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Just the Servant: An Intersectional Critique of Servant Leadership

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  • Helena Liu

    (University of Technology Sydney)

Abstract

Servant leadership offers a compelling ideal of self-sacrificing individuals who put the needs of others before their own and cultivate a culture of growth in their organisations. Although the theory’s attempts to emphasise the moral, emotional and relational dimensions of leadership are laudable, it has primarily assumed a decontextualised view of leadership untouched by power. This article aims to problematise servant leadership by undertaking an intersectional analysis of an Asian cis-male heterosexual senior manager in Australia. Through in-depth interviews with the manager and his staff, the article shows how his attempts to practice servant leadership were informed by intersecting power dynamics of race, gender, sexuality, age and class that subordinated him to white power. The findings demonstrate the ways servant leadership is necessarily embedded in wider power structures that shape who gets to be a “servant leader” and who remains merely a “servant”.

Suggested Citation

  • Helena Liu, 2019. "Just the Servant: An Intersectional Critique of Servant Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 1099-1112, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:156:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s10551-017-3633-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3633-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    9. Jenny Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo & Jenny K. Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo, 2016. "The Theory and Praxis of Intersectionality in Work and Organisations: Where Do We Go From Here?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 201-222, May.
    10. Jenny Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo & Melanie Knight, 2016. "Race-ing, Classing and Gendering Racialized Women's Participation in Entrepreneurship," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 310-327, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zarei, Mohammad & Supphellen, Magne & Bagozzi, Richard P., 2022. "Servant leadership in marketing: A critical review and a model of creativity-effects," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 172-184.
    2. Vincent J. Giolito & Robert C. Liden & Dirk Dierendonck & Gordon W. Cheung, 2021. "Servant Leadership Influencing Store-Level Profit: The Mediating Effect of Employee Flourishing," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(3), pages 503-524, September.
    3. Farida Saleem & Yingying Zhang Zhang & C. Gopinath & Ahmad Adeel, 2020. "Impact of Servant Leadership on Performance: The Mediating Role of Affective and Cognitive Trust," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440199, January.
    4. Penelope Muzanenhamo & Rashedur Chowdhury, 2023. "A Critique of Vanishing Voice in Noncooperative Spaces: The Perspective of an Aspirant Black Female Intellectual Activist," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(1), pages 15-29, February.
    5. Teresa J. Rothausen, 2023. "Diverse, Ethical, Collaborative Leadership Through Revitalized Cultural Archetype: The Mary Alternative," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 187(3), pages 627-644, October.

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