SIR Social Sciences Investigation Abstract
DEVELOPING A THEORY OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Presenter:
Binglei Yu, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506
Mentor:
Dr. Robert Liden, University of Illinois at Chicago
Abstract:
Servant leadership is a type of leadership that stresses personal integrity and is defined as the act of a leader catering to the needs of the subordinate, community and customer before his own. Although there has been literature regarding the subject, there has been little sufficient scientific research. The object of this project was, then, to develop a framework and working model for this type of leadership. The research began with a survey given to 298 students, which tested the nine dimensions of servant leadership that we had previously determined from relevant literature. Through this, we determined that a 7-factor model was most appropriate. We used this model in an organization of 174 employees. We further validated the 28-item servant leadership scale by controlling for transformational leadership, accounting for a variance in employee commitment, community citizenship behavior, and innovation beyond transformational leadership.