Servant Leadership - Research Paper Example

Draft Servant Leadership By Introduction Leadership is an important topic in planning and management. Different research efforts have been devoted to the topic of leadership, owing to its great importance. There are varying qualities and characteristics that are used to distinguish great leaders and commoners. Leadership might mean different aspects to different people. However, overall, this is concerned with an influence process that enables the facilitation of performance of a collective task. Some theorists have argued that managing and leading should be treated as separate entities. Nonetheless, the most important thing is for one to understand effective leadership, and how it can be achieved. At the organizational level, leadership remains core. Depending on the nature and effectiveness of the leadership employed in an organization, the organization might succeed and experience increased productivity, or it might experience adverse effects. This is mainly because, in an organization, leadership has an impact on employees, and other vital functions that determine the productivity level of the organization. This paper discusses leadership in an organization, mainly basing on the model of servant leadership that was advanced by Greenleaf H., and special attention is drawn to the not for profits organizations. Leadership All organizations must have a form of leadership; however, leadership varies depending on the type of organization. Therefore, there is a difference in the way leadership is practised in not for profit organizations and those organizations in the public sector. According to Erickson (2007) research on leadership in not for profit organizations is scarce, as more research efforts are aimed at the organizations in the public sector. Therefore, by focusing more on leadership in not for profit organizations, this paper will make important contribution to the knowledge on this topic. According to Eisenhower Dwight, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it” (Hughes et al, 2006, p. 405). This shows that for one to be a leader, he or she must have some kind of an influence on the followers. It can also be concluded from this definition that in order for a leader to ensure the success of their organization, he or she must create commitment among the followers, who are employees, and also ensure that the employees are willing to work towards improvement in different aspects of the organization. The past decades have seen great change in the social, economic, and political aspects in society. Technological advances have resulted in easier flow of information in organizations. Additionally, communication among different people has experienced a great increase and ease. Competition has also increased in organizations, and overall, there is increased pressure on the side of employees and the management of organizations. For this reason therefore, it would be ineffective for any manager to seat in the office and only play the role of delegating duties to employees. For effectiveness in an organization today, managers have been forced to take up the leading role (Erickson, 2007). Leadership in not for profit organizations Not for profit organizations are interested in ensuring public good. These mainly play the role of emphasizing the participation of community, as well as civic engagement. These organizations serve to address a variety of needs in the community. In addressing these needs, these organizations are not anticipating any profit. Therefore, it might be quite impossible for these organizations to adopt a for profit approach in addressing the different needs in the community. The high level of globalization and interconnectedness today has made various needs in the community to be complex. Therefore, there is need for more not for profit organizations to address the growing needs in different communities today. Given the importance of not for profit organizations in society today, it is also crucial that these organizations are highly effective in their mandate in order to achieve their objectives. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of these organizations highly relies on their leadership. According to Hannum et al (2011), each person has the capability of leadership. These argue that a leader can operate in various dimensions, including formal and informal roles. For instance, an Executive Director in a not for profit organization plays a formal role. On the other hand, a community volunteer plays the informal role in leadership. Most renowned and successful leaders of today are in the business world. However, for a long time, people have speculated on the leadership qualities and styles that these leaders have adopted to achieve great success in their organizations. Therefore, to address this concern, there has been increased research on leadership, starting the twentieth century. Researchers have hence attempted to explore the qualities, power, abilities, and behaviours, among other important aspects that determine an effective leader; one that will influence employees to perform tasks and be committed to achieving the objectives of the organization. Different approaches have been adopted in the study of leadership. Nonetheless, for this paper, apart from traits, qualities, power, and behaviour, among others, the aspect of context is considered highly important in leadership. Therefore, for a successful organization and leadership, the leadership style that a leader utilizes should be best suit for the situation of the organization. There are different leadership styles, but this paper focuses on a leadership model known as ‘servant leadership.’ Servant Leadership Servant leadership was first proposed by Robert Greenleaf in the year 1970. This is a theoretical framework that advocates a leader’s primary motivation and role as service to others. This theoretical framework paints the notion of a servant as a leader. This notion is quite oxymoronic. It can thus be argued that when coming up with this theoretical framework, Greenleaf aimed at eliciting a reflection on the relationship between leaders and their followers in an organization. The two terms ‘servant’ and ‘leader’ are quite contradictory. Therefore, since Greenleaf uses these two terms, it makes people to reconsider what leadership really is. Before this theoretical framework, most people must have probably known that a leader is a different person from a servant. However, this theoretical framework brings new perspectives in the nature of leadership. The Executive Director of the Robert Greenleaf Centre defines servant leadership as “. . . A new kind of leadership model – a model which puts serving others as the number one priority. Servant-leadership emphasizes increased service to others; a holistic approach to work; promoting a sense of community; and the sharing of power in decision-making” (1996, p. 33). Therefore, for one to be a servant leader, he or she must first of all have the desire to serve. Such a person hence has many differences with another person, whose desire is to first of all become a leader. The leader-first type of person is most likely driven by the greed for power and material wealth. However, the servant-first person is driven by the need to serve people. Nevertheless, between traditional leadership and servant leadership, the latter is highly involving and challenging. This is because the individual must ensure the well-being and growth of the people that he or she is involved with. There are four major tenets that comprise the servant leadership framework. The first tenet is service to others. This is core of servant leadership. Servant leadership commences when a leader plays the role of a servant when dealing with his or her followers. In this case therefore, the aspect of one exercising their power does not apply, since the leader will only be interested in helping his or her followers. Service to others mainly aims at helping them to achieve greatness. Overall, the followers being employees, this will result indirectly in the success of the organization. The servant leadership theoretical framework also involves the aspect of holistic approach to work. According to Greenleaf (1996, p. 8), “The work exists for the person as much as the person exists for the work.” In this case therefore, a new perspective is provided with regard to the relationship between individuals, organizations, and society. Servant leadership emphasizes the importance of people to remain themselves both in their careers and in their personal lives. This is considered to have long term positive effects on an organization. Servant leadership also aims at ensuring the promotion of sense of community. Greenleaf was concerned at how the sense of community has been fast lost in the modern society. In servant leadership, it is believed that the provision of human services in an organization can be attained by a group of individuals that are committed and responsible for one another. Therefore, when there is a sense of community among employees and the management in an organization, it is much easier for the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. In servant leadership, there is also the aspect of sharing power in decision-making. An effective servant leader ensures that he or she nurtures servant leadership in the followers. This therefore, results in a workforce that is highly motivated, as their talents are promoted, and they are also empowered. According to Russell (2001), “Leaders enable others to act not by hoarding the power they have but by giving it away” (p. 80). In this case therefore, the organizational structure of servant leadership appears as an inverted pyramid, with employees and clients at the top, while leaders are at the bottom of the pyramid. Nonetheless, such leadership will promote participation of employees in decision-making processes in the organization. There are specific characteristics that a servant leader must exhibit. These characteristics will distinguish him or her from other traditional leaders. First, a servant leader must be capable of listening. This is a vital communication aspect that enables effective communication. Listening also shows that one has respect for whoever is talking to them. Another important attribute of a servant leader is empathy. A servant leader must have the capacity of projecting his or her own consciousness into that of another individual. According to Greenleaf, “The servant always accepts and empathizes, never rejects” (1970, p. 12). Therefore, empathy is key to servant leadership. A servant leader must also portray persuasion. Here, the servant leader will not build commitment in his or her followers through pressure or exercise of power. However, he or she will use persistent persuasion. Another attribute is healing. Here, a servant leader must find their wholeness, and help followers to find theirs too. Additionally, a servant leader must possess the attribute of conceptualization, where he or she can develop solutions for existing problems. Furthermore, a servant leader must have foresight, where he or she can predict what might happen in the future of an organization. Stewardship is another vital attribute of a servant leader. In this case, the servant leader must show concern for employees in the organization, the organization, as well as the society. It is also important that a servant leader demonstrates commitment to the growth of people. This could be through appreciating and encouraging others. Additionally, a servant leader must have the capacity of contributing to the building of community. In this case, the servant leader will ensure that their organization does not have adverse effects on the surrounding community. Finally, a servant leader must possess the aspect of awareness. This is important as it opens up the servant leader to more leadership opportunities. Application of Servant Leadership There are different forms of organizations today, therefore, these might apply different approaches of leadership. The three major categories include for profit, not for profit, and the public sector. The not for profit organizations mainly aim at achieving objectives that eventually benefit the society, including environmental conservation, helping the needy, feeding the homeless, and assisting the elderly, among other social causes. Like other organizations, not for profit organizations also have an organizational structure, which includes the management, as well as employees. Nonetheless, all organizations, including not for profit organizations, can adopt servant leadership in order to achieve their objectives. Servant Leadership has been extensively adopted in the workplace. This model has been successful in most organizations, and this therefore, demonstrates its potential of enhancing the management of an organization. There are different organizations today that have applied this leadership framework and experienced positive results. The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership is a not for profit organization that promotes the principle of servant leadership. This has a number of member organizations, which according to Arkin (2004) make up approximately 33-50% of best companies to work for in America in the Forbes Magazine. In the year 2000, three of the top five companies on the Forbes list included companies that claimed to utilize servant leadership model. Different companies still utilize the servant leadership model today and these continue to register success. Synavus bank believes in establishing meaningful personal relationships with its clients. This bank is also committed to offering help to its friends, customers, and neighbours in order for them to achieve their goals. On the other hand, for Herman Miller Company, its good relationship with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders is the basis of its world wide networks. Similarly, Landry’s Bicycles puts its customers as a priority and values positive relationships within and outside the company. This company has received numerous awards, and recently in September 2013, the company received an award for being the best bicycle shop in America. Southwest Airlines also employs servant leadership. References Erickson, J. (2007). Understanding leadership in successful non-profit organizations A case-study of IKSU. Retrieved from http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:141329/FULLTEXT01.pdf Greenleaf, H. (2002). Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York: Paulist Press. Hannum, K. et al (2011). Emerging Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations: Myths, Meaning, and Motivations. (Greensboro, NC: Center for Creative Leadership). Retrieved from http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/amexreportemergingleadership.pdf Heskett, J. (2013). Why Isn’t Servant Leadership More Prevalent? Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/hbsworkingknowledge/2013/05/01/why-isnt-servant-leadership-more-prevalent/ Smith, C. (2005). Servant Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.carolsmith.us/downloads/640greenleaf.pdf Spears, L. (1996). Reflections on Robert K. Greenleaf and servant-leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 17(7), 33-35. Spears, L. & Lawrence, M. (2002). Focus on Leadership: Servant-Leadership for the Twenty- First Century. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Wolfred, T. (2008).Building Leaderful Organizations: Succession Planning For Nonprofits. The Annie E. Casey Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Other/B/BuildingLeaderfulOrganizationsSuccessionPlann/Building%20Leaderful%20Organizations.pdf Xia-qinq, Z. et al (n.d).The role of leadership between the employees and the organization: a bridge or a ravine? -an empirical study from China. Journal of Management and Marketing Research. Retrieved from http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/10432.pdf Read More