How Distinct is Servant Leadership Theory? Empirical Comparisons with Competing Theories

Abstract

Relationships between servant leadership theory and the more empirically supported theories of transformational leadership and transactional leadership were examined using questionnaire data from 207 employees. Employees’ perceptions of their supervisors’ servant leadership were found to be positively related not only to employees’ perceptions of their supervisors’ transformational leadership but also their supervisors’ transactional contingent reward leadership and transactional active managementby-exception leadership. Perceived servant leadership was negatively related to both perceived transactional passive management-by-exception leadership and laissez faire leadership. It appears that servant leadership theory shares much in common with other modern theories of leadership, especially transformational leadership theory.