Comparing Servant Leadership and Steward Leadership in Organizations

This essay provides a comparative analysis of servant leadership and steward leadership, two distinct yet related leadership styles. Servant leadership, as introduced by Robert Greenleaf, emphasizes serving others and empowering followers, focusing on ethical behavior, community, and the personal growth of workers. Steward leadership, developed by Dr. Robert Clinton, prioritizes managing resources and achieving the owner's objectives, often adopting a more authoritarian approach. The essay highlights key differences in strategy, characteristics, and goals, noting that servant leadership prioritizes serving others while steward leadership focuses on organizational goals. It also discusses the criticisms and limitations of each style, such as the potential passivity of servant leadership and the emphasis on goal accomplishment in stewardship. The conclusion summarizes the similarities and differences, underscoring the importance of understanding both styles for effective organizational leadership.

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organizational leadership
[Type the document subtitle]
1/25/2020
student name

Organizational leadership 1
Steward and servant leadership
Leadership are integrated with various aspects, and thus bifurcated into different types
of leadership. A leader is reflecting a specific character and behaviour which reflect the kind
of leader and adopted leadership style. Economics, business and ethics played major role in
leadership, which has introduced as the foundation of servant leadership. The purpose of this
essay is to understand the difference between two key leadership styles that is servant
leadership and steward leadership. Moral leadership has reflected the integral to the
stewardship for success of the organisation. Both types of leadership are reflecting the ethical
orientations as the key factor that is responsible for promotion of stewardship and servant
leadership (Brenner, 2015).
Servant leadership has been introduced by Robert Greenleaf that is being encouraged
serving others by leading them (Greenleaf, 2003). On the other hand, steward’s leadership is
introduced in 1987 by Dr. Robert Clinton reflecting the role of leader based on practices and
role of steward, managing the capabilities and resources of others for achieving their
objectives. A servant leader is responsible and authorise for managing her or his owner’s
possession, where they assist others and get the task completed. Steward leaders are
considered to have more authority and responsibility while making decisions related to the
belonging and resources of owner (Anderson, 2010).
Servant leadership has become popular in 21st century as the companies consider
control structure and traditional command which reflected democratic management approach
and moral leadership based servant leadership kind. This leadership style is based generally
on community and team work as the leader is working with the follower to make them more
empowered as part of serving them. This involves decision making activities that are based
largely on caring and ethical behaviour (Brunes & By, 2012). The leader is working towards

Organizational leadership 2
the worker’s personal growth while enhancing the quality and caring of various institutions.
On the other hand, stewardship reflects the behaviour of the leader considering the
responsibility for managing assets of the organisation and another person that has
commended to one’s care.
Another perspective for stewardship reflected that the leadership behaviour for
stewardship is responsible for satisfying maximum organisational stakeholders by leading
towards successful organisational performance (Asamani, Naab, & Ofei, 2016). The
organisational success is being possessed through redistributing the wealth, purpose and
power as a form of governance by steward leadership. Steward leader considered the personal
behaviour perspective as stewardship that include pro management, oriented towards the
performance maximisation in the organisation, and collectivist nevertheless not the
communal in order to enhance the utility of steward leader (Wilson, 2016).
Considering the difference in the two types of leaders, one of the bases is strategy.
The strategy that is used by servant leadership is to make sure that the other individuals prior
needs are fulfilled and being served. This reflects the participant style of leadership. Whereas
strategy of steward leadership is to achieve owner’s objective through managing resources,
people in order to work for the growth. Participative and authoritarian leadership style has
been adopted in steward leadership. Another base for differentiation is characteristics; traits
that have been identified for servant leadership are empathy, awareness, listening, healing,
community, stewardship, conceptualization, persuasion and commitment. Whereas
characteristics identified for steward leadership are altruism, respect for authority, intrinsic,
and responsibility. The goal of servant leadership is to empower the follower while the goal
of steward leadership is fulfilling the mission and sustainability of organisation. Moreover,
the primary action considered by servant leadership is serving is first priority than the leader
itself. On the other hand the primary action of steward leadership is leading a company to

Organizational leadership 3
achieve desired goals and objectives of all the stakeholders; procurement and growth of the
resources (Brinckerhoff, Smart stewardship for nonprofits: Making the right decision in good
times and bad , 2012).
It can be said that the two identified leadership are similar in characteristics and
motivation, there are major and significant difference as well. It has been identified that the
servant leadership has not been able to address various key variables of leadership in an
organisation that is objectives and roles of owner, resource management, impact of now
ownership, and the accountability in the organisation. However there are various non-profit
leaders that believe in servant leadership but they consider the model to not to be singularly
adequate providing skills and principles essential to explain full range of challenges and
experiences that leaders of non-profit face (Griffith & Connelly, 2015).
From the research is has been believed that through creation of stewardship culture in
organisation as the leader can empower their employees in company to become steward and
leader, irrespective of their position is the hierarchy. Servant leadership is being also
criticised by some of the researches that it is too passive at times as reflect the tendency of
being laissez faire leadership and could not always be working towards the goal
accomplishment. On the the other hand the stewardship is for goal accomplishment in the
organisation through working on improving persons, workforce and resource capability of the
organisation (Brinckerhoff, Mission-based management: Leading your not-for-profit in the
21st century, 2009).
Thus from the discussion, it can be concluded that there are various similarities and
differentiation of two type of leadership that is servant leadership and steward leadership.
Servant leadership has been introduced by Robert Greenleaf and steward’s leadership is
introduced in 1987 by Dr. Robert Clinton. Servant leadership consider control structure and

Organizational leadership 4
traditional command; responsible and authorise for managing her or his owner’s possession.
Steward leaders are managing the capabilities and resources of others and have more
authority and responsibility. Strategy used by servant leadership is fulfilling needs of other
individuals and being served. While strategy of steward leadership is managing resources,
people to achieve owner’s objective.

Organizational leadership 5
References
Anderson, B. (2010). Project leadership and the art of managing relationships. T&D, 64(3),
59-63.
Asamani, J., Naab, F., & Ofei, A. (2016). Leadership styles in nursing management:
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Brenner, S. (2015). Leadership style and the process of organizational change. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 2-16.
Brinckerhoff, P. (2009). Mission-based management: Leading your not-for-profit in the 21st
century (231 ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Brinckerhoff, P. (2012). Smart stewardship for nonprofits: Making the right decision in good
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Brunes, B., & By, R. (2012). Leadership and change: The case for greater ethical clarity.
Journal of business ethics, 108(2), 239-252.
Greenleaf, R. (2003). The servant-leader within: A transformative path. Paulist press.
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Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 22(1), 5-20.
Wilson, K. (2016). Steward leadership in the nonprofit organization. InterVarsity Press.