Abstract
Christian servant leadership is by its essence conceptually, morally and ethically compatible with the theory and practice of sustainable leadership in a post-Covid-19 world. This chapter explores how the attributes of Christian servant leadership reinforce sustainable leadership practices from a conceptual, empirical and Christian social justice theological perspective. Sustainable practices are embedded and integrated within organizational macro, intermediate, and microlevels that entail producing goods and services that promote the greater good and in a fashion that facilitates the wellbeing and growth of all the key stakeholders. The key focus of the chapter are the micro leadership and human resource policies and practices that stimulate employee long-term sustainability on the job to protect employees from future pandemics, and reduce employee burnout and the associated negative physical, emotional, spiritual and organizational performance outcomes. These important elements of Christian servant leader sustainability include ongoing implementation of policies and practices that enhance employee wellbeing including employee empowerment, fair employee treatment, and conducting a workplace health and stress audit to identify and solve threats to employee mental, physical and spiritual health. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research and development.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aaron, M. S., Bell, C. M., & Min, Y. A. (2020). Does “the servant as leader” translate into Chinese? A cross-cultural meta-analysis of servant leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(3), 315–329. http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/does-servant-as-leader-translate-into-chinese/docview/2410668442/se-2?accountid=13479
Afsar, B., Cheema, S., & Javed, F. (2018). Activating employee’s pro-environmental behaviors: The role of CSR, organizational identification, and environmentally specific servant leadership. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(5), 904–911. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.150
Arain, G. A., Hameed, I., & Crawshaw, J. R. (2019). Servant leadership and follower voice: The roles of follower felt responsibility for constructive change and avoidance-approach motivation. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 28(4), 555–565. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1609946
Argyris, C., & Schön, D. (1974). Theory in practice: Increasing professional effectiveness. Jossey-Bass.
Aschoff, N. (2017, May 29). Whole foods represents the failures of ‘conscious capitalism’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/29/whole-foods-failures-conscious-capitalism#:~:text=Same%2Dstore%20sales%20have%20declined,away%20during%20the%20same%20period
Babakus, E., Yavas, U., & Ashill, N. J. (2011). Service worker burnout and turnover intentions: Roles of person-job fit, servant leadership, and customer orientation. Services Marketing Quarterly, 32(1), 17. http://0-search.proquest.com.library.regent.edu/docview/821292896?accountid=13479
Bande, B., Fernández-Ferrín, P., Varela, J. A., & Jaramillo, F. (2015). Emotions and salesperson propensity to leave: The effects of emotional intelligence and resilience. Industrial Marketing Management, 44, 142–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2014.10.011
Bavik, A. (2020). A systematic review of the servant leadership literature in management and hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(1), 347–382. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2018-0788
Bavik, A., Yuen Lam, B., & Pok Man, T. (2017). Servant leadership, employee job crafting, and citizenship behaviors: A cross-level investigation. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 58(4), 364–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965517719282
Burton, L. J., Welty Peachey, J., & Wells, J. E. (2017). The role of servant leadership in developing an ethical climate in sport organizations. Journal of Sport Management, 31(3), 229–240. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2016-0047
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2005). Compendium of the social doctrine of the church. Author.
Carter, D., & Baghurst, T. (2014). The influence of servant leadership on restaurant employee engagement. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(3), 453–464.
Chan, K. W. C. (2018). Servant leadership supports wellness development in adolescents. Servant Leadership: Theory and Practice, 5(2), 41–52.
Cheretis, D., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2014). Maximizing long-term value and conscious capitalism at whole foods. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 79(3), 4–16.
Chewning, R. C. (2011). Capitalism: From its genesis to its eschatology its compatibilities with Christianity; its insidious challenges to godliness. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 13(1), 30. https://cbfa-jbib.org/index.php/jbib/article/view/191/191
Chon, K. K.-S., & Zoltan, J. (2019). Role of servant leadership in contemporary hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(8), 3371–3394. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2018-0935
Chung, J. Y., Jung, C. S., Kyle, G. T., & Petrick, J. F. (2010). Servant leadership and procedural justice in the U.S. national park service: The antecedents of job satisfaction. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 28(3), 1–15.
Coetzer, M. F., Bussin, M. H. R., & Geldenhuys, M. (2017). Servant leadership and work-related well-being in a construction company. SAJIP: South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 43, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v43i0.1478
Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. Harper Collins.
Covey, S. R. (2004). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Restoring the character ethic. Free Press.
Czerw, A. (2019). Diagnosing well-being in work context – Eudemonic well-being in the workplace questionnaire. Current Psychology, 38, 331–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9614-8
van Dierendonck, D., & Nuijten, I. (2011). The servant leadership survey: Development and validation of a multidimensional measure. Journal of Business and Psychology, 26(3), 249–267.
Ehrhart, M. G. (2004). Leadership and procedural justice climate as antecedents of unit-level organizational citizenship behavior. Personnel Psychology, 57, 61–94.
Elche, D., Ruiz-Palomino, P., & Linuesa-Langreo, J. (2020). Servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior: The mediating effect of empathy and service climate. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(6), 2035–2053. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2019-0501
Fisher, J. (2016). Selecting the best version of SHALOM to assess spiritual well-being. Religions, 7(5), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7050045
Francisco, F. M. B., Emilio, D. E., Ricardo, C. G., & Rafael, L. A. (2020). Promoting firm innovativeness through servant leadership and corporate social responsibility to employees. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 41(4), 615–633. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-03-2019-0127
Frémeaux, S., & Michelson, G. (2017). The common good of the firm and humanistic management: Conscious capitalism and economy of communion. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(4), 701–709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3118-6
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam.
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. (2020). For the life of the world: Toward a social ethos of the Orthodox Church. Author. https://www.goarch.org/social-ethos
Green, D., & Roberts, G. (2010). Personnel implications of public sector virtual organizations. Public Personnel Management, 39(1), 47–57.
Greenleaf, R. K. (1977). Servant leadership: A journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. Paulist Press.
Haar, J., Brougham, D., Roche, M., & Barney, A. (2017). Servant leadership and work engagement: The mediating role of work-life balance. New Zealand Journal of Human Resources Management, 17(2), 56–72.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.
Hakanen, J., & van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant-leadership and life satisfaction: The mediating role of justice, job control, and burnout. The International Journal of Servant-Leadership, 7(1), 253–261.
Harju, L. K., Schaufeli, W. B., & Hakanen, J. J. (2018). A multilevel study on servant leadership, job boredom and job crafting. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 33(1), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-08-2016-0237
Hicks, D. A. (2003). Religion and the workplace: Pluralism, spirituality, leadership. Cambridge University Press.
Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316665461
Hu, J., & Liden, R. C. (2011). Antecedents of team potency and team effectiveness: An examination of goal and process clarity and servant leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 851. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.library.regent.edu/docview/878997586?accountid=13479.
Ilgen, D. R., Fisher, C. D., & Taylor, M. S. (1979). Consequences of individual feedback on behavior in organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 64(4), 349–371.
Ilkhanizadeh, S., & Karatepe, O. M. (2018). Does trust in organization mediate the influence of servant leadership on satisfaction outcomes among flight attendants? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(12), 3555–3573. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2017-0586
Jaramillo, F., Grisaffe, D. B., Chonko, L. B., & Roberts, J. A. (2009). Examining the impact of servant leadership on salesperson’s turnover intention. The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 29(4), 351–365. http://0-search.proquest.com.library.regent.edu/docview/506525219?accountid=13479
Jaramillo, F., Bande, B., & Varela, J. (2015). Servant leadership and ethics: A dyadic examination of supervisor behaviors and salesperson perceptions. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 35(2), 108–124.
Jex, S. M. (1998). Stress and job performance: Theory, research and implications for managerial practices. Sage.
Kaya, B., & Karatepe, O. M. (2020). Does servant leadership better explain work engagement, career satisfaction and adaptive performance than authentic leadership? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(6), 2075–2095. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2019-0438
Khattak, S. I., Jiang, Q., Li, H., & Zhang, X. (2019). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and leadership: Validation of a multi-factor framework in the United Kingdom (UK). Journal of Business Economics and Management, 20(4), 754–776. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2019.9852
Kiker, D. S., Callahan, J. S., & Kiker, M. B. (2019). Exploring the boundaries of servant leadership: A meta-analysis of the main and moderating effects of servant leadership on behavioral and affective outcomes. Journal of Managerial Issues, 31(2), 172. http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/exploring-boundaries-servant-leadership-meta/docview/2319666235/se-2?accountid=13479
Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 1–33.
Koenig, H. G., King, D. E., & Carson, V. B. (2012). Handbook of religion and health (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Kool, M., & van Dierendonck, D. (2012). Servant leadership and commitment to change, the mediating role of justice and optimism. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 25(3), 422–433. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534811211228139
Lee, Y. H. (2019). Emotional intelligence, servant leadership, and development goal orientation in athletic directors. Sport Management Review, 22(3), 395–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smr.2018.05.003
Lee, A., Lyubovnikova, J., Tian, A. W., & Knight, C. (2020). Servant leadership: A meta-analytic examination of incremental contribution, moderation, and mediation. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 93(1), 1–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12265
Leo, III. (2020). Rerum Novarum. Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on capital and labor. Vatican.va. http://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html
Li, Y., Li, D., Tu, Y., & Liu, J. (2018). How and when servant leadership enhances life satisfaction. Personnel Review, 47(5), 1082–1098. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-07-2017-0223
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance. Prentice Hall.
Lu, J., Zhang, Z., & Jia, M. (2019). Does servant leadership affect employees’ emotional labor? A social information-processing perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 159(2), 507–518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3816-3
Luu, T. T. (2019). Building employees’ organizational citizenship behavior for the environment. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(1), 406–426. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2017-0425
Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2013). Conscious capitalism: Liberating the heroic spirit of business. Harvard Business Review Press.
Marinova, S. V., & Park, H. (2014). Does it matter if leadership is about us? A meta-analysis of other-oriented leadership. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 2014(1), 1082–1087. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2014.267
Maula-Bakhsh, R., & Raziq, A. (2018). Relationship between servant leadership and subjective well-being: Evidence from manufacturing and services based SMEs in Pakistan. Journal of Management Sciences, 5(1), 62–85. https://doi.org/10.20547/jms.2014.1805104
Melé, D. (2009). Integrating personalism into virtue-based business ethics: The personalist and the common good principles. Journal of Business Ethics, 88(1), 227–244.
Miao, Q., Newman, A., Schwarz, G., & Xu, L. (2014). Servant leadership, trust, and the organizational commitment of public sector employees in China. Public Administration, 92(3), 727–743.
Parris, D. L., & Peachey, J. W. (2013). A systematic literature review of servant leadership theory in organizational contexts. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(3), 377–393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1322-6
Parris, D. L., & Peachy, J. W. (2012). Building a legacy of volunteers through servant leadership: A cause-related sporting event. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 23(2), 259–276.
Pfrombeck, J., & Verdorfer, A. P. (2018). How psychological capital and sense of coherence enhance servant leadership and buffer leader stress: Preliminary insights from an empirical study. Servant Leadership: Theory and Practice, 5(1), 25–48.
Posner, B., & Boone, M. (2006). Spirituality and leadership among college freshmen. The International Journal of Servant-Leadership, 2(1), 165–180.
Prottas, D. J. (2013). Relationships among employee perception of their manager’s behavioral integrity, moral distress, and employee attitudes and well-being. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1280-z
Reed, L. (2015). Servant leadership, followership, and organizational citizenship behaviors in 9-1-1 emergency communications centers: Implications of a national study. Servant Leadership: Theory and Practice, 2(1), 71–94.
Reinke, S. J. (2004). Service before self: Towards a theory of servant-leadership. Global Virtue Ethics Review, 5(3), 30–57. http://0-search.proquest.com.library.regent.edu/docview/235111370?accountid=13479
Roberts, G. (2015). Christian scripture and human resource management: Building a path to Servant leadership through faith. Palgrave Macmillan.
Roberts, G. (2016). Working with Christian servant leader spiritual intelligence: The foundation of God honoring vocational success. Palgrave Macmillan.
Rodríguez-Carvajal, R., Herrero, M., van Dierendonck, D., de Rivas, S., & Moreno-Jiménez, B. (2019). Servant leadership and goal attainment through meaningful life and vitality: A diary study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(2), 499–521.
Ruiz-Palomino, P., Hernández-Perlines, F., Jiménez-Estévez, P., & Gutiérrez-Broncano, S. (2019). CEO servant leadership and firm innovativeness in hotels: A multiple mediation model of encouragement of participation and employees’ voice. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(4), 1647–1665. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2018-0023
Russell, E. J., Broomé, R., & Russell, J. (2018). Servant leadership and the wellbeing of police officers: A case study. Servant Leadership: Theory and Practice, 5(2), 73–92.
Schaubroeck, J., Lam, S. S. K., & Peng, A. C. (2011). Cognition-based and affect-based trust as mediators of leader behavior influences on team performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(4), 863. http://0-search.proquest.com.library.regent.edu/docview/879030243?accountid=13479
Schwepker, C. H., Jr. (2016). Servant leadership, distributive justice and commitment to customer value in the salesforce. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 31(1), 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-07-2014-0143
Sendjaya, S., & Pekerti, A. (2010). Servant leadership as antecedent of trust in organizations. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 31(7), 643–663. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011079673
Sengupta, J., & Sengupta, S. S. (2018). Service-oriented leadership style for CSR: A perceptions-based view. IUP Journal of Business Strategy, 15(2), 7–30.
Setyaningrum, P. R., Setiawan, M., & Irawanto, D. W. (2020). Servant leadership characteristics, organisational commitment, followers’ trust, employees’ performance outcomes. A literature review European Research Studies Journal, 23(4), 902–911.
Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton, Mifflin and Company.
Shim, D. C., & Park, H. H. (2019). Public service motivation in a work group: Role of ethical climate and servant leadership. Public Personnel Management, 48(2), 203–225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026018806013
Shim, D. C., Park, H. H., & Eom, T. H. (2016). Public servant leadership: Myth or powerful reality? International Review of Public Administration, 21(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2016.1147753
Spears, L. (1998). Insights on leadership: Service, stewardship, spirit, and servant leadership. John Wiley & Sons.
Spence, B. M., & Brown, L. W. (2018). Theology and corporate environmental responsibility: A biblical literalism approach to creation care. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 21(1), 45–54.
Sun, J., Liden, R. C., & Ouyang, L. (2019). Are servant leaders appreciated? An investigation of how relational attributions influence employee feelings of gratitude and prosocial behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(5), 528–540. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2354
Tang, G., Kwan, H., Zhang, D., & Zhu, Z. (2016). Work-family effects of servant leadership: The roles of emotional exhaustion and personal learning. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(2), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2559-7
Taylor, T., Martin, B. N., Hutchinson, S., & Jinks, M. (2007). Examination of leadership practices of principals identified as servant leaders. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 10(4), 401–419.
Tuan, L. T. (2016). How servant leadership nurtures knowledge sharing. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 29(1), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-06-2015-0112
Tuan, L. T. (2018). Activating tourists’ citizenship behavior for the environment: The roles of CSR and frontline employees’ citizenship behavior for the environment. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(7), 1178–1203. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1330337
Tuan, L. T. (2020). Environmentally-specific servant leadership and green creativity among tourism employees: Dual mediation paths. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(1), 86–109. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1675674
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics, and biases. Science, 185, 1124–1131.
Upadyaya, K., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2020). Social demands and resources predict job burnout and engagement profiles among Finnish employees. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 33(4), 403–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2020.1746285
Walumbwa, F. O., Hartnell, C. A., & Oke, A. (2010). Servant leadership, procedural justice climate, service climate, employee attitudes, and organizational citizenship behavior: A cross-level investigation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(3), 517. http://0-search.proquest.com.library.regent.edu/docview/347854572?accountid=13479
Walumbwa, F. O., Muchiri, M. K., Misati, E., Wu, C., & Meiliani, M. (2018). Inspired to perform: A multilevel investigation of antecedents and consequences of thriving at work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(3), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2216
Wang, C. (2013). Response to commentary: On the scientific status of the conscious capitalism theory. California Management Review, 55(3), 97–106.
Wang, Z., Meng, L., & Cai, S. (2019a). Servant leadership and innovative behavior: A moderated mediation. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(8), 505–518. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-11-2018-0499
Wang, Z., Yu, K., Xi, R., & Zhang, X. (2019b). Servant leadership and career success: The effects of career skills and proactive personality. Career Development International, 24(7), 717–730. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-03-2019-0088
Washington, R., Sutton, C., & Feild, H. (2006). Individual differences in servant leadership: The roles of values and personality. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 27(8), 700–716. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730610709309
Wisler, J. C. (2018). U.S. CEOs of SBUs in luxury goods organizations: A mixed methods comparison of ethical decision-making profiles. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(2), 443–518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3069-y
Zhang, K., Jia, X., & Chen, J. (2019). Talent management under a big data induced revolution: The double-edged sword effects of challenge stressors on creativity. Management Decision, 57(8), 2010–2031. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-06-2018-0711
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Roberts, G.E. (2022). The Compatibility of Christian Servant Leadership and Sustainable Leadership in a Post-Covid-19 World. In: K. Dhiman, S., F. Marques, J. (eds) Leadership After COVID-19. Future of Business and Finance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84867-5_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84867-5_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-84866-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-84867-5
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)