servant leader experience, servant leader traits, the impact of servant leadership, the application of servant leadership, and limited employee attrition. The themes revealed servant leadership positively influences employee engagement while contributing to employee loyalty to the workplace. Based on the servant leader experience, participants were more committed, built healthy work relationships, and actively participated in achieving organizational goals. Findings are discussed in light of current research and practical applications are provided.     

个人组织价值观匹配对组织承诺的影响——不同所有制企业的差异

近几年来,个人组织匹配(person-organizationfit)越来越受到组织研究者的关注,国外研究证实了个人组织匹配会对组织承诺、员工满意度等个人行为产生积极的影响。然而对于我国这样一个经济环境相对复杂的国家来说,在解释员工行为的时候,需要考虑企业所有制的差异对员工行为造成的影响。本文通过对不同所有制企业中管理者个人与组织价值观的匹配程度对组织承诺影响的对比研究,探讨企业所有制形式不同而造成的企业文化差异,及这种差异对管理者的组织承诺的影响。     

仆从领导文化与企业声誉管理

本文将Grahame企业声誉的理论模型运用于仆从领导文化与企业声誉管理内在关系的研究。通过对仆从领导的“齿轮传动模型”的阐释,本文分析了仆从领导文化与企业声誉管理相关的四个特征,即领导知名度、员工参与度、顾客满意度与社区和谐度,揭示了企业文化作用于企业声誉管理的“光环效应”。     

A Values Framework for Measuring the Impact of Workplace Spirituality on Organizational Performance

Growing interest in workplace spirituality has led to the development of a new paradigm in organizational science. Theoretical assumptions abound as to how workplace spirituality might enhance organizational performance, most postulating a significant positive impact. Here, that body of research has been reviewed and analyzed, and a resultant values framework for workplace spirituality is introduced, providing the groundwork for empirical testing. A discussion of the factors and assumptions involved for future research are outlined.