Leadership & Organizational Behavior Analysis of Leadership Theory and Organizational Behavior Theory

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the servant leadership theory and organizational behavior theory. The first part of the paper is focused on a description of the features of both theories. The second part seeks to point out how both theories are interrelated.

Main discussion of servant leadership theory

a) Definition: Servant leadership is a form of leadership where the leader places followers' interests above his own. The motive of the servant leader's influence is not to direct others but rather motivate and facilitate service and stewardship by the followers themselves. Followers' service to others and stewardship of organizational resources could be construed as organizational citizenship behavior (Vondey (2010), p. 5).

b) Characteristic Features: The servant leader experiences himself as a servant to employees, customers and community as the number one priority. He makes sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served firs. Then conscious choice brings him to aspire to lead (see Spears (2004), p. 2). Defining features of the servant leader are: Listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, building community (Spears (2004),

p. 3f.)

2. Main discussion of organizational behavior theory

a) Definition: Organizational behavior is an aggregate multidimensional construct, not included in a formal job description (Ang & van Dyne & Begley (2003), p. 564). It reflects employees' perceptions of their relationship with their employing organization, and its three underlying dimensions. These are the need of fulfillment, the need of mattering and the need of belonging (Masterson & Stamper (2003), p. 473).

b) Characteristic Features: There are three underlying interrelated dimensions of "organizational...

476). Although all three dimensions are interrelated, it is not necessary that they are related with each other across all situations in an organization (Masterson & Stamper (2003), P. 467). All three dimensions are important motivational factors and will lead to a higher level of affective commitment to an employer. Affective commitment by employees to an employer will be the highest in "overinvestment and mutual investment relationships," in which the employer commits to a long-term relationship with the employees (Tsui & Pearce & Porter & Tripoli (1997), p. 1097).
Especially in the case of (high educated) foreign workers, employment on a short-term basis will have a negative impact on their motivational attitude (see Ang & van Dyne & Begley (2003), p. 575). The outcomes are most favorable when employers also direct the attention of their employees to a perspective of group or unit performance, in addition to their own individual work field (see Tsui & Pearce & Porter & Tripoli (1997), p. 1117).

3. Implications of Servant Leadership on Organizational Behavior

a) Interrelation between servant leadership and organizational behavior

Servant leadership and organizational behavior are interrelated because the purpose of servant leadership is to build better relations between employees by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives and social objectives.

b) Inducement of organizational behavior by servant leadership

A servant leader is a role model for his followers. Employees experiencing servant leadership management learn from observing it and will model what they see. As a result, servant leadership predicts follower organizational behavior (see Vondey (2010), p. 7).

Spears Article

The…