Sudden changes, various challenges, and even crises may be the reality of every organization in the near future, and thus the organizational leadership as well as the organizational culture needs to be built on elements enabling successful adjustments to the challenges at hand. Previous studies show the usefulness of servant leadership characteristics during times of crisis, but few studies are available about the experience of employees facing such challenges as working in organizations dedicated to the practice of servant leadership. The current entry uses qualitative methods to explore the experience of employees working in an organization dedicated to the practice of servant leadership. This exploration is conducted following an economic recession, with a focus on identifying supporting factors in their work environment. Data was gathered via semistructured interviews with 12 experienced employees in management and nonmanagement roles and analyzed using a phenomenological approach, including follow-up interviews and observations. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) The heart is still the main vision; (2) You try as much as possible to include others; and (3) It is really about accountability. The findings show that during challenging times the organization focuses on a culture of care and inclusion while also emphasizing accountability. This includes learning collectively from mistakes and understanding the consequences of making an error. This focus enabled the adjustment of their practices, the implementation of necessary changes, the support of employee well-being, and the maintenance of a profitable business. The findings align with recent studies on successful organizational factors during times of crisis and the usefulness of servant leadership characteristics. This entry adds to the limited research available on investigating servant leadership in an organization devoted to the philosophy and how servant leadership is successfully practiced during challenging times. The findings contribute significantly to the state of knowledge, particularly regarding effective leadership and the importance of inclusion during challenging periods.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Servant Leadership

  • Sigrún Gunnarsdóttir,
  • Sigurdur Ragnarsson,
  • Erla Sólveig Kristjánsdóttir,
  • Dirk van Dierendonck

摘要

Sudden changes, various challenges, and even crises may be the reality of every organization in the near future, and thus the organizational leadership as well as the organizational culture needs to be built on elements enabling successful adjustments to the challenges at hand. Previous studies show the usefulness of servant leadership characteristics during times of crisis, but few studies are available about the experience of employees facing such challenges as working in organizations dedicated to the practice of servant leadership. The current entry uses qualitative methods to explore the experience of employees working in an organization dedicated to the practice of servant leadership. This exploration is conducted following an economic recession, with a focus on identifying supporting factors in their work environment. Data was gathered via semistructured interviews with 12 experienced employees in management and nonmanagement roles and analyzed using a phenomenological approach, including follow-up interviews and observations. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) The heart is still the main vision; (2) You try as much as possible to include others; and (3) It is really about accountability. The findings show that during challenging times the organization focuses on a culture of care and inclusion while also emphasizing accountability. This includes learning collectively from mistakes and understanding the consequences of making an error. This focus enabled the adjustment of their practices, the implementation of necessary changes, the support of employee well-being, and the maintenance of a profitable business. The findings align with recent studies on successful organizational factors during times of crisis and the usefulness of servant leadership characteristics. This entry adds to the limited research available on investigating servant leadership in an organization devoted to the philosophy and how servant leadership is successfully practiced during challenging times. The findings contribute significantly to the state of knowledge, particularly regarding effective leadership and the importance of inclusion during challenging periods.