Imagery of Regent people and campus

Dissertation Abstract

A Case Study Defining Servant Leadership in the Workplace

A. Karmalita Contee-Borders
Regent University

This dissertation examines how servant leadership characteristics (listening, empathy, healing, persuasion, awareness, foresight, conceptualization, commitment to the growth of people, stewardship, building community) are operationalized in for-profit businesses for the purpose of defining servant leadership in this environment. Although the literature frames the historical development and definition of leadership in a business environment, the emergence of servant leadership as a potential leadership theory warrants exploratory research to establish a definition that scholars can use in future empirical research. Using the case study method in a for-profit environment resulted in a definition of servant leadership unique to that environment, identified by 12 specific characteristics. The definition sets the stage for additional empirical research to validate and further the generalizability of the findings.