Servant-Leadership Context: A Multi-Case Pilot Study

Authors

Mark A. Rennaker, Regent UniversityFollow
Daniel A. Novak, Regent University

Abstract

In the 1970s, Greenleaf (1977) observed, "A new moral principle is emerging which holds that the only authority deserving one's allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in response to, and in proportion to, the clearly evident servant stature of the leader" (p. 10). Greenleaf stated, "The great leader is seen as servant first, and that simple fact is the key to his [sic] greatness" (p. 7). Consequently, Spears (1996) credited Greenleaf with originating the term "servant-leadership." Similarly, Russell (2001) stated, Greenleaf "inspired the servant leadership concept among modern organizational theorists" (p. 78). Further, Greenleaf predicted, "To the extent that this principle prevails in the future, the only truly viable institutions will be those that are predominantly servant-led" (p. 10). Despite Greenleaf's contention, Smith, Montagna, and Kuzmenko (2004) suggested that servant-leadership appears less viable than other approaches in dynamic and challenging environments. Thus, research is necessary to determine the contextual patterns in which servant-leadership operates viably.

Recommended Citation

Rennaker, Mark A. and Novak, Daniel A. (2007) "Servant-Leadership Context: A Multi-Case Pilot Study," International Journal of Servant-Leadership: Vol. 3, Article 19.
DOI: 10.33972/ijsl.271
Available at: https://repository.gonzaga.edu/ijsl/vol3/iss1/19

Copyright Information

Copyright 2007 The author(s). All Rights reserved