Organizational results are most often directly correlated to the morale and buy-in of the employees within the organization. According to Sonnenberg, high trust in an organization’s employees translates into high morale within the organization, insures low turnover and higher performance, allows information to flow more freely, while a free acceptance of criticism is enjoyed, along with a higher frequency in innovative ideas. (Winston, 2006, p.28) In order to insure such an environment for followers, a leader, regardless of leadership style, must foster an environment of trust. Each organization is a community of individuals who long to be a part of something they enjoy. It is vital for leaders of any organization to adopt a leadership style that fosters an environment of trust and cooperation, because without it a sustained community is not possible. (King, 2001, p.489) This community of trust will result in high morale among the employees, which will lead to high productivity and desired organizational results.
For leaders seeking such a culture in an already existence organizational culture, it would be wise to seek out a leadership style adoption of servant leadership. With a shift to being a servant leader, a culture shift is bound to happen and current employees may find a rebirth of interest and buy-in to the organization, possibly revealing the need for some healing and restoration between the leader and employees. According to Greenleaf (1970), the servant leadership model exhibits ten characteristics, which one of them is healing equipping the leader to mend broken spirits and emotional damage among the employees.
Choosing a leadership style to emulate can seem daunting, however, if the desire is to see high productivity as a result of high morale, adopting a servant leadership model could be the doorway to the greatest success in an organization’s existence.
References
Greenleaf, R. (2012). The Servant as Leader. The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership.
King, R. J. H. (2001). Virtue and Community in Business Ethics: A Critical Assessment of Solomon’s Aristotelian Approach to Social Responsibility. Journal of Social Philosophy, 32(4), 487–499.
Winston, B. E., & Patterson, K. (2006). An Integrative Definition of Leadership. IJLS, 1(2), pp. 6–66.
