Servant Leadership: A Positive Method of Leadership

Servant Leadership: A Path to Increased Job Satisfaction

Servant leadership is more than just a leadership style; it’s a practice that fosters positive behaviors and characteristics in leaders, ultimately leading to expected outcomes for their followers. As a model that has gained popularity in recent years, social scientists have taken a deeper dive into the effects of servant leadership, mainly how it influences employee job satisfaction. By exploring concepts such as Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and Job Satisfaction (JS), recent studies have demonstrated the clear connection between servant leadership and its positive impact on the workplace.

The Connection Between Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction

The core of servant leadership lies in its emphasis on serving others first, which, in turn, creates an environment where employees feel supported and valued. In a study, Akdol and Arikboga investigated the effects of servant leadership on job satisfaction, and their findings were telling. Their research built on the work of previous scholars like Creswell, who explored the idea that while the concept of servant leadership’s impact on job satisfaction was widely believed, it was largely unproven until empirical studies backed it up.

The Multidimensional Measure introduced by Dierendonck and Nuijten demonstrated that servant leadership does, indeed, significantly improve job satisfaction. Their study stands out because it focuses on eliminating extraneous variables, allowing the most critical factors—like trust, empathy, and recognition—to shine through as the key drivers of employee satisfaction.

Exploring Leadership Styles Through the Lens of LMX

In their study, Akdol and Arikboga also compared servant leadership with other common leadership styles, including autocratic, paternalistic, and transformational leadership. This comparison, rooted in the leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, revealed that servant leadership’s unique qualities—such as fostering trust and offering support- positively impact job satisfaction more than other leadership models.

The results are compelling: employees who work under servant leaders experience higher intrinsic rewards, such as personal recognition and fulfillment. The reason for this is simple: servant leaders operate with ethical principles and a genuine desire to serve, creating a work environment where employees thrive.

Why Servant Leadership Matters

The research shows that servant leadership improves job satisfaction and reshapes the workplace culture by promoting ethical decision-making, empathy, and a commitment to employee well-being. As employees internalize the values and beliefs of their servant leaders, they seek to align their efforts with those of the organization, resulting in a cycle of mutual growth and success.

In short, adopting servant leadership principles can be a game-changer for organizations looking to boost employee morale and job satisfaction. When leaders prioritize the needs of their employees and lead with empathy, the results speak for themselves: happier employees, higher levels of trust, and a more positive workplace culture.

For insights on instructional design, leadership, and creating effective learning experiences, follow me on X @LeadTheMasses for real-time updates, and connect on LinkedIn at Pamela R. Swanson to connect professionally. Let’s collaborate and share ideas to help shape the future of learning and leadership!

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References & Additional Reading

Akdol, B., & Arikboga, F. S. (2017). Leader-member exchange as a mediator of the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction: A research on Turkish ICT companies. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 6(4), 525-535.

DOI: 10.33844/ijol.2017.60226

Adiguzel, O., Ozcinar, F., & Karadal, H. (2020). “Servant Leadership, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Job Satisfaction: Evidence from Turkish Public and Private Sector.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muaa000​

ResearchGate

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles: Sage. (Unfortunately, no DOI is available for this book.)

Dami, I., Imron, B., Burhanuddin, & Supriyanto (2022). “The Role of Trust Mediation and Leader-Member Exchange in the Influence of Servant Leadership on Job Satisfaction.” Frontiers in Psychology, published in the context of Indonesian higher education.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.00000​

Frontiers

Khattak, M. N., Al-Taie, M. Z., Ahmed, I., & Muhammad, N. (2023). “Interplay between servant leadership, leader-member-exchange, and perceived organizational support: A moderated mediation model.” Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 237-261.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-11-2022-0328​

Emerald

Van Dierendonck, D., & Nuijten, I. (2011). The servant leadership survey (SLS): Development and validation of a multidimensional measure. Journal of Business Psychology, 26(3), 249-267.

DOI: 10.1007/s10869-010-9194-1