Servant Leadership at an Acute Hospital

Servant Leadership at an Acute Hospital

Introduction

Servant Leadership is unique in that it is driven by one's moral compass. In Robert Greenleaf's 1977 book, Servant Leadership: A Journey Into the Nature of Legitimate Power, a collection of essays on the philosophy of servant leadership, in the foreword Stephen Covey (2001) wrote: “The essential quality that sets the Servant Leader apart from others is that they live by their conscience—the inward moral sense of what is right and wrong. This is the essential quality and the difference between leadership that works and leadership like Servant Leadership—that endures”. The philosophy of Servant Leadership was originally developed by Robert Greenleaf, Greenleaf identified the themes of Servant Leadership, as well as the ideas of leading from a place of conscience and morality; as detailed above by Covey from Hesse's parable, which describes an arduous journey undertaken by a group of men and the central character, Leo, who acts as a servant who performs menial chores for the men. After Leo disappears, the group loses their way, becomes lost and, ultimately, isolated. Through this ordeal, the men discover that Leo, although a servant, is the “guiding spirit, and a great and noble leader” (Rakich et al, 2010).

The traditional leadership model in Western culture suggests a one-way link. The leader sets the vision and then works to get people to buy in. The leader creates the policies and structures that determine how things get done. The leader motivates people. Greenleaf suggested that we give up the notion of the one-way effect on follower, and begin to see leaders and followers interacting in a continuous process of mutual interaction (Holdford & Brown, 2010).

Comparison with other Leadership Styles

Situational Leadership Theory of Hersey and Blanchard

This theory suggests that levels of directive and supportive behavior of a leader should be based on the level of staff available. Managerial behavior occurs when a leader uses one-way communication to specify the duties of his followers. The supportive behavior occurs when the leader uses bi-directional communication to listen, encourage and engage their followers in decision-making. The provision of a subordinate capacity to set high but achievable goals in relation to their duties is whether as a willingness to accept responsibility for compliance (Greenleaf & Spears, 2002).

Behavioral Theories

Instead of searching for a person with inborn leadership qualities, this theory affirms that a person can be made a leader through teaching and practices. This concept is completely opposite of trait theory. This theory helps the firms to focus on the development of the leaders through continuous teaching. The most important is to identify the factors that could lead to success as well failure. The theory of behavior learned over the years, within certain limits imposed by the personality of the individual, each person has the ability to cultivate habits of behavior, maximizing its impact on staff. Constructive habits of politeness, self control, bilateral communication, delegation and interest vis-à-vis the problems of others can be learned and practiced, if we have ...