Recently published research by a Valparaiso University business professor and undergraduate student indicates that stewardship, community-building and other traits associated with servant leadership may give a boost to the effectiveness of leaders. Valpo is a member of the Council on Undergraduate Research.
Dr. Michael McCuddy, Morgal chair of Christian business ethics, and Matt Cavin, a 2008 Valparaiso graduate now working for EMSystems in Milwaukee, presented results of their survey of people involved in church-related higher education or religious life in “Fundamental Moral Orientations, Servant Leadership, and Leadership Effectiveness: An Empirical Test.” The paper appears in the current issue of the Review of Business Research by the International Academy of Business and Economics.
“From a pragmatic perspective, our results assert that making decisions and taking actions in light of moral considerations, developing one’s behavioral capacity to serve others and leading people effectively do not exist in isolation, but must be understood and utilized in the context of a holistic approach to leadership,” said Dr. McCuddy, whose scholarship on business ethics topics has been widely published.
In their research, Dr. McCuddy and Cavin questioned approximately 300 people about their Fundamental Moral Orientations in both personal and work life, practice of servant leadership behaviors and leadership effectiveness.
Key findings of their research show significant positive correlations between leadership effectiveness and 9 of 10 servant leadership characteristics, along with a composite servant leadership score combining those 10 individual characteristics.
Their research also shows a strong and significant positive correlation between a leader’s work life Fundamental Moral Orientation (selfishness, self-fullness or selflessness) and the practice of servant leadership behaviors.
Other results demonstrate a small but significant positive correlation between a leader’s personal life FMO and his or her practice of several servant leadership behaviors.
Their data also reveals limited support for a potential difference between leaders’ personal and work lives with respect to FMO-servant leadership relationships. For example, the characteristics of active listening, empathy, foresight and community-building had significant positive correlations with work life FMO, but not with personal life FMO.
While the study provides support for the benefits of servant leadership, Dr. McCuddy noted that survey respondents were involved in church administration and church-related higher education, and that their responses may not be applicable to a broad range of organizations. Dr. McCuddy previously has done research about individuals’ Fundamental Moral Orientation, a concept that reflects differing combinations of concern for one’s own interests vs. concerns for the interests of others. People are motivated by selfishness at one extreme and selflessness at the other, while a healthy balance of the two is known as self-fullness in the FMO model.
“What’s more likely to be beneficial across a wide range of organizations is balancing self-interest with the welfare of the community as a whole,” Dr. McCuddy said. “If you are going to be able to effectively serve others you have to protect yourself first so that you have the ability to serve others.”
In their paper, Dr. McCuddy and Cavin say it’s not surprising people who embrace some servant leadership behaviors tend to be more effective leaders, given that leadership is a process involving interacting with and influencing followers. Having a mindset amenable to serving followers can strengthen the quality and effectiveness of that process.
The first key takeaway for business leaders, Dr. McCuddy said, is to recognize the tension between self-interest and serving the good of the broader community or organization.
“If you go too far in either direction it can be detrimental to oneself or to the community,” he said. “There’s a need to balance these concerns and both have legitimate claims on a person.”
Second, business leaders should recognize that the concept of self-fullness is perhaps the best, most useful and most productive moral orientation for people to possess.
“Part of what business education should be in preparing students for future roles is to teach them to be effective stewards of all the resources in their care,” Dr. McCuddy said. “To have a strong impact on both personal and community outcomes you should take the middle road of self-fullness.”
