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International Journal of Servant-Leadership

Abstract

The term servant-leadership was first coined in the seventies by Robert Greenleaf (Spears 2004) to describe a leadership theory that placed the emphasis on the led. Since that time it has slowly gained traction (ibid.). However, it is clear that, as a leadership theory, servant-leadership is not yet mainstream in thought and practice. Western (2008) described servant-leadership as an emerging leadership theory, nearly thirty years after it was introduced by Greenleaf. The idea received only passing reference in other overviews of various leadership theories (Jackson and Parry 2008; Northouse 2007; Rost 1991), until Northouse's (2013) sixth edition of Leadership Theory and Practice, in which servant-leadership was given a whole chapter, alongside chapters on trait approaches, situational approaches, leader member exchange theory, team leadership, transformational leadership, and authentic leadership. While the ideas of Greenleaf have been around for more than thirty years, it is clear that the concept is still taking hold. Not only is the idea still gaining acceptance, but it is also still being developed. While the theory of servant-leadership has been well explained (Greenleaf 2002; Spears 2004) its application to various fields is ongoing.

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