Previous Page - Page 2

 


Page Three

Completed Doctoral Disserations/Masters Theses

 

Title:
Servant leadership in public schools: A case study
Author(s):
Anderson, Jason D.
Truman Elementary - 3850 N. Farm Rd. 159 - Springfield, MO, 65803 -- 417-523-5100
Degree:
Ed.D.
Year:
2006
Pages:
00122
Institution:
University of Missouri - Columbia; 0133
Advisor:
Adviser Barbara N. Martin
Source:
DAI, 67, no. 11A (2006): p. 4043
Standard No:
ISBN: 978-0-542-97398-7
Abstract:
The purpose of this mixed-design study was to examine a servant leader's impact on a public education (K-12) organization by identifying and articulating specific leadership behaviors, and the influence of those behaviors upon the organization in its entirety and the individuals within the school organization.

In this study, the researcher administered the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) (Laub, 1998) to staff members in one Midwest, rural public school district. Responses were analyzed based on the sub-scales of the inventory: Values & Develops People, Displays Authenticity, Builds Community, and Provides & Shares Leadership. Data analysis revealed through rank order that the behavior of Provides & Shares Leadershipwas the highest ranking practice of the servant leader. The practices of Builds Community and Displays Authenticity were ranked second and third, respectively. The practice of Values & Develops People was ranked as the lowest servant leader behavior.

Interviews, observations, and document(s) collection provided the qualitative data which revealed how servant leadership is defined in a public education setting, and what servant leadership looks like. The themes of defining the organization through process, connecting to purpose and people, power with versus power over, and walking the talk emerged through amalgamation of data.

This study confirmed that a servant leader's behavior positively impacts the health of the school organization, and the extent the servant leadership behaviors influence the organization and individuals within.
 
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:
EDUCATION, ADMINISTRATION 
Accession No:
AAI3242054
Database:
Dissertations

 


 

Title:
Exploring social enterprise organizational climate and culture
Author(s):
Klamon, Virginia
virginia[@]vklamon.com
www.vklamon.com
Degree:
Ph.D.
Year:
2006
Pages:
00225
Institution:
Gonzaga University; 0736
Advisor:
Adviser Sandra M. Wilson
Source:
DAI, 68, no. 04A (2006): p. 1681
Abstract:
This exploratory research investigated whether two intriguing and emerging phenomena, servant-leadership and social entrepreneurism, intersect to create a new model of servant organization. Using the lens of organizational climate for servanthood, this study explored social enterprise climate, culture, and job satisfaction. The methodological paradigm was quantitative; the unit of analysis was organization. Twenty social enterprises across North America participated in the study; usable data were gathered from 16 of these enterprises. The Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) was used to measure an organizational climate for servanthood, assess job satisfaction, and profile organizational health (Laub, 2003a). This study also introduced agreement statistics into the interpretative dimension of the OLA, enhancing the empirical rigor of its use. Accordingly, based on perceptual agreement of the workplace experience, the concept of climate for servanthood as "normative collective servant-leadership behavior" was established.

The results revealed that the social enterprises under study offer a compelling new workplace proposition. To a considerable extent, enterprise members co-create healthy organizational environments. Almost one half of the study enterprises (44%) enacted an organizational climate for servanthood. An additional 12.5% were fractionally below the threshold climate for servanthood measure, suggesting that they too materially share the attributes of healthy, servant organizations. Two OLA subscales, building communities and displaying authenticity, trended upward in servant enterprises, marking these characteristics more distinctive among the six OLA subscales. Interestingly though, enterprise ratings trended lower on questions that focused specifically on leader behavior versus questions pertaining to all enterprise members or questions specific to the respondents. This outcome acknowledges the centrality of the role organizational members play in shaping climate and culture, and simultaneously draws attention to the opportunity for social enterprise leaders to grow into a more complete model of servant leader.

The demographic attributes captured in this study did not materially affect the organizational expression of servanthood. In general, no interaction effect was found between organizational or individual demographics and enterprise climate on OLA ratings. Additionally, the enterprise-related inquiry into job satisfaction produced mixed results. Positive and negative correlations between satisfaction and climate, as measured by the OLA, were found. These findings, however, were subject to data aggregation limitations. Finally, the results also supported the argument that the "organization" grouping-factor is critical in establishing meaningful conclusions in OLA-related research about the workplace experience.
Accession No:
AAI3263004
Database:
Dissertations

 


 

 

 

Title:
Servant leadership from the student officer perspective in Phi Theta Kappa
Author(s):
Merideth, Susan C.
 
Degree:
Ph.D.
Year:
2007
Pages:
00113
Institution:
Capella University; 1351
Advisor:
Adviser Samuel Natale
Source:
DAI, 68, no. 03A (2007): p. 850
Abstract:
Phi Theta Kappa is the international honor society of the associate degree granting colleges. There are over 1100 chapters worldwide, consisting of approximately 200,000 active members at any given time. The mission of Phi Theta Kappa is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students by providing leadership and service opportunities. Phi Theta Kappa is like many academic honor societies, in that the ongoing leadership is widely provided by volunteers. Within Society publications, the concept of servant-leadership is stressed, yet very little is known about the level of servant-leadership found within the organization. Utilizing the Organizational Leadership Assessment Inventory, developed by Dr. James Laub, servant-leadership behaviors will be assessed by the student officer population of the Society.
Click here to get the full dissertation in pdf format
 
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:
EDUCATION, COMMUNITY COLLEGE 
EDUCATION, BUSINESS 
Accession No:
AAI3258759
Database:
Dissertations

 


 

   

Title:
An analysis of the leadership practices of the churches of the Plymouth Brethren movement in the United States
Author(s):
Witter, Steven R.
Emmaus Bible College -- 563-588-8000 Ex. 1124
Degree:
Ph.D.
Year:
2007
Pages:
00102
Institution:
Capella University; 1351
Advisor:
Adviser Julia Bronner
Source:
DAI, 68, no. 04A (2007): p. 1365
Abstract:
This study was designed to examine the leadership practices of the churches that are a part of the Plymouth Brethren movement. A greater knowledge of the leadership practices of the Plymouth Brethren will help Emmaus Bible College, the only accredited Brethren institution in the United States, to prepare students for future leadership. The leadership practices were measured using the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) developed by Dr. James Laub in 1999. The OLA measures organizational health based on a servant leadership model of six characteristics, (a) displays authenticity, (b) values people, (c) develops people, (d) builds community, (e) provides leadership, and (f) shares leadership. An informational data sheet was also used to introduce contextual variables that may predict leadership practices. Forty-nine churches participated in the study, and the respondents returned a total of 547 survey instruments. The data show that the Plymouth Brethren enjoy a high level of organizational health. This finding was not anticipated and does not reflect the conventional wisdom of those who know the Plymouth Brethren well. This seminal work should be followed up by additional study, utilizing research tools to augment the OLA. The research finds that the six leadership practices of servant leadership as measured by the OLA exist within the Plymouth Brethren churches. The survey data was also used to identify strengths and weaknesses of the leadership of the Plymouth Brethren. The most significant strength found was the leadership practice of valuing people. The leadership of the Plymouth Brethren churches also showed great strength in their character and trustworthiness. The most significant weakness found was the fact that the Plymouth Brethren leadership is not communicating the plans or vision for the local church with the followers. A recommendation of this study is that further research be done to determine if the problem is a lack of communication, a lack of planning and vision, or both. The contextual variables that were studied also showed a significant negative correlation between the average age of the elders and the leadership practices of a given local church. The research provided rich data that has the potential to be used to improve the quality of the leadership in the churches that are a part of the Plymouth Brethren movement, as well as assist Emmaus Bible College fulfill its stated mission and inform the training and development of the next generation of servant leaders.
 
SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:
RELIGION, GENERAL 
EDUCATION, HIGHER 
Accession No:
AAI3263160
Database:
Dissertations

 


 

 

 

Title: Serving the World: A Cross-cultural Study of National Culture Dimensions and Servant Leadership
Author(s):

 Darin R. Molnar

darinmolnar@gmail.com -- Darin@Molnar.com

971-222-7359

Degree:  
Year:  2007
Pages:  139
Institution:  Capella University
Advisor:  Dr. Theodore C. Kariotis
Source:  DAI-A 68/05, Nov 2007
Standard No:  AAT 3266277
Abstract:
Since its introduction into the leadership and management literatures by Greenleaf,
servant leadership has harbored the potential to act as an intellectual and emotional
bridge between worldviews. Development of this bridging structure offers enormous
heuristic utility for organizations entering new, international markets. Such organizations
must attend to the social and cultural norms of the peoples with whom they interact or
face possible conflict between incommensurate worldviews and probable failure in those
markets. Hofstede’s cultural typology has been used by organizations for many years as a
framework for understanding national cultures at a high level. This study combines
Hofstede’s typology with Hebert’s compression of Laub’s six servant leadership subscores,
(a) values people, (b) develops people, (c) builds community, (d) displays
authenticity, (e) provides leadership, and (f) shares leadership, into the single factor,
servant leadership, to arrive at filtering criteria for the World Values Survey (2006)
dataset. The result is an instrument of 35 World Values Survey variables covering 3,282
respondents from 23 countries in the Northern Hemisphere. These 35 variables are used
to construct a Servant Leadership Index (SLI) intended to measure servant leadership at
the general study level. Statistical procedures are used to explore relationships between
Hofstede’s cultural typology dimensions Power Distance (PDI), Individualism and
Collectivism (IDV), Masculinity and Femininity (MAS), and Uncertainty Avoidance
(UAI) and the SLI at the study level. Along with this, the influences of several WVS
demographic variables upon the SLI are computed. The outcomes of this study are
centered on the correlative and influential relationships gender has upon the applicability
of servant leadership to the sample population.
 
 


Click here to get the full dissertation in pdf format

 

  SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:  
Accession No:  
Database:  

 


 

Title:  Servant Leadership and Team Effectiveness: A Study of Industrial Manufacturing Correlation
Author(s):

 Ken Rauch

krauch@gsmetalinc.com -- 260-906-6445 (c) -- 260-569-9184 (w)

Degree:  Ed.D.
Year:  2007
Pages:  
Institution:  Indiana Wesleyan University
Advisor:  Dr. Sharon Drury
Source:  
Standard No:  
Abstract:
The correlative study considered the association between servant leadership and team effectiveness in the manufacturing sector of business and industry. The quantitative study had a sample size of 3896 at 28 manufacturing locations within the same organization. The Spearman rank correlation was used to determine the direction and significance of the association between the independent variable of servant leadership and each of five dependent variables of manufacturing team effectiveness. To achieve the purposes of the research study, one standardized instrument— the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA)—was used to measure servant leadership at each location surveyed.
The exploratory data analysis revealed significant correlation between servant leadership and a reduction in both absenteeism (H1) and attrition (H2) rates. As a result, an exponential curve was created and absenteeism was shown to decrease roughly 41.1% for each increase of one unit within the five unit scale of servant leadership, while attrition tended to decrease roughly 22.4% for each increase of one unit in servant leadership. The research data did not support the existence of a relationship between servant leadership and the recordable accident rates (H3), accident severity rates (H4), or defective parts produced rates (H5).
The implications related to these findings are significant in the manufacturing environment as business and industry struggle with increased economic growth, shortage of skilled labor, and employee turnover. It is hoped that this research study inspires additional interest and empirical research into the potential value of servant leadership in the workplace.
 
 
Click here to get the full dissertation in pdf format
 
 
  SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:  
Accession No:  
Database:  

 


 

 

Title:  Organizational Leadership and its Relationship to Outcomes in Residential Treatment
Author(s):

Bradshaw, Mary Anna

mbradsha@ivytech.edu -- saucydory@comcast.net  -- 260-480-4290 (w) -- 260-493-6008 (h)

7609 Welshire Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN, 46815

Degree:  Ed.D.
Year:  2007
Pages:  157
Institution:  Indiana Wesleyan University
Advisor:  Dr. Boyd Johnson
Source:  
Standard No:  
Abstract:  Increasing patterns of abuse, neglect and violence towards children and adolescents in the United States has incurred billions of dollars in treatment expenditures. The current movement in evidence-based practice in mental health emphasizes the development of standards of practice, treatment protocols, and formalized treatment manuals that have established effectiveness. The intent of the correlative study was to add empirical evidence that may lead to increased outcome evaluation in residential treatment, and the capacity to increase the knowledge base in residential treatment, leading to evidence-based protocols and training of staff.
Investigation of organizational servant leadership and positive treatment outcomes for emotionally troubled young people in residential organizations was the hypothesis of the study. Identification of particular leadership in each residential organization, and the correlative value related to positive outcomes for emotionally troubled young people in these residential organizations was obtained and evaluated.
The Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) instrument was used to measure the organizations’ leadership, which included Servant, Paternalistic and Autocratic mindsets. The outcomes for measuring the impact on emotionally troubled young people included movement to less restrictive environment and planned discharge.
Sixteen residential treatment organizations (total sample size) voluntarily participated in this study. The quantitative study included 1,165 OLA surveys completed. The percentage of completion was high at 92%. The selection of the Spearman rank correlation was utilized for statistical purposes in determining the association between servant leadership (independent variable) and movement to less restrictive environment and planned discharge (dependent variables).
       The hypothesis projected a positive correlation between servant leadership and successful outcomes. The exploratory and research data demonstrated a weak negative correlation between servant leadership and the outcomes. The research did not support the hypothesis. The data analyzing large and small organizations indicated that larger organizations had better outcomes, yet had lower servant leadership. Smaller organizations had higher servant leadership, yet lower outcomes. A paternalistic mindset was the primary focus in organizational leadership evidenced by the study’s data and is suggested for future research. 
 
 
Click here to get the full dissertation in pdf format
 
  SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:  
Accession No:  
Database:  

 


 

  

Title:  A Study of the Church Staff Organization's Servant Leadership Tendency and Job Satisfaction of the Pastor and of another Ministerial Staff Person in Southern Baptist Convention Churches in Tarrant County, Texas
Author(s):

Kong, Paul

p-kong@sbcglobal.net -- 817-456-2007

8309 Hearthstone Ct, Fort Worth, TX, 76123

Degree:  Ph.D.
Year:  2007
Pages:  
Institution:  Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Advisor:  Dr. Bob Welch
Source:  
Standard No:  
Abstract:  
PROBLEM: The three-fold problem of this study was (1) to determine the relationship between the pastor’s perception of the organizational servant leadership tendency within his church staff team and his job satisfaction; (2) to determine the relationship between the minister’s perception of the organizational servant leadership tendency within his or her church staff team and his or her job satisfaction; and (3) to determine the difference in their perceptions concerning the organizational servant leadership tendency within their same church staff team between the pastor and the minister in Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) churches in Tarrant County, Texas.
 
PROCEDURES: An introductory letter was mailed to the pastor and another ministerial staff person in each of the identified 145 multi-staff SBC churches in Tarrant County, Texas on 16 January 2007. The first survey packet with the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ short-form) was sent to them two days later. A thank you postcard followed one week after that. On 13 February 2007 the second survey packet was sent to the pastors and ministers of qualified churches who had not yet responded. The last follow-up letter without survey packet was mailed three weeks later, and the data collection ended on 17 March 2007. A total of 102 potential and qualified churches were sent packets. Return rates of the pastor and the minister groups were 70.6% (72/102) and 71.6% (73/102), respectively. Pearson’s r and a t-test for independent samples were conducted for testing hypotheses, utilizing SPSS 14.0.
 
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: There was a significant, positive relationship between the pastor’s perception of the organizational servant leadership tendency within his church staff team and his job satisfaction in SBC churches in Tarrant County, Texas (n=72, r=.577, p<.0005,
1-tailed). There was also a significant, positive relationship between the minister’s perception of the organizational servant leadership tendency within his or her church staff team and his or her job satisfaction in SBC churches in Tarrant County, Texas (n=73, r=.650, p<.0005, 1-tailed). Thirdly, there was a significant difference in their perceptions concerning the organizational servant leadership tendency within their same church staff team between the pastor and the minister with the pastor perceiving higher in SBC churches in Tarrant County, Texas [t(130)=2.585, p=.0055, 1-tailed, η2=.049; the OLA M=260 and 248, respectively].
            In conclusion, pastors and ministers who perceived higher, organizational servant leadership tendencies within their church staff teams seemed to have greater satisfaction with their ministries and vice versa in SBC churches in Tarrant County, Texas. Also, there seemed to be a moderate discrepancy between the two groups concerning the organizational servant leadership tendency within their same church staff teams in SBC churches in Tarrant County, Texas.
 
  SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:  
Accession No:  
Database:  

 


 

 

Title:  Servant Leadership in Religious Congragations: The Effect on Donations
Author(s):

Beaver, Tiffany

5607 Pinecrest Circle, Noblesville, IN  46062 - oceanomadr@aol.com - 317-508-1442

Degree:  Ed.D.
Year:  2007
Pages:  196
Institution:  Indiana Wesleyan University
Advisor:  Dr. Thomas Griffin
Source:  
Standard No:  
Abstract:  The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to ascertain if servant led,
religious congregations in Indiana were more effective in generating revenue. This
study utilized the Organizational Leadership Assessment, OLA, (Laub, 1999) to measure
servant leadership and the perception of servant leadership between leadership and the
organization, the independent variables. The OLA is a multifaceted, valid and reliable
instrument that measures the type of organizational leadership on a continuum
(autocratic, paternalistic, and servant-led). Donations per capita were used to measure
revenue generation, the dependent variable (Jones, 2005; Olson, 2006). Pearson’s r test
was performed to measure correlations.
Four research questions and hypotheses were addressed. The first finding was that
there was not statistically significant correlation between servant leadership at the
organizational level and donations per capita. The second finding was that servant
leadership, as measured by top leadership, was not statistically correlated with donations
per capita. The third finding was from the perspective of employees, and there was not a
statistically significant correlation between servant leadership and donations per capita.
The fourth finding rejected the null hypothesis, and there was a difference in how
employees and top leadership viewed the presence of servant leadership. Overall, servant-led congregations did not generate more donations. More research needs to be
done to discover what other factors influence donations per capita in congregations.
 
Click Here to get the full dissertation in pdf format
  SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:  
Accession No:  
Database:  

        

Title:  A Correlational Study of Servant Leadership and Elementary Principal Job Satisfaction in Ohio Public School Districts
Author(s):

Svoboda, Sandra

Degree:  Ed.D.
Year:  2008
Pages:  125
Institution:  Northcentral University
Advisor:  Wendy E. Lambert
Source:  DAI-A 69/04, Oct 2008
Standard No:

 Publication #: AAT 3310169

ISBN: 9780549585138

Abstract:  

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine the strength of correlation between the perceived presence of servant leadership and elementary principal job satisfaction in Ohio public school districts. Principals are leaving the administrative profession before retirement at distressing rates. Further research is needed to identify approaches that would increase principal job satisfaction rates. Positive relationships have been found between servant leadership and job satisfaction (Anderson, 2005; Drury, 2005; Girard, 2000; Hebert, 2004; Laub, 1999; Miears, 2005; Rude, 2006; Stramba, 2003; Strickland, 2006; Thompson, 2004; VanTassell, 2007). However, servant leadership and job satisfaction research has been very limited in public school settings (Girard, 2000; Miears, 2005; Rude, 2006). Therefore, this study was intended to answer the research questions: (a) To what extent do public school districts in Ohio implement the principles of servant leadership, and (b) to what extent does the level of servant leadership revealed in Ohio public school districts correlate with Ohio elementary principals’ level of job satisfaction? Laub’s (1999) Organizational Leadership Assessment – Educational Version was used to survey 25 superintendents, 38 elementary principals, and 475 elementary teachers. A systematic random sample was conducted in Ohio public schools. Participation rates were as follows: 89.3% superintendents, 77.6% elementary principals, and 38.6% elementary teachers. A significant positive correlation of r = .889, p < .01 (two-tailed) was found between the perceived level of servant leadership present in Ohio public schools and the perceived level of elementary principal job satisfaction. The significant positive correlation revealed in this study indicated the higher level of servant leadership perceived in Ohio public schools, the higher the level of perceived elementary principal job satisfaction. Based on the strong positive correlation revealed in this study, servant leadership appears to be an approach worth further exploration to counter the exodus of principals leaving the field of educational administration.

  SUBJECT(S)
Descriptor:  Keywords: Elementary Principal, Ohio, Principal, Servant Leadership, Servant Leader, Job Satisfaction, Public Schools, Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA)
Accession No:  
Database:  ProQuest document ID: 1537009591

                                                                                 Next Page - Page 4

 Return to Dissertation/Theses Home Page