The Influence of Religious Faith Beliefs on Servant Leadership in the Context of High Power Distance

Caren Brenda Scheepers () and Anastacia Mamabolo ()
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Caren Brenda Scheepers: University of Pretoria
Anastacia Mamabolo: University of Pretoria

Chapter 35 in The Palgrave Handbook of Servant Leadership, 2023, pp 845-865 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Existing research has reviewed the relationship between faith and leadership styles. However, there is scant evidence on the interplay between faith and servant leadership, especially in contexts of high power distance. Our study explores how religious beliefs influence the emergence of servant leadership in sub-Saharan Africa. This context is characterized by a high level of faith and high power distance between leaders and their followers. Using the empirical evidence from interviews conducted with various senior-level managers in selected four African countries, we found that in such contexts, faith-oriented managers possess a servant leadership style that reduces the power distance between them and their employees. Our study provides implications to theory, practice, and future research.

Keywords: Power distance; Other-oriented; People-centered; Egalitarianism; Faith-induced prototype (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-01323-2_50

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-01323-2_50

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