WAYS TO BUILD A CULTURE OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Phuoc D. Nguyen

Abstract

Servant leadership culture is a system of values ​​created and accumulated by the business through the process of doing business, which is the whole of traditions, structures, servant leadership models, and executive management to establish the code of conduct and servant leadership attributes, thereby it supports to control the activities of all members and creating a unique identity of the organization.  This paper examines the reason for building servant leadership culture and the identity of servant leadership culture. Additionally, the paper analyzes elements of servant leadership culture and principles of building a servant leadership culture. Finally, the paper provides ways to build a servant leadership culture with some options to apply in various organizations based on resources and situations of servant leadership practice.

Keywords: Servant leadership culture, servanthood culture, servant culture.

Servant leadership culture can be defined as gathering values ​​and standards of belief, behavior, perception, and thinking methods that everyone within the organization recognizes thinks, and acts as their habit. Every organization has its own rules, strategies, philosophies, and goals to serve as a guideline for all employees. This is a way to guide staff to work in an enterprise environment and to practice some specific situations.

WHAT IS SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE?

Servant leadership culture is a combination of the concepts of values, ethical standards, business philosophy, behavioral attitudes, business ideas, management methods, rules, and policies. This is the whole servant leadership values that are built up; it influences employees’ feelings, thinking, and behavior. Leavitt (2017) proposes servant culture. “There is sufficient evidence to suggest there are correlations between servant leadership and a similar culture to that of positive organizational outcomes such as mid-level management effectiveness and employee job satisfaction” (p. 32). Servant leadership culture is all servant leadership values ​​built during the process of formation and development of the organization; it influences the emotions, thoughts, and behaviors of all members of the organization. It also makes a difference between organizations, and it is considered a unique tradition of each organization.

Miller and Pflanagan (2013) claim, “Top managers, by their actions and words, establish organizational norms that filter throughout the organization. They set the general climate that determines acceptable and unacceptable values, ethics, behaviors, norms, opinions, honesty, cohesiveness, commitment, and everything else that emerges from the organization (pp. 405-406). Servant leadership culture is a combination of the concepts of values, ethical standards, business philosophy, behavioral attitudes, business ideas, management methods, rules, and policies. This is the whole servant leadership values that are built up; it influences employees’ feelings, thinking, and behavior.

WHY BUILD A SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE?

Lucas (4/2019) suggests the cultural benefits of servant leadership. Servant Leadership allows employees to share their ideas. They are allowed to do the jobs they were hired to do. They can use their expertise where it makes sense. When they need help, they have senior leaders with more experience who can help them.

Servant leadership culture determines the longevity of the organization. It is an asset of the organization. It helps reduce conflict, increase coordination and control, and motivate workers.

1. Conflict reduction: Servant leadership culture is the glue that binds members of organizations. It helps members agree on how to understand problems, assess, choose, and drive actions. When staff face a tendency to conflict with each other servant leadership culture is a factor that helps people integrate and unite.
2. Coordination and control: Servant leadership culture coordinates and controls individual behavior through stories and legends, standards, procedures, processes, and rules. Having a complicated decision that servant leadership culture helps leaders to narrow the scope of options to consider.
3. Work motivation: Servant leadership culture helps employees understand strategic goals and orientations. Servant leadership culture also creates good relationships between employees and a good working environment. Additionally, a servant leadership culture helps employees feel that they are doing meaningful work and that they are proud as members of the organization.

IDENTITY OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE

Servant leadership culture is also a unique identity that helps an organization not be mixed with other organizations despite having the same activities in the industry and providing similar products or services to the market. Servant leadership culture is based on humanity which is associated with people. Leavitt (2017) defines servant culture as “there is sufficient evidence to suggest there are correlations between servant leadership and a similar culture to that of positive organizational outcomes such as mid-level management effectiveness and employee job satisfaction” (p. 32). A group of staff working together in the organization will form the habits and characteristics of its staff. Creating desired servant leadership values ​​is essential if organizations want an appropriate culture to serve employees. Servant leadership culture has stability as well as the personality of every staff. The various activities of members will help the beliefs and values ​​ accumulate and create a servant leadership culture. The accumulation of values ​​creates the stability of a servant leadership culture.

ELEMENTS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE

Three fundamental relationships in servant leadership culture include relationships within the company, relationships with customers, and other relationships. The aspects of servant leadership culture: Servant leadership integration within the organization, servant leadership culture adapts to the social environment. Owusu (2015) defines “values and norms consist of espoused and explicit philosophies, goals, strategies, and values. Assumptions refer to unconscious, taken-for-granted belief systems, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings as ultimate sources of values and actions” (p. 19).

The structure of servant leadership culture consists of 5 levels, including

– Servant leadership philosophy – This is the basis for building the strategic direction and dominating leadership decisions. Therefore, the prerequisite for the successful process of building a servant leadership culture is the commitment of the top leaders.

– The motivation to promote the actions of individuals and the common motivation of the organization. These motivational factors are through the daily behavior of individuals in the organization.

– Processes, regulations, and policies help the organization to operate stably. This is also a component to help organizations meet the increasing requirements for the quality of products and services; they create stability and improve efficiency to satisfy customers.

– Management information system (MIS) – The MIS needs to ensure that all information needed for the organization is collected, communicated, stored, and processed; at the same time, it ensures that all leaders can easily access and use the necessary information for daily activities as well as planning and developing strategic directions.

– Movement, rituals, and rituals – This reflects the activities of the organization. It propagates and disseminates the company’s policies and creates a difference; it also creates a good image for the organization.

PRINCIPLES OF BUILDING SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE

Although leaders have a decisive role in building a servant leadership culture, a servant leadership culture should be created by all members. Servant leadership culture must be oriented to people and must be suitable to the organization’s goals. Leaders laid the foundation for building a servant leadership culture; they should make rational decisions in building a servant leadership value system. The leader plays a crucial role in building a servant leadership culture, but this process can only be successful with the positive contribution of all members of an organization. Servant leadership culture must be oriented to people. Organizations need to develop a servant leadership culture model that focuses on the comprehensive development of employees. It is necessary to build a working environment in which all individuals develop their servant thinking.

Behar (5/2015) states in general, that the most important thing leaders can do is live, eat, and breathe whatever culture they want and then continually reinforce and communicate their critical values with employees. Servant leadership culture must be suitable for both internal and external environments. It must be suitable for the specific conditions of each organization, based on its strategic goals. Servant leadership culture must also be suitable for the cultural environment in which organizations operate.

BUILDING A CULTURE OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP

Carroll and Patterson (2014) state “Servant leadership is a form of transformational leadership that focuses on creating a cultural environment of performance through focusing on the needs of followers through service, empowerment, trust, vision, humility, altruism, and love” (p. 38). Servant leadership culture is derived from values, including honesty – leaders express the truth, commit to doing what leaders promise and ensure precisely what leaders will do; self-awareness – leaders express the level of availability with work, who is not afraid of difficulties, work hard for the interests of the organization; wisdom – leaders know what to say; they ask what that need to ask, discuss what is worth arguing, and arrange what is most reasonable. Besides, there are some other values ​​mentioned, such as confidence, creativity, etc. These values ​​will be the foundation for the orientation of the culture of the business. Servant leadership culture is expressed as spiritual values ​​determine whether or not to act, whether or not their actions are true or false. This is what servant leaders want to receive from employees and build a servant leadership culture step by step. The foundation for the main actions that beliefs, perceptions, thoughts, and emotions which are considered to be deeply ingrained in the subconscious of every individual in the organization. These platform implications are fundamental to the values ​​and actions of each member.

HOW TO BUILD A SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE

In the process of building the servant leadership culture, it is necessary to focus on establishing and developing the servant leadership values, methods, and techniques to identify, control, and develop servant leadership values. The servant leadership value system is the main driving force to link people in the organization together; it also links the organization with its customers and partners and links the organization with society. Setyaningrum (2017) states “It is understood that the behavior of a leader who works to serve employees or followers, as well as upholding values such as empowerment, humility, and empathy, will make the employees engage and loyal to the organization helping create a positive organizational culture” (p. 564).

SJF Institute (July 2011) defines three of the strategies of workforce development: Fostering a culture of mutual respect and trust; celebrating success and communicating the company’s core values clearly and consistently. To build a servant leadership culture in the organization, it is the will to build the servant leadership culture; then it must go through servant leadership culture training programs for employees to understand, accept, and reach a consensus within the organization. Also, if leaders want to build a servant leadership culture, they should coordinate between the departments within the organization. Johnson and Dennison (n.d.) indicate we developed a system of training that started with us re-creating our core behaviors and then communicating them throughout the organization, including training and interaction. For us, the core behavior of all core behaviors is ‘help.’

Option 1

Barter (August 2018) shows how you build a servant-led culture. Here are six things you can do to foster one: Flip your organizational chart, use your mission and values effectively, communicate till you are talked out, and then communicate some more, train everyone with the same servant leadership materials, hire for character first, then competence.

BUILDING SERVANT LEADERSHIP CULTURE = ESTABLISHING STANDARDS + CREATING HABITS

(1) Tangible objects (such as offices, tables, chairs, and documents) are the environment where employees work. They are a sustaining factor and have a direct impact on the style of work, decision-making, and style of communication.

(2) In contrast, the style of work, decision-making, communication, and treatment which harm those tangible objects. The professional working style needs to be equipped with appropriate modern working tools.

(3) The values are divided into two components. The first component is the values ​​that exist. The second component is the values ​​that the leaders want to create within the organization. The members accept the values will continue to be maintained.

(4) Employees are susceptible to the changing working environment and the values ​​that leaders established.

(5) Once the values ​​are tested through the ways of working, deciding, communicating, and treating if these values ​​are appropriate and gradually being taken for granted it becomes implicit.

Option 2

Leaders create and communicate servant leadership values; they recruit employees; they integrate, train, and evaluate; and they propagate anecdotes, and business myths, and build up idols.

Seven steps should be carried out throughout the operations of the organization to reinforce and foster a servant leadership culture. However, the order of steps may change depending on the specific situation of the organization.

1. Create and communicate servant leadership values

Leaders should build servant leadership values and communicate them to all employees. These values ​​should be considered as the guiding principle for all activities.

2. Recruit staff

Leaders recruit staff who are suitable for their servant leadership culture. First, employees must have appropriate skills and knowledge to strategic goals. Second, employees should have characters and moral values, ​​which are in line with the servant leadership values.

3. Integration

Leaders select positive and exemplary employees to guide new employees; they train new employees to understand servant leadership values, procedures, policies, etc.

4. Training

Leaders train the necessary knowledge and skills that employees become the organization’s assets.

5. Evaluation

Leaders need to set up a rating system. This is a motivation for employees to make efforts to complete their work and work for a long time.

6. Propagate the anecdotes and myths in the organization.

Stories contribute to the organization’s image; they create pride in its members. These are often the stories of the founder and the executive director. Each story will be a great message to the members.

7. Develop typical organization images within the organization.

Leaders select those who work best to reward. This is vivid evidence of the organization’s values.

Deterding (3/2018) suggests we set out to build the foundation. We began by discerning common ground around our values. This process provided a strong foundation for aligning the organization’s values. We also discerned our real purpose, which shifted emphasis from an internal focus to an external, servant-minded focus. Servant leadership culture is a system of values ​​created and accumulated by the business through the process of doing business, which is the whole of traditions, structures, business methods, and executive management to establish the code of conduct, thereby supporting to control of the activities of all members and creating a unique identity of the organization. Liden, Wayne, Liao, and Meuser (2014) propose that “managers should be encouraged to engage in servant leader behaviors because these behaviors can create a work culture that not only increases followers’ affective attachment to the group but also promotes followers’ cognitive acceptance of the group’s values” (p. 1447). Servant leadership is the organizational climate that is created by the members of the organization. Servant leaders’ characters directly affect the morale and attitude of each member and their loyalty. For organizations, an influential servant leadership culture will create a good working environment; it inspires people to strive for organizational goals. Servant leadership culture creates a strategic orientation for organizations. Besides, it adjusts the behavior of employees. Therefore, servant leadership culture becomes a spiritual motive to help organizations develop sustainably.

Blanchard (April 2018) indicates a clear vision, clear values, clear internal goals, focus on people, have an obvious vision for our organization. Our picture of the future is that someday, everywhere, everyone will be impacted by somebody who is, leads at a higher level, and is a servant leader. Business ethics relates to ethical criteria and codes of conduct, while ethical standards govern the orientation of individual or collective behavior and decisions. In particular, the criteria of business ethics are defined as the nature and signs as a basis for businesses to recognize and evaluate ethical standards in the operation of the business. And the code of conduct is the standard that can adjust the attitudes and behaviors of members in the direction of servant leadership values.

Leaders select those who work best to reward. This is vivid evidence of the organization’s values.

Deterding (3/2018) suggests we set out to build the foundation. We began by discerning common ground around our values. This process provided a strong foundation for aligning the organization’s values. We also discerned our real purpose, which shifted emphasis from an internal focus to an external, servant-minded focus. Servant leadership culture is a system of values ​​created and accumulated by the business through the process of doing business, which is the whole of traditions, structures, business methods, and executive management to establish the code of conduct, thereby supporting to control of the activities of all members and creating a unique identity of the organization.

Blanchard (April 2018) indicates a clear vision, clear values, clear internal goals, focus on people, have an obvious vision for our organization. Our picture of the future is that someday, everywhere, everyone will be impacted by somebody who is, leads at a higher level, and is a servant leader. Business ethics relates to ethical criteria and codes of conduct, while ethical standards govern the orientation of individual or collective behavior and decisions.

In particular, the criteria of business ethics are defined as the nature and signs as a basis for businesses to recognize and evaluate ethical standards in the operation of the business. And the code of conduct is the standard that can adjust the attitudes and behaviors of members in the direction of servant leadership values.

Option 3

The establishment of business ethics criteria and a code of conduct in servant leadership culture has a tremendous influence on organizational development, namely:

First, create a servant leadership style and identity of the organization.

Banerjee-McFarland (6/2019) suggests ways to create a culture of servant leadership, including exceptional leadership positively influences an organization’s culture; servant leadership takes this benefit to the next level by ingraining in managers that success is a shared, selfless experience; employees require a workplace in which they feel safe not only to develop but also to trust the service their managers are offering.

Elements of servant leadership culture, such as core values, business perspectives, policies, practices, rituals, habits, and behaviors between superiors and subordinates, peers, between companies and partners.  Servant leadership culture creates a unique style for each organization. These factors are shaped through activities; they create images and values ​​for organizations; it also creates a unique character within the organization; thus, it creates its own identity.

Second, servant leadership creates a competitive advantage.

Allen (March 2019) suggests eight practices to create a culture of servant leadership in your organization – Find your inner strength, have compassion, practice active listening, practice active listening, collaborate, collaborate, collaborate, and stay agile. When organizations create an excellent working environment with great relationships and reasonable remuneration the employees in that organization feel excited and enthusiastic; they want to devote their energy to their organization, these are important factors to promote organizational development.

Third, servant leadership culture attracts talent and enhances employee loyalty.

Fourth, increase the creativity of employees.

A friendly, harmonious, creative working environment is an essential condition for creative ideas to arise and aims to develop an organization. To create a servant leadership culture you must start with yourself, fully embracing the ideals and letting them show throughout your everyday actions in a manner that others might want to emulate. Once you are comfortable, you are headed in the right direction, the next challenge, and it is a huge challenge, is to introduce servant leadership to the people in your sphere of influence. (210leaders, 2017).

Fifth, servant leadership culture contributes to maintaining and developing the organization’s relationships with customers and partners because business ethical standards and code of conduct increase humanity not only in internal business activities but also in transactions with customers and partners.

Sixth, servant leadership culture contributes to building and developing the brand, trademark, prestige, and competitive advantage of the business.

Seventh, a servant leadership culture improves management efficiency. However, standards of business ethics and code of conduct also have specific effects on leaders’ decisions and shape their leadership style.

A friendly, harmonious, creative working environment is an essential condition for creative ideas to arise and aims to develop an organization. To create a servant leadership culture you must start with yourself, fully embracing the ideals and letting them show throughout your everyday actions in a manner that others might want to emulate. Once you are comfortable, you are headed in the right direction, the next challenge, and it is a huge challenge, is to introduce servant leadership to the people in your sphere of influence. (210leaders, 2017).

Option 4

Step 1: Identify the values ​​that servant leaders care about. These include shareholders or owners, senior management, employees, customers, and other related government agencies. Thereby identifying options and changes to shape a servant leadership culture model that best fits the interests of the stakeholders.

Step 2: Re-evaluate existing corporate culture models, and develop new corporate culture content, including core values, business philosophy, code of conduct, the system of normative documents; and perceived features such as brand identity, organizational structure, rituals, festivals, stories, and myths.

Step 3: Identify barriers or change requirements that obstacles may be lack of knowledge, locality, or the habit of fear of change. There are needs to change, such as internal disputes or technological changes. Need to identify the action program for corporate culture change.

Step 4: Plan deployment and application

Building values ​​is only the first step to creating the ideology of the business. This ideology must be communicated to all members so that they have the same thinking, and then turn their thoughts into specific action programs for individuals, groups, and businesses. Iverson (n.d.) states Servant leaders selflessly put their employees’ needs ahead of their own. The employees, in turn, put the needs of customers first.  Customers, appreciative of the attention and care they receive, reward the business owner with their loyalty.  It is, by design, a cycle of virtuous behavior. Action programs must be repeated so that they become a voluntary habit; an action is similar to conditional reflection. It is necessary to monitor to improve these characteristics following the core values. Servant leadership culture needs to be deployed for staff to implement for a long time. During that time, they will face many obstacles, such as many members having inappropriate or wrong behaviors.

CONCLUSION

Based on servant leaders’ background and qualifications, business size, organizational purpose, servant leadership development period, resources, strategic goals, and corporate future every organization should select the above-mentioned appropriate options, integrate these options, or establish their servant leadership culture model to reach their strategic goals.

References

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