Impact of Servant Leadership in the Workplace - Assignment Example

Impact of servant leadership in the workplace Introduction: “Leaders can and do move the ethics centers of gravity in organizations. But they must accept that in their behavior and example rests the capacity to do this with great good or great harm.” - (Thomas, Schermerhorn, & Dienhart, 2004, p. 63) Organizations in recent times have undergone significant transformations, following the advent of technology and the blurring of global trade boundaries. These changes have compelled the management to adopt new and innovative ways to lead people in order to achieve their strategic goals and objectives and to sustain their competitive positioning in their respective industries. However no amount of changes, restructuring or reorganizing of the workplace would be effective unless the management utilizes its most useful and crucial asset – that of human resources. The traditional forms of leadership which attributed more significance to goal oriented practices have now been replaced by a relatively more human centric approach that focuses on ethics and the betterment of individuals which include both – employees as well as communities. It is hence imperative for the leaders in present times, to ensure that they lead by example and set proper behavioral norms and ethics for the employees to follow (Dennis & Bocarnea, 2005). People centric forms of leadership such as ethical leadership approaches ensure that organizational structure is given more significance than the accomplishment of goals and management of people is given precedence over productivity. This is because processes and systems can only function effectively if the people who are required to operate and follow them are motivated and effective themselves. It is the employees who contribute in the achievement of goals and hence a highly motivated staff is more likely to help the organizations achieve their goals effectively. Leaders are hence required to play their roles efficiently whereby they motivate their staff by leading through example (Sendjaya & Carraher, 2014). Servant leadership is one such approach that centers on ethical leadership and emphasizes on developing and focusing on the employees to enable them to achieve optimum levels of performance and improve their efficiency, through self-motivation techniques thus paving way for developing capable and efficient leaders of the future. Why is this topic relevant in your career field? This topic is highly relevant in the field of human development and leadership, mainly because the very concept of human development and leadership is rooted in exploring effective alternatives to dealing with human resources in a way that motivates them to perform better and become efficient leaders. Leadership and human development is all about investing in human resources and encouraging and training them to adapt to the changing corporate environment. Leaders today are required to be highly flexible in their approach to management and must be sensitive to the needs of their followers as well as the organization. Conventional leadership was highly centralized and followed a certain hierarchy whereby the communication channels were not open and flexible for the lowest level of employees. The corporate hierarchy hence prevented employees across all levels of organization from directly communicating with their leaders. The servant-leadership approach in turn is highly flexible and disregards authority and centralization of power. The servant leaders unlike other leaders are increasingly sensitive to the issues and concerns faced by their community and display a strong sense of community. This is reflected in the way the servant leaders engage in social activities which includes setting up charity organizations for those in need. The study of such new forms of leadership will hence prove to be highly useful and help in applying the principles of servant leadership in real-life scenarios (Russell & Stone, 2002). Why is this topic of interest to you? Recently there has been a significant rise in the number of organizations involved in fraudulent and unethical business practices. These include various renowned multinational organizations such as Enron and Starbucks both of whom indulged in questionable business practices resulting in a simultaneous decline in public trust and faith in business practices and ethical functioning of organizations in general. As more and more famed organizations continue to bite the dust due to a myriad of controversies surrounding their ethical policies and approach to business, calling into question their credibility and commitment to their stakeholders, the need for more ethical leadership grows stronger than ever before. The complete lack of ethical practices on the part of the companies and the failure of the leaders to effectively lead their organizations is known to affect not only the profitability of the company but also the morale of the employees, loss of public trust and invite greater and stricter control over the companies in the form of strict legislations and regulations. Hence this topic is of immense significance to me because it helps in improving my understanding about the fundamental causes behind the introduction and development of new forms of leadership. Statement of the Problem The rise in number of cases exposing fraudulent and unethical practices of organizations has compelled firms to reassess their approach to leadership and management and stress on the significance of ethical leadership to ensure best practices and more transparency in their corporate activities (Plinio, Judith, & Lavery, 2010). It has also brought to light the significance of ethical business practices and the fact that it is the effective approach to leadership that helps in leading and steering organizations to success rather than a form of leadership that merely emphasizes on profits and generating more revenues. Why is this issue causing conflict in decision making? According to Thornton (2009) the drastic transformations in the global marketplace due to the advent of technology and rise in competition on a global scale, has resulted in a simultaneous rise in unethical business practices within organizations. Hence it is highly imperative for the management to ensure that organizations today are led and governed by highly motivated, strong and ethical leaders who attribute greater significance to the well-being of the company as well as its resources, both – human as well as financial. Furthermore lack of ethical leadership in organizations today is one of the most critical issues faced by the management. The persistent lack of ethical leadership on the part of the management and the alarming rise in scandals arising due to it has resulted in a simultaneous rise in employee dissatisfaction and a similar negative behavior among the employees. The current corporate climate reeks of increased skepticism due to the involvement and exposure of highly renowned companies engaging in unethical behavior and practices. Lack of trust in organizations is hence widely acknowledged as one of the recent outcomes of increased instances of unethical behavior by leaders in reputed organizations. Supporting Research The concept of servant leadership was first popularized and conceptualized by Robert K. Greenleaf. Servant leadership is defined as: “A new kind of leadership model – a model which puts serving others as the number one priority. Servant-leadership emphasizes increased service to others; a holistic approach to work; promoting a sense of community; and the sharing of power in decision-making (Greenleaf, 1996, p. 33). Servant leadership is one of the most efficient and appropriate styles of leadership that perfectly fulfills the needs of organizations in this highly dynamic and rapidly changing corporate environment. The current corporate climate demands a highly effective style of leadership that focuses and emphasizes on ethical behavior and uses ethically and morally right approaches for achieving their organizational goals of profitability. The servant leadership best fits the management style needed today by organizations because it primarily focuses on the human aspect of leadership and attributes greater significance and relevance to the well being of the employees and individuals associated with the organization including all its key stakeholders. What foundational legal/ethical principles, models and/or theories should be considered when evaluating solutions? The adoption of servant leadership approach is known to contribute to improved job satisfaction among the employees regardless of the type of work required of them. Various studies have been conducted over the years to establish, understand and explore the benefits, need and impact of servant leadership in workplaces. Servant leadership contributes to increased employee loyalty and motivation (Joseph & Winston, 2005). Furthermore, employees are more likely to respect and follow their leaders who apply and use servant-leadership approach as compared to other forms of leadership. Trust is one of the most crucial attributes in ensuring leadership effectiveness in organizations. Increased trust between employees and the leaders / organizations directly influences improved honesty, sincerity and motivation among the employees at workplace, and a significant improvement in their values. The increased trust and the resultant impact of such trust based relationship between the employees and the leaders, ensures improved organizational performance. Improved trust further leads to the development of a positive organizational culture, which in turn paves way for improved organizational values and the establishment of a healthy and positive workplace. However although servant leadership adopts the inclusive approach to managing organizations as well as its employees, it does reserve the right to impose penalties and negative consequences for employees for their lack of participation or poor performance. Thus, contrary to their sweet and positive image, servant leaders are also highly goal and task oriented and effective in enforcing the organizational code of conducts and ethics, at the workplace and ensure compliance to generate positive results (Kahl & Donelan, 2004). How does your problem relate to other case studies found in the research? The followers or employees are greatly influenced by the type of leadership they are exposed to in organizations and hence are more likely to look up to their leaders for inspiration, motivation and support. Hence if the leaders use and encourage the use of ethical and moral practices, the employees are likely to follow suit and be encouraged to do the same. Servant leaders are highly committed to their causes and are consistent in their approach to lead the organizations and their employees in the most ethical manner possible (Jenkins & Stewart, 2010). Recommendations Describe 3-5 strategies for resolving the issue at hand. Adopt and implement servant leadership in organizations Ensure greater transparency in organizational transactions Display greater concern for social causes and make conscious commitment to such causes at local as well as national level Encourage dialogue between the employees and leaders regardless of their status or designation in the organization. Encourage employee participation in decision-making processes. Works Cited: Dennis, R. S., & Bocarnea, M. (2005). Development of the servant leadership assessment instrument. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 26 (8), 600-615. Greenleaf, R. K. (1996). On becoming a servant-leader. . San Francisco: Josey-Bass Publishers. Jenkins, M., & Stewart, A. C. (2010). The importance of a servant leader orientation. Health Care Management Review , 35 (1), 46. Joseph, E. E., & Winston, B. E. (2005). A correlation of servant leadership, leader trust, and organizational trust. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 26 (1), 6-22. Kahl, J., & Donelan, T. (2004). Leading from the heart: Choosing to be a servant leader. Jack Kahl & Associates. Plinio, A J; Judith, M; Lavery, L M., (2010). The state of ethics in our society: A clear call for action. International Journal of Disclosure & Governance. Vol 7(3): p. 172 - 197 Russell, R. F., & Stone, A. G. (2002). A Review of Servant Leadership Attributes: Developing a Practical Model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal , 23 (3), 145-158. Sendjaya, S., & Sarros, J. C. (2002). Servant Leadership: Its Origin, Development, and Application in Organizations. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies , 9 (2), 57-64. Thomas, T., Schermerhorn, J. R., & Dienhart, J. W. (2004). Strategic leadership of ethical behavior in business. Academy of Management Executive , 18 (2), 60-65. Thornton, L. (2009). Leadership ethics training: Why is it so hard to get it right? The American. Society for Training & Development , 58-61. Read More