Assessment of Servant Leadership Style

This article evaluates the effectiveness of the servant leadership approach in organizational models. It discusses the qualities of a servant leader, issues that might be faced by the servant leader, and the effectiveness of the approach in the organizational model.

Running head: ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
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1ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Thesis statement:.............................................................................................................................2
Servant leadership management......................................................................................................2
Qualities of a servant leader............................................................................................................3
Effectiveness of the approach in the organizational model.............................................................4
Issues that might be faced by the servant leader..............................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

2ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
Introduction
Leadership style and approach helps in continuing the efficacy of the operations that are
planned by businesses. Key changes that are facilitated by the organizations are based on the
collaborative operations of leaders with the employees. Effectiveness of the workforce
functioning is dependent on the level of motivation that is provided to the same. On the other
hand, the continuous support of the leaders helps the workforce in undertaking the smooth
functioning of the operations per the collective objective of the business. Servant leadership
approach of the entrepreneur helps the same in mitigating the issues that are faced by the
workforce while working closely on the same. On the other hand, there are different issues that
might be faced by the leaders while undertaking the servant leadership approach. The discussion
will be undertaking a review of the different pros and cons of servant leadership approach in
order to understand the effectiveness of the same.
Thesis statement: A servant leadership management style is the best approach for managing
people in organizations.
Servant leadership management
The servant leadership management approach is specifically based on the collaborative
functioning of the leader with the workforce to uphold the efficacy of the operations that are
undertaken by the business organization. The leadership approach plays an important role in
upholding the performance of the operations that are planned by organizations. Mittal and
Dorfman (2012) stated that the servant leadership management style help the managers in
maintaining the efficacy of the operations through enhanced collaborative functioning of the

3ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
systems. The key leadership role that is played by the servant leaders are dependent on bringing
forth changes in the performance of the workforce through proper planning, developing training
materials for empowering the people and thereby help the workforce collectively. The activities
of the servant leader thereby help the workforce to achieve the common objectives of the
business.
Qualities of a servant leader
The servant leader works an agent of change in the organizational course of operation
through better understanding of the issues that are faced by the workforce and thereby
collaborating with the same in order to enhance the performance. On the other hand, the servant
leader helps the workforce in achieving the collective objective of businesses through continuous
support and motivation. Choudhary, Akhtar and Zaheer (2013) stated that the development of
the organizations are based on effective collaborative networking of the operations that are
undertaken by the servant leader with the employees. On the other hand, Kool and van
Dierendonck (2012) stated that the motivational aspects of the servant leader helps in upholding
the efficiency of the operations that are facilitated by the workforce as per the objectives of the
enterprise.
The empathetic approach of the servant leader helps the same in perceiving the issues that
are faced by workforce while holding their operations in diverse objectives of the business. CH
Chan and Mak (2014) stated that the servant leader empowers the workforce through suitable
identification of the issues and mitigation of the same. On the other hand, Jones (2012) stated
that the most important quality of a servant leader is dependent on the conceptualization and
designing of the activities that might be undertaken by the workforce. The awareness of the

4ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
different processes and the manner in which they might be implemented in the organizational
models helps the servant leaders in upholding the efficacy of the business processes.
Ding et al. (2012) stated that the stewardship functions of the servant leader assist the
same in supporting the concerns of the workforce. Moreover, the stewardship approach also
helps the servant leaders in establishing a sound network in order to help the workforce in
achieving the common objectives of the business operations. Jones (2012) stated that
communicability of the servant leader and the cooperative approach of the same helps the
organization in inducing positive workplace environment. Organizations implement changes in
the model through readiness among the employees. In this connection, the servant leaders play a
major role in persuading the workforce while operating long with the same in order to maximize
the change readiness and reduce chances of workplace conflicts.
The different mitigation techniques that are undertaken by the servant leader help the
organization in facilitating the smooth functioning of the systems as per the objectives. De
Clercq et al. (2014) stated that the identification of the issues and the mitigation of the same
helps the businesses in upholding the efficacy of the operations and thereby support the
sustenance in the competitive markets. Therefore, the different qualities of the servant leader
help the organization in maintaining the efficacy of the operations and thereby support the
sustainable objective of the same.
Effectiveness of the approach in the organizational model
The servant leader plays an important role in shaping a positive management -workforce
relationship, as it will be facilitating the businesses in upholding the efficacy of the operations.
Rezaei et al. (2012) stated that the stewardship role that is played by the servant leader helps the

5ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
organization in boosting the morale of the employees. The servant leaders aim at empowering
the employees and thereby design different training sessions for the same in order to help them in
achieving the collective objectives of the business. The key modifications in the organizational
position are based on the needs of the same in sustaining in the highly competitive global
markets. Chen, Chen and Li (2013) stated that the empathetic role of a servant leader assist the
organization in identifying the issues that are faced by the people while achieving the collective
objective and thereby frame different mitigation strategies. The mitigation strategies that are
framed by the servant leaders help in enhancing the productivity of the businesses.
The servant leadership approach helps the organization in enhancing the efficiency of the
workforce, as per the objectives of diverse business units. Parris and Peachey (2013) stated that
the implementation of the servant leadership approach in the organizational model helps in
empowering the employees through training and delegations. On the other hand, CH Chan and
Mak (2014) stated that the empathetic approach of the servant leader helps in identifying the
issues that are faced by the workforce and thereby mitigate the same for facilitating the smooth
functioning of the business units. The leadership approach helps in conflict resolution in the
organizational workforce, which helps the same in facilitating the smooth functioning of the
systems. Mahembe and Engelbrecht (2014) stated that the long term vision of the servant
leaders helps in maintaining the efficacy of the functioning. On the other hand, the role that is
played by the leaders relating to stewardship helps the same in enhancing the operations of the
workforce through enhanced collaborative approach. The leader maintains the smooth
functioning through maximizing the involvement of the workforce in the different processes that
are designed for the sustenance of the business.

6ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
Issues that might be faced by the servant leader
The emotional bondage of the servant leader with the employees often affects the
decision making skills of the same while operating in different market situations. Mittal and
Dorfman (2012) stated that the emotional bondage with the employees might affect the
authoritative management style that is applicable for specific market situations. On the contrary,
Liden et al. (2014) noted that the servant leadership model relies on stewardship operations,
which might result to behavioral changes in the employees. The behavioral changes in the
employees affect the productivity of the organization while operating on diverse objectives of the
same. On the other hand, Kool and van Dierendonck (2012) noted that the servant leader
undertakes introspection on the different activities that might be undertaken by the workforce in
order to encourage employee improvements. The key changes in the approach and the design of
the processes is based on the benefits of the employees, which affects the capabilities of the
organization.
The most important limitation that is faced by the servant leader is based on the
effectiveness of the different procedures that are implemented by the same favoring the smooth
functioning of the workforce. However, the employee oriented approach of the leadership style
affects the organizational bottom line. Choudhary, Akhtar and Zaheer (2013) stated that the
key changes that are undertaken by the leaders depends on the profitability of the businesses.
However, as per the case of implementing servant leadership model in the business structure, the
profitability of the business is compromised with the view of supporting the interests of the
employees. On the other hand, the employee oriented approach of the servant leader affects the
decision making capabilities of the same which creates a huge impact on the organizational
progression.

7ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be stated that the servant leadership approach
is helpful in supporting the performance and empowerment needs of the employees while
working on the collective objectives of businesses. On the other hand, the research also
enumerates a discussion of the different issues that are face d by the organization through the
implementation of the servant leadership model in the processes. Therefore, the research aims at
evaluating the pros and cons of a servant leadership style in order to understand the effectiveness
of the same while operating in different organizational contexts.

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References
CH Chan, S. and Mak, W.M., 2014. The impact of servant leadership and subordinates'
organizational tenure on trust in leader and attitudes. Personnel Review, 43(2), pp.272-287.
Chen, C.Y., Chen, C.H.V. and Li, C.I., 2013. The influence of leader’s spiritual values of servant
leadership on employee motivational autonomy and eudaemonic well-being. Journal of religion
and health, 52(2), pp.418-438.
Choudhary, A.I., Akhtar, S.A. and Zaheer, A., 2013. Impact of transformational and servant
leadership on organizational performance: A comparative analysis. Journal of business
ethics, 116(2), pp.433-440.
De Clercq, D., Bouckenooghe, D., Raja, U. and Matsyborska, G., 2014. Servant leadership and
work engagement: The contingency effects of leader–follower social capital. Human Resource
Development Quarterly, 25(2), pp.183-212.
Ding, D., Lu, H., Song, Y. and Lu, Q., 2012. Relationship of servant leadership and employee
loyalty: The mediating role of employee satisfaction. Ibusiness, 4(03), p.208.
Jones, D., 2012. Does servant leadership lead to greater customer focus and employee
satisfaction. Business Studies Journal, 4(2), pp.21-35.
Kool, M. and van Dierendonck, D., 2012. Servant leadership and commitment to change, the
mediating role of justice and optimism. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 25(3),
pp.422-433.

9ASSESSMENT OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP STYLE
Liden, R.C., Wayne, S.J., Liao, C. and Meuser, J.D., 2014. Servant leadership and serving
culture: Influence on individual and unit performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5),
pp.1434-1452.
Mahembe, B. and Engelbrecht, A.S., 2014. The relationship between servant leadership,
organisational citizenship behaviour and team effectiveness. SA Journal of Industrial
Psychology, 40(1), pp.01-10.
Mittal, R. and Dorfman, P.W., 2012. Servant leadership across cultures. Journal of World
Business, 47(4), pp.555-570.
Parris, D.L. and Peachey, J.W., 2013. A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory
in organizational contexts. Journal of business ethics, 113(3), pp.377-393.
Rezaei, M., Salehi, S., Shafiei, M. and Sabet, S., 2012. Servant leadership and organizational
trust: The mediating effect of the leader trust and organizational communication. EMAJ:
Emerging Markets Journal, 2(1), pp.70-78.