Servant leadership and transformational leadership: from comparisons to farewells
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 4 July 2018
Issue publication date: 24 July 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to question the usefulness of comparisons between theories on servant leadership and transformational leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of scholarly works on these two theories is presented from the original works of Greenleaf, Burns and Bass to the current research.
Findings
Based on the four categories of construct clarity, two competing alternatives are identifiable in the scholarship of both servant and transformational leadership. There are thus 16 versions of each theory.
Research limitations/implications
The literature review contains no new empirical data. The many versions available today of each theory do not make comparisons meaningful. The prevalence of several versions of theories on servant leadership and transformational leadership implies that they are no longer specific and useful theories.
Originality/value
Critical comments are presented on the usefulness of comparisons between servant leadership and transformational leadership. Thus, the value of these theories is also questioned.
Keywords
Citation
Andersen, J.A. (2018), "Servant leadership and transformational leadership: from comparisons to farewells", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 762-774. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-01-2018-0053
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited