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Servant Leadership: An Ancient Style with 21st Century Relevance

Author

Listed:
  • Franco GANDOLFI

    (Georgetown University, USA)

  • Seth STONE

    (Regent University, USA)

  • Frank DENO

    (Liberty University, USA)

Abstract

Servant leadership is not a new concept; it has roots in ancient history. Robert Greenleaf (1970) revitalized the practice of servant leadership in modern organizations, but little progress has been made in the decades since in conceptualizing and operationalizing servant leadership. A review of the current literature identifies the history of servant leadership and outlines the recent path this leadership style is traveling toward increased organizational acceptance. A lack of a universally accepted model, a shortage of quantifiable research, and the absence of a comprehensive instrumentation have slowed the acceptance of servant leadership amongst business scholars and practitioners and led to considerable confusion of what servant leadership is and is not. Examination of the servant leadership research and instrumentation reveals that servant leadership is at a critical moment in its journey towards becoming a fully recognized leadership style. Given that Van Dierondonck’s (2011) work brings together the previous models with a comprehensive measurement system, servant leadership is poised to enter the next stage of organizational acceptance.

Suggested Citation

  • Franco GANDOLFI & Seth STONE & Frank DENO, 2017. "Servant Leadership: An Ancient Style with 21st Century Relevance," REVISTA DE MANAGEMENT COMPARAT INTERNATIONAL/REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 18(4), pages 350-361, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:rom:rmcimn:v:18:y:2017:i:4:p:350-361
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sen Sendjaya & James C. Sarros & Joseph C. Santora, 2008. "Defining and Measuring Servant Leadership Behaviour in Organizations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 402-424, March.
    2. Franco GANDOLFI & Seth STONE, 2016. "Clarifying Leadership: High-impact Leaders in a Time of Leadership Crisis," REVISTA DE MANAGEMENT COMPARAT INTERNATIONAL/REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(3), pages 212-224, July.
    3. Denise Parris & Jon Peachey, 2013. "A Systematic Literature Review of Servant Leadership Theory in Organizational Contexts," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 377-393, March.
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Leadership; Servant Leadership; Leadership Measurement.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
    • M19 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Other

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