8.7. Servant, Authentic, and Ethical Leadership

8.7. Servant, Authentic, and Ethical Leadership — Key Concepts

  • Servant leadership is a newer leadership style focusing on serving others.
  • Spears (2010) identifies the following 1010 key traits:
    • Listening
    • Empathy
    • Healing
    • Awareness
    • Persuasion
    • Conceptualization (big-picture thinking)
    • Foresight (planning ahead)
    • Stewardship (taking care of resources)
    • Commitment to others' growth
    • Building community
  • Core purpose: it’s all about helping others succeed and grow.
  • Similarities with transformational leadership:
    • Both emphasize the need for vision, influence, and trust.
  • Distinct focus of servant leadership:
    • Prioritizes the needs of others.

8.7. Servant, Authentic, and Ethical Leadership — Research Findings

  • A study by Hoch et al. (2018) found that:
    • Ethical leadership and authentic leadership don’t add much beyond what transformational leadership explains.
    • Servant leadership tends to show a bigger impact.
  • Conclusion: Servant leadership is seen as a valuable addition to leadership research.

8.7. Servant, Authentic, and Ethical Leadership — Implications and Real-World Relevance

  • Practical and ethical implications:
    • Emphasizes serving others, stewardship, and building community.
    • Its larger impact suggests potential for broader positive organizational outcomes.
  • Real-world relevance:
    • Servant leadership complements and extends transformational leadership by focusing more on follower development and collective well-being.

8.7. Key References and Notation

  • Spears, J. M. (2010) – Identifies the ten traits of servant leadership.
  • Hoch, J., et al. (2018) – Research comparing ethical, authentic, transformational, and servant leadership.