Servant Leadership in Hinduism and the Indian cultural context

Servant Leadership in Hinduism and the Indian cultural context
Introduction
The servant leadership approach provides a distinctive outlook to literature on the subject of leadership, given its focus on leaders as firstly being servants. The above standpoint traverses organizational focus, concentrating instead on followers’ interests (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010). This form of leadership has been ascribed to Christians and has been thoroughly examined by the scholars of the West. However, researches that explore a servant leadership model in the Hindu religion and Indian cultural context are yet to be conducted (Irving, 2010) and consequently, this paper aims to fill the aforementioned gap in literature and examine the servant leadership approach in Hinduism and Indian culture.
One of the most diverse and interesting nations across the world is India, characterized by several cultures, languages, religions and castes. The nation has witnessed the influence of a number of prominent, exceptional leaders such as M. K. Gandhi, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Sarojini Naidu, Rabindranath Tagore, and Jawaharlal Nehru. One vital means of developing leadership is through vicarious learning, whose basis is role models from whom the skill is acquired (Carroll & Patterson, 2014). India- based research on the ideal leadership approach (drawing on such role models) which may be adopted and taught within Indian business schools and leadership development initiatives is scant. Several international leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012) claimed the Gandhian ‘non- violence’ doctrine formed their inspiration. Also, several writers worldwide present Gandhi as an adopter of servant leadership.
Servant leadership in India
Literary exploration of servant leadership’s behavioral aspects (Sendjaya, Sarros & Santora, 2008) within the Hindu and Indian culture contexts will be addressed in this section, using Gandhi as example; this choice of study model stems from his contribution to Indian vicarious learning.
i. Voluntary Subordination
Voluntary subordination represents a radical wilful act of giving oneself up to the service of others and considering oneself a servant. Service to humanity was a key tenet among Gandhi’s principles. Where a majority of leaders attempted to show themselves as being above their followers using power symbols, Gandhi chose to symbolize those he served through choosing to dress like them and adopt poverty voluntarily. He represented service, not power. His exceptional voluntary subordination components included the ‘servant first’ idea and practical acts of serving mankind (Senjaya et al., 2008; Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010). His services can be ideally illustrated through his South African days, in which he helped better South Africa- based Indians’ living conditions by teaching them English free of cost (Gandhi, 1948a, p. 157).
ii. Authentic Self
A servant leader can lead reliably, as proven by their steady portrayal of responsibility, vulnerability, humbleness, integrity, and security. Gandhi possessed this characteristic, together with the aforementioned five associated characteristics. Humbleness represents the capacity of making correct self- estimations. The freedom fighter had no interest in any influential position. Following the nation’s independence, Gandhi held no governmental position, choosing to continue serving his people and ultimately sacrificing his life to serve the nation’s cause. Integrity denotes consistency between one’s actions and words. Gandhi not only urged others to be forgiving, he showed forgiveness himself (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). The term responsibility implies a leaders’ readiness to authorize certain individuals to pose challenging questions to them regularly, contest any action or decision they consider incorrect, and ensure leadership accountability. Servant leaders correctly grasp their own self- image, emotional stability and ethical sincerity, allowing them to readily work unobtrusively and not care about public recognition. Lastly, vulnerability implies the capability of honestly acknowledging one’s mistakes and honestly expressing one’s feelings, qualms and worries (Sendjaya et al., 2008). All the above traits could be clearly seen in Gandhi.
iii. Covenantal Relationship
This denotes leader behaviors which cultivate deep, enduring and real leader- follower relationships. A servant leader takes care to always collaborate with other people, permitting them to together demonstrate their individual capabilities. Following his return from the African continent, Gandhi became the leader of the Indian National Congress; despite his position, he ensured he consulted with fellow Congress members and while formulating and implementing plans (Gandhi, 1948a, p. 503). Moreover, he supported equality, ensured followers could always approach him, and forged sincere, honest relationships with them. Gandhi and other servant leaders choose to relate with other people, accepting them unconditionally irrespective of prior failure, background, traits or limitations. Gandhi believed every Indian was a personality to be respected just as much as himself (Gandhi, 1948a; b).
iv. Responsible Morality
The servant leadership style manifests itself in leaders’ ethical thought processing and actions. The latter necessitate invariable appealing to one’s morals and higher ideals, besides followers’ higher- order necessities. A servant leader ensures means and ends are ethical and well- thought- out (Sendjaya et. al., 2008). Gandhi adopted the Satyagraha (literal meaning: insisting on the truth) principle in his struggle for freedom (Barnabas & Clifford, 2012). He relied on moral reasoning for influencing the people of the nation to do the right thing.
v. Transcendental Spirituality
This represents a leader’s intrinsic belief in the existence of someone transcending this physical world and the self, giving meaning and completeness to life. It is demonstrated through devoutness, interconnectedness, wholeness and a sense of mission (Sendjaya et al., 2008). At the heart of Gandhi’s personal and social life was religious principles, non- violence, truth and service to mankind. Gandhi may also be counted as a religious head who followed Hinduism’s holy book, Bhagavad Gita, read it on a regular basis, and committed a few verses to memory daily. Interconnectedness was demonstrated by Gandhi’s profound belief in himself that enhanced through his mystical belief in spirituality’s effectiveness (bordering occasionally on inspiration). His sense of mission, akin to other servant leaders, was a call to service, rather than simply a profession or task. Gandhi’s calling was to liberate society’s oppressed members.
vi. Transforming Influence
A key servant leadership element is transforming influence via trust, modeling, mentoring, empowerment, and vision (Sendjaya et al., 2008). A servant leader readily entrusts responsibility to others, trusts them, and shares power with them despite the potential associated risks. Gandhi mentored the nation into adopting non–violence and Satyagraha. He put into actual practice the principles he urged others to follow. He was a visionary, fasting prior to gaining independence as well as to help unite Hindus and Muslims following partition, in an extremely turbulent and volatile period (Gandhi, 1948b, p. 331). Another important servant leadership trait – empowerment – helps the servant leader commit to and be happy with others’ growth; they hold that individuals possess inherent value that transcends their input and effort as workers. His foremost 1917 campaign, in support of Champaran’s farmers, portrays his empowerment of farmers (Carroll & Patterson, 2014; Barnabas & Clifford, 2012).
Conclusion
The servant leadership approach represents a nascent idea within the range of leadership models. This style of leadership attempts at fulfilling the workforce’s needs in order to increase their job satisfaction, in addition to motivating them to perform better. This is on account of the approach’s focus on vision, service, collaboration, empowerment, and values. Despite having millions of followers (and being counted among the previous century’s greatest leaders), Mahatma Gandhi practiced leadership principles that could be easily followed by any ordinary human being. The ideal leadership demonstrated by Gandhi may be ascribed to a number of styles and models of leadership. However, topping the list of leadership styles or models that describe Gandhian leadership throughout the course of his life is servant leadership; after all, Gandhi demonstrated every servant leadership quality.





References
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Carroll, B. C., & Patterson, K. (2014). Servant leadership: A cross cultural study between India and the United States. Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice, 1(1), 16-45.
Dierendonck, D., & Patterson, K. (2010). Servant leadership: Developments in theory and research. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press LLC.
Gandhi, M. K. (1948a). Gandhi’s Autobiography - The story of my experiments with the truth, translated from Gujarati by Mahadev Desai. Washington DC: Public Affairs Press.
Gandhi, M. K. (1948b). Delhi diary (Prayer Speeches from 10-9-47 to 30-1-48). Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing house.
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