Reply to question received from my professor in my discussion on Servant Leadership
Hey there, I received a question from my professor regarding the discussion that I posted. Please see below:
Q1- How does a leader balance the responsibility of serving their team with the authority needed to make impactful decisions?
please read the discussion below, and make reply to these question.
Please separate the answer on a separate file.
Word limit: 300.
Important:
Please note that it is important to include sufficient references in the work and ensure zero plagiarism.
Discussion
Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is an approach that emphasizes serving others first and focusing on accumulating power to lead later. Serving others entails prioritizing the needs of the followers, empowering them to unlock their full potential in their different areas of expertise (Northouse, 2021). Servant leadership focuses on acting as a servant to the followers and placing their well-being at the forefront. An individual should show humility, empathy, and integrity to foster collaboration and empowerment among the followers. Exploring how a leader can serve and influence, the influence of the corporate culture of servant leadership, and how cultural characteristics across different nations affect the success of servant leadership will give a better insight into the application of servant leadership.
Serving and Influencing As a Leader
As a leader, I can effectively serve and influence by prioritizing the well-being and development of my followers. I will serve with empathy where I will prioritize understanding their concerns, needs and aspirations (Northouse, 2021). Listening to their concerns and empathizing with their experiences will show genuine care towards supporting their growth and development. I will also empower them by delegating some roles and allowing them to make work schedules. Doing so will show my trust in their abilities, which will motivate them, making them do their best to accomplish the common goals. I will facilitate their personal and professional growth by mentoring, giving timely feedback, and exploring the different learning opportunities. The feedback will offer insights into areas in which they are doing their best and those that require improvement. Learning opportunities such as workshops and seminars will assist them in acquiring the knowledge needed to improve their capabilities.
The Role of Corporate Culture on Servant Leadership
Corporate culture has an important role in shaping the effectiveness and the practice of servant leadership in an organization. Corporate culture entails norms, values, and expectations that facilitate or hinder the execution of servant leadership principles. When an organization’s culture values collaboration and empathy, servant leadership will thrive, unlike if there is individualism and competition (Almutairi et al., 2020). Cultural dimensions such as human orientation impact the manifestation and acceptance of servant leadership in an organization. A corporate culture with highly humane orientations offers an ideal environment for servant leadership to flourish due to the genuine concern for the followers. Therefore, corporate culture has a substantial impact on servant leadership.
Hofstede’s Cultural Characteristics
The cultural characteristics assist in understanding the cultural differences in different nations, which significantly influence the adoption and success of servant leadership. Power distance is one of these traits, which reflects the extent to which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect unequal power distribution (Giolito et al., 2021). In countries where individuals expect to be involved in decision-making, they will easily accept servant leadership, unlike in cultures with hierarchical structures. In individualistic cultures, where people prefer personal goals over freedom, it will be challenging to incorporate servant leadership. However, it will naturally align in collectivistic cultures, where group consensus is valued.
Masculine cultures value assertiveness and competitiveness, and in such a country, servant leadership will have to emphasize its impact in achieving organizational goals, unlike in feminine cultures, which prioritize cooperation, which servant leadership will readily embrace. In countries with high uncertainty avoidance, it means there is a strong desire for rules and regulations; thus, servant leadership may not easily be embraced due to its emphasis on adaptability and flexibility. Countries that have low uncertainty avoidance recognize innovation and risk-taking, and servant leadership will fit in such a culture. Lastly, countries with long-term orientation will embrace servant leadership as it invests in individuals’ long-term growth, while those with short-term orientation prefer immediate results that servant leadership may not effectively deliver.
Conclusion
When a leader focuses on serving others and supporting them to reach their optimal potential, they are said to have embraced servant leadership. It operates on characteristics such as empathy and humility that make an individual foster trust and empower followers. It is embraced in corporate cultures that prioritize the needs of their employees to help them reach their full potential. An insight into the cultural characteristics assists in effectively applying servant leadership principles in different cultural contexts, ultimately improving organizational success.
References
Almutairi, B. A., Alraggad, M. A. A., & Khasawneh, M. (2020). The impact of servant leadership on organizational trust: the mediating role of organizational culture. European Scientific Journal ESJ, 16(16), 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2020.v16n16p49
Giolito, V. J., Liden, R. C., van Dierendonck, D., & Cheung, G. W. (2021). Servant leadership influencing store-level profit: The mediating effect of employee flourishing. Journal of Business Ethics, 172(3), 503-524.
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Chapter 10: Servant Leadership United States: SAGE Publications.
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