Urgent 1

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Leadership Research Paper: Servant Leadership

Student Name

Liberty University

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Abstract

This research paper reviewed the findings from the literature review and discovered that servant

leadership principles increased employee empowerment, a commitment to a shared vision and

team effectiveness. These three things were found to be force multipliers in today’s modern

organization whether for-profit or non-profit. A set of criteria was synthesized from the findings

from the literature review and the group research project. A servant leader: (1) loves and serve

God first, (2) loves and serves others, (3) communicates a vision, (4) empowers and develops

people, (5) practices humility, (6) builds and practices community, (7) gives feedback and

direction, (8) welcomes feedback and is accountable to others. A leader interview was conducted

with Colonel Charles Stevenson and he shared his servant leadership philosophy. His philosophy

on servant leadership is intertwined with the Air Force core values of (1) Service before Self, (2)

Excellence in all We Do, and (3) Integrity First. C. Stevenson’s perspectives on servant

leadership provided a practical perspective and a valuable link to this literature review and the

research conducted by the group. His views on the challenges of applying servant leadership

from both his civilian and military careers underscore the need for effective training in servant

leadership principles. Finally, the ideas of the research and the leader interview were compared

and contrasted with the group discussions and group research project on Biblical Leadership. The

primary lesson learned is that a truly effective servant leadership behavior model must be

measured against the objective truth of Scripture.

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Leadership Research Paper

The concept of servant leadership was introduced to mankind over 2,000 years ago by

Jesus Christ but it has only been in the last four decades that the subject has captured the

imagination of leadership scholars from across the globe. Part 1 of this paper will first discuss

some of the significant findings from the literature and from these findings develop a set of

major criteria of servant leadership behavior. Part 2 will discuss a leadership interview with

Colonel Charles Stevenson of the Alaska Air National Guard. Part 3 will end with a comparison

and contrast of things learned from the group discussions and the things learned from the

literature review and the leadership interview.

Part 1 – Literature Review

A review of the literature found that a significant focus of the early research had been on

the theoretical (i.e. attempting to develop a working model) however, the emphasis of newer

research studies has started to shift to testing and measurement. A review of the research found

that servant leadership principles either promote or undergird positive organizational behaviors

such as, employee empowerment, a commitment to a shared vision and team effectiveness.

Further analysis of the research resulted in the formulation of a common set of criteria of servant

leadership behavior.

Employee Empowerment

Russell and Stone (2002) proposed that employee empowerment should be a central tenet

of any servant leadership construct. Spears (1996, 2004) and van Dierendonck (2011) described

empowerment as the commitment to the growth and development of people. Servant leaders

grow people by entrusting power to them (Fischer, 2014; Kantharia, 2012), with the goal of

multiplying other servant leaders (Sendjaya & Sarros, 2002; & Spears, 2004). Boone and

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Makhani (2012) found that this takes an attitude on the leader’s part which says: “It is good to

give away power” (p. 92). Murari and Gupta (2012) conducted a study in India’s high tech

industry and they found that the application of servant leadership principles had a positive impact

on employee empowerment which, in turn, lead to increased organizational effectiveness and

competitiveness. This study affirms Blanchard and Hodges’s (2008) assertion that in order to

lead like Jesus, leaders must provide an environment of empowerment.

Commitment to a Shared Vision

Blanchard and Hodges (2003, 2008) found that one of the primary roles of a servant

leader is to communicate a compelling vision and to persuade others to follow it and to own it for

themselves. However, Collins (2001) concluded that creating a compelling vision should only

come after recruiting the right people. Not surprisingly, the research revealed that those leaders

who actively engaged their employees throughout the visioning process with openness and

respect found increased trust and ethical behavior within these organizations (Renke, 2004;

Senjaya & Pekerti, 2010). Interestingly, an effective articulation of a compelling vision was

found to produce positive organizational behaviors regardless of the type of organization whether

for-profit or non-profit (Collins, 2001; Cowley 2013; Russell, 2012; Spears 2004). Thus, the

research affirms the Biblical view on the necessity of having a clear, compelling and shared

vision (Proverbs 29:18).

Team Effectiveness

Teams are the basic building blocks of the society. As the great English poet John Donne

once penned, “No man is an island, entire of itself.” Blanchard and Hodges (2003 & 2008)

concluded that only after a servant leader develops successful one on one relationships with his

followers, can he began to focus on developing effective teams. The research affirms Blanchard

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and Hodges findings. For example, Mahembe and Engelbrecht (2014) and Senjaya and Pekerti

(2010) found that servant leadership practices which facilitated employee empowerment and

trust led to team unity and effectiveness. Even in high power distance cultures such as Turkey

and China, the literature indicated that other contributing servant leadership behaviors such as,

caring, listening and effective communication contributed to team effectiveness (Oner, 2012; Hui

& Liden, 2011).

Criteria of Servant Leadership Behavior

The early literature heavily leaned on the initial set of 10 criteria of servant leadership

behavior developed by Spears (1996, 2004). Decades later, van Dierendonck (2012) synthesized

several lists of criteria into 6 key characteristics of servant leadership behaviors: empowering

and developing people, humility, authenticity, interpersonal acceptance, providing direction and

stewardship. This set of criteria was compared to the research performed by Wood, Stroupe,

Miller, & Hooven (2014), who developed a Biblical set of criteria of servant leadership behavior.

They found that a servant leader: serves God first, loves others as he loves himself, practices

humility, is nurturing, is caring, is empathetic, communicates a vision, and builds community.

Further analysis and comparison of both sets of criteria in light of Fischer’s (2014) perspective

on covenantal behavior brought forth a synthesis of the below set of criteria:

1. Loves and serves God first

2. Loves and serves others

3. Communicates a vision

4. Empowers and develops people

5. Practices humility

6. Builds and practices community

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7. Gives feedback and direction

8. Welcomes feedback and is accountable

Part 2 – Leadership Interview

In this section, the results of a leadership interview with Colonel Charles Stevenson are

reported. Colonel Charles Stevenson is the Vice Commander of the 176th Wing, Alaska Air

National Guard. He assists the Commander with ensuring the missions of tactical airlift,

strategic airlift, combat search and rescue, and air sovereignty operations are fully resourced,

trained, and operational. C. Stevenson is the epitome of a true Citizen-Airman. He served over

20 years in the Alaska Department of Corrections where he started out as a Correctional

Assistant and rose to the rank of Warden of one of the largest correctional facilities in Alaska. He

did this while also serving in the Air National Guard as a “weekend warrior”. C. Stevenson has a

Law Degree from Southwest California School of Law and a Masters of Leadership degree from

Mid-American Christian University. He was handpicked by senior National Guard officials to

serve a special 4 year active duty tour in his current position to be the point man on developing

and implementing a new strategy and vision for the 176th Wing. (C. Stevenson, personal

communication, June 24, 2014)

Perspective on Servant Leadership

C. Stevenson explained his perspective on servant leadership as “serving others to get the

mission accomplished” (C. Stevenson, personal communication, June 24, 2014). In his view,

before a leader can properly serve others under his command, he must invest the time to get to

know both his subordinate officers and the frontline men and women who actually perform the

mission. One habit that Stevenson practices on a regular basis is what he calls MBA or

Management by Walking Around. He brought this habit over from his career in Corrections. He

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purposefully turns off his email and gets out of his office to observe the mission first hand. In his

view, this simple habit allows him the opportunity to understand the challenges that his followers

are facing and the opportunity to also model the appropriate behaviors that are expected of the

men and women of the 176th Wing. In his own words, “I have to be willing to do the same thing

that I am asking others to do.” (C. Stevenson, personal communication, June 24, 2014)

Challenges of Applying Servant Leadership

C. Stevenson outlined some of the challenges that he has faced in applying servant

leadership principles both in his civilian and military careers. In his view, perhaps the biggest

challenge in applying servant leadership principles is “motivating those who are self-serving,

those who have the attitude that I am only here to do my job and collect a paycheck” (C.

Stevenson, personal communication, June 24, 2014). Stevenson refers to these type of people as

“clock watchers”. In his view, the profession of the Armed Services is a “calling” defined by

service, sacrifice and commitment above and beyond the call of duty–even to the point of loss of

life or limb. (C. Stevenson, personal communication, June 24, 2014).

C. Stevenson shared several strategies to counter this attitude of apathy or lack of

understanding among the chain of command. He encourages his leaders to get their people

involved with other people across the organization, to take time to show them how a person’s

particular job interfaces with other peoples’ jobs. In Stevenson’s view, this practice allows

people to see how vital their jobs are to the overall mission. In other words they can see the “big

picture”. Another strategy that he recommends and practices is to give regular feedback on

performance, daily habits and interpersonal relationship skills to both leaders and subordinates.

Additionally, C. Stevenson would like to see the subject of servant leadership taught across the

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Air National Guard and be made available to all personnel regardless of rank. (C. Stevenson,

personal communication, June 24, 2014)

Criteria of Servant Leadership Behavior

C. Stevenson’s criteria of an effective servant leader can be summarized by synthesizing

his personal views with the Air Force Core Values:

 Service before Self. This core value defines who we are as a profession and as a

people. There is no military draft. People join the Armed Services on their own

free will. Yes, there are many opportunities for growth and skills training but “we

all took an oath to defend both the U.S. Constitution and the Alaska

Constitution…it’s no longer about me, it’s all about We and We serve a cause that

is worthy of our sacrifice.” (C. Stevenson, personal communication, June 24,

2014)

 Excellence in All We Do. This core value means that people strive to exceed the

standard “in our communications, skills development, interpersonal relations,

customer service, and most importantly—executing the mission.” (C. Stevenson,

personal communication, June 24, 2014)

 Integrity First. Integrity is character trait developed over one’s lifetime by daily

habits. This means doing what is right when no one is looking. This simple but

essential habit produces honesty and credibility. The majority of people want to

work with someone they can trust. “Trust forms the foundation of effective teams

and the mission cannot be properly executed without effective teams.” (C.

Stevenson, personal communication, June 24, 2014)

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In summary, C. Stevenson’s criteria for servant leadership could be simply stated as;

selflessness and a devotion to a worthy cause, competence in everything you do, and integrity in

how you do things and the way you interact with people.

Part 3 – Comparison and Contrast of Servant Leadership Perspectives

In this section a comparison and contrast of C. Stevenson’s perspective on servant

leadership to the literature review will be discussed. Additionally, things that were learned from

the group discussions about servant leadership will be compared and contrasted to findings

discovered in the literature review and from C. Stevenson’s perspectives.

Comparison of C. Stevenson’s Perspective to the Literature

C. Stevenson’s perspective on servant leadership is tied to the three primary core values

of the United States Air Force. In his view, it was necessary to re-order the core values to align

with his views on servant leadership. Therefore, he re-orders the core values as follows: Service

before Self, Excellence in All We Do and Integrity. In his view, the thoughts, feelings and actions

that are necessary to implement the core value of Service before Self are the same thoughts,

feelings and actions that are necessary to be a servant leader in any organization (C. Stevenson,

personal communication, June 24, 2014). This corresponds to Blanchard and Hodges (2003,

2008) findings that it takes an alignment of the heart and the head and the hands to effectively

practice servant leadership.

Stevenson’s assertion that the Air Force core value of Service before Self defines the

essence of servant leader leadership is affirmed by the preponderance of the literature. For

example, Sendjaya and Sarros (2002) explored the philosophical basis of servant leadership and

concluded that the primary intent of a servant leader is to “serve others first, not lead others first”

(p. 59). Stone, Russell and Patterson (2004) also affirmed this concept of a leader whose

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primary focus is on serving and developing their followers rather than on serving themselves or

the organization. More importantly, the Biblical worldview affirms this concept of a servant

leader. For example, Jesus Christ himself embodied perfect servant leadership by voluntarily

putting aside his authority to serve mankind by accepting death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

Thus, this is why Blanchard and Hodges (2003, 2008) concluded that the practice of servant

leadership is not an option but a God directed mandate.

C. Stevenson’s criteria of servant leadership (by following the Air Force core values)

compares similarly to the criteria gleaned from the literature. For example, van Dierendonck

(2011) six characteristics of servant leadership were used a basis of comparison. The six

characteristics of servant leadership categorized by van Dierendonck are as follows: (1)

empowering and developing people, (2) humility, (3) authenticity, (4) interpersonal acceptance,

(5) providing direction and (6) stewardship. Stevenson’s view on the core value of Service

before Self relates to the characteristic of humility, while his views on the core value of

Excellence in all We do was found to align with the criteria of empowering and developing

people, interpersonal acceptance, and providing direction and stewardship. Finally, Stevenson’s

views on the core value of Integrity First relates to the characteristic of authenticity.

Comparison of Ideas to Lessons Learned from the Group Discussions

Lessons learned from the group discussions culminated in a group research project by

Wood, et al. (2014) in which they compared and contrasted the views of a man-centered view of

servant leadership with the Biblical worldview. They found that a great portion of the literature is

heavily biased towards a humanistic orientation (Boone & Makhani, 2012; Spears, 1996, 2004; &

van Dierendonck, 2011) and does not cite or even recognize the Biblical perspective on servant

leadership. This was in contrast to the research conducted by Sendjaya and Sarros (2002) which

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traced the roots of the modern servant leadership movement back to Biblical model as exemplified

by Jesus Christ. Additionally, Duby (2009) strongly cautioned Christian leaders that the modern

view of servant leadership which is heavily grounded in humanistic notions should be critiqued

against the Biblical standard (2 Cor. 10:5 & Phil. 4:8). Wood, et al. (2014) concurred with Duby

and found that a man centered version of servant leadership lacked the sustaining power to truly

transform organizations and people because it denied essential biblical doctrine on sin, redemption

and grace.

One of the tests of an effective servant leader as quoted from Robert Greenleaf, the founder

of the modern servant leadership movement was this: “Do those served grow as persons; do they

while being served, become healthier, wiser, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become

servants?” (Spears, 2004, p. 8). Findings from the research say yes. Rivkin, Diestel and Schmidt

(2014) concluded that servant leadership can be taught and that there is a positive effect on

employee health and growth. The group discussions comparing situations from their personal and

work experience also led to the same conclusion. However, these findings were tempered with

Fischer’s (2014) teaching on the ego and sinfulness of mankind. The Biblical worldview reminds

all mankind that without a heart transformation, men and women are instinctively bent on being

self-centered and evil (Ecclesiastes 9:3). This is why it takes a heart transformation by the saving

grace of Jesus Christ to be a truly effective servant leader (Ephesians 2:8).

Probably the most important lesson learned from comparing the things learned from the

literature, to C. Stevenson’s interview and the group discussions is that criteria for man centered

servant leadership falls short of a Biblically framed criteria of servant leadership. For example,

the two top two criteria from the group research paper and this author’s criteria are: (1) love and

serve God first, and (2) love and serve others. These two essential criteria are left off any list of

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criteria that this author found in his review of the literature. This is a sobering thought and reminds

all Christians to number the days carefully because without God’s grace and power we are unable

to gain a heart of true wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

Conclusion

Servant leadership principles were found to have a positive impact on employee

empowerment, a commitment to a shared vision and team effectiveness. These are three of the

most recognizable attributes of an effective servant leadership organization. Further analysis of

the literature resulted in a set of criteria of servant leadership behavior. They are: (1) love and

serve God first, (2) love and serve others, (3) communicate a vision, (4) empower and develop

people, (5) practice humility, (6) build and practice community, (7) give feedback and provide

direction, (8) welcome feedback and be accountable to others. Colonel Charles Stevenson shared

his servant leadership perspective which is intertwined with the Air Force core values of (1)

Service before Self, (2) Excellence in all We Do, and (3) Integrity First. His views on the

challenges of applying servant leadership from both his civilian and military careers underscore

the need for effective training in servant leadership principles. More importantly, the ideas of the

literature review and the leader interview were compared with the group discussions and the

research that they did together. The primary lesson learned is that a truly effective servant

leadership behavior model must be measured against the objective truth of God’s word. As

Blanchard and Hodges (2008) asserted, “in order to lead and serve others you have to love Jesus,

and you must love like Jesus” (p. 183).

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Servant Leadership, Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA.