| There is a need for additional research on servant leadership concepts to provide more clarity on servant leadership theory and management style. This dissertation study attempted to relate Wong and Davey's theoretical framework of servant leadership (Theory S) to Patterson and Winston's shared servant leadership model by investigating the model's applicability in an institution where servant leadership is practiced -- a Type S organization. The problem addressed within the study was the lack of full understanding of the process by which leaders and followers serve each other in a servant-led institution. A single-case study research model was utilized in the qualitative study. The validated Servant Leadership Assessment Instrument (SLAI) survey questionnaire was administered to 12 employees of Pfeiffer University. Seven employees identified their leaders as Type S leaders. The SLAI findings indicated that the Type S Pfeiffer University leaders modeled servant leadership characteristics and behaviors consistent with the Patterson/Winston shared model factors of Agapao Love, humility, altruism, vision, trust, empowerment, and service. Open-ended written interview questions were administered in a second survey to four of the seven employees that identified their leaders as Type S leaders. The findings from the open-ended questionnaire provided insight into the process by which servant leaders and followers serve each other at Pfeiffer University. The followers ascribed their high levels of caring, above-duty work performance levels, and loyalty towards their leaders to perceived levels of leader agapao love behaviors. The followers also expressed strong commitments towards their leaders, related self-efficacy levels to their relationship to their leaders, had high levels of intrinsic motivation, and showed altruistic behaviors directed to the leaders' interests regarding their institution. The study findings did not support the Patterson/Winston shared model proposition that increased follower intrinsic motivation leads to a higher level of altruism toward the leader, and to higher levels of service to the leader. Future research should address both Type S and other servant leader and follower relationships in other servant-led organizations using the Patterson/Winston shared model framework to determine if the study findings from this dissertation study can be supported in other settings. |
