| The purpose of this quantitative study was to bridge the gap of empirical research consistent with the perception and presence of servant leadership characteristics within contemporary organizations. The population studied for this research was the employees of a metropolitan YMCA in Texas, or Y. Data collection utilized an online version of Laub's Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA). The data was examined based upon the independent variables: gender, age, and employment level and the dependent variables: job satisfaction and the characteristics of servant leadership. An analysis of the data identified the presence of servant leadership characteristics from an employee perception and described the association between the presence of servant leadership and its correlation to job satisfaction within a nonprofit organization. According to results, the presence of servant leadership is apparent within the Y. Significant relationships existed between the employee perception of this practice and the OLA subscales. However, negative relationships existed between the participants' ages; non-significant relationships existed between the participants' genders and levels of employment; and, 'values people' and the leadership approach significant correlate to job satisfaction within the Y. Limitations of the study focused on differential selection and attrition. The findings of this study included implications for theory development in the area of organizational leadership and practice as it not only highlighted servant leadership as a contemporary leadership style, but showed how employees within an NPO perceived servant leadership variables and how it relates to individual job satisfaction. |
