🧠 Journal Summary: Servant leadership and healthy work relationships in university context:

🧠 Journal Summary: Servant leadership and healthy work relationships in university context: a moderated mediation analysis of psychological safety and socially responsible leadership

Authors: Mahadih Kyambade, Monica Tushabe, Gideon Nkurunziza, Luke Sewante, Afulah Namatovu

Published In: COGENT EDUCATION, 2024, VOL. 11, NO. 1, 2418802

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated how servant leadership, psychological safety, and socially responsible leadership interact to influence healthy work relationships within public universities in Uganda. Using data from 241 staff members, the research employed a moderated mediation analysis.

The primary goal was to understand the indirect effect of servant leadership on work relationships through psychological safety, and how this process is shaped by socially responsible leadership. The study aimed to fill a gap in existing research, which has largely overlooked these dynamics in higher education settings.

💡 Key Concepts

• Servant Leadership: A leadership style where leaders prioritize serving the needs and growth of their followers, emphasizing empathy, empowerment, and ethical conduct.
• Healthy Work Relationships: Work environments characterized by trust, mutual respect, open communication, and effective collaboration among colleagues and leaders.
• Psychological Safety: The shared belief among team members that they can take interpersonal risks, express ideas, and voice concerns without fear of negative consequences or embarrassment.
• Socially Responsible Leadership: A leadership approach focused on ethical decision-making, social justice, and a commitment to the well-being of the community and stakeholders, aligning with broader societal values.
• Social Exchange Theory (SET): A theoretical framework suggesting that relationships are built on reciprocal exchanges, where positive interactions (e.g., support from leaders) lead to positive outcomes (e.g., healthy work relationships) through trust and mutual benefit.

📊 Key Insights

• Servant leadership is positively associated with healthy work relationships.
• Psychological safety acts as a mediator: servant leadership fosters greater psychological safety, which in turn leads to healthier work relationships.
• Socially responsible leadership moderates this indirect effect, indicating that its presence influences how servant leadership, through psychological safety, impacts work relationships. Specifically, for lower levels of socially responsible leadership, servant leadership significantly fosters healthy work relationships via psychological safety; however, this indirect effect is less pronounced when socially responsible leadership is already high.

📘 Example Application

In a university, administrators can apply these findings by implementing leadership development programs that teach servant leadership principles, such as active listening, empathy, and empowering staff. For instance, deans could be trained to prioritize faculty well-being and provide platforms for open feedback, fostering psychological safety.

Concurrently, the university should integrate socially responsible practices, like transparent decision-making regarding promotions or resource allocation, and engage in community initiatives. This combined approach would create an environment where faculty and staff feel safe, respected, and motivated, leading to stronger interpersonal connections, better collaboration, and improved overall university performance.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

“These findings are crucial for leaders in educational institutions, especially public universities. They highlight that fostering a culture of service and prioritizing employee well-being through servant leadership can directly lead to healthier work relationships.

Furthermore, when leaders also act with social responsibility, it enhances the sense of psychological safety among staff, allowing for more open communication and collaboration. This integrated approach is vital for creating a thriving academic environment where staff feel valued, respected, and motivated to contribute, ultimately boosting organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.”

📌 Takeaway

Servant leadership, amplified by socially responsible practices and psychological safety, is key to cultivating robust and healthy work relationships, particularly within university settings, leading to improved organizational effectiveness and employee well-being.