4.10.3 Servant Leadership Scale, Liden et al. (2008)
Liden et al.’s (2008) Servant Leadership Scale is designed to assess servant leadership, which is characterized by personal integrity and a commitment to serving others within an organization (e.g., employees) and beyond (e.g., customers, communities). The instrument measures the seven major dimensions of servant leadership: conceptualizing, emotional healing, putting followers first, helping followers grow and succeed, behaving ethically, empowering, and creating value for the community. The goal of the instrument is to increase community citizenship behaviors, improve group level performance, and enhance organizational commitment.
The instrument was developed by Liden et al. (2008). The original scale has 28 items. The scale was developed through factor analysis with a sample of 298 students, resulting in a 7-factor solution. The 28-item servant leadership scale was validated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with an organizational sample of 182 individuals. The scale was tested with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) analysis, controlling for transformational leadership and LMX to validate its outcomes.
In 2015, Linden et al. developed a 7-item scale to measure global servant leadership, which is similar to the original scale (Northouse, 2021, p.279).
Some limitations of the instrument, noted by the authors and researchers, include cross-sectional design compromising causal inference, low power for detecting group-level effects, possible constraint of between-group differences due to common organizational membership of the supervisors in the study, and the fact that the study conducted only with U.S. samples. Future research is needed across different organization types and cultures.
Access
The instrument may be accessible via academic journals and research databases, including in the relevant articles listed in the references section. Prior to usage, permission from the authors or copyright holders may be necessary. Contact the authors directly or consult the articles for more information on the availability and permissions.
References
Barbuto, J. E., Jr., & Wheeler, D. W. (2006). Scale development and construct clarification of servant leadership. Group & Organization Management, 31(3), 300–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601106287091
Bass, B. M. (1997). Does the transactional-transformational leadership paradigm transcend organizational and national boundaries? American Psychologist, 52(2), 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.52.2.130
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1995). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) [Database record]. APA PsycTests. https://doi.org/10.1037/t03624-000
Bass, B. M., & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership behavior. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 181–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(99)00016-8
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Zhao, H., & Henderson, D. (2008). Servant leadership: Development of a multidimensional measure and multi-level assessment. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(2), 161–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.01.006
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Meuser, J. D., Hu, J., Wu, J., & Liao, C. (2015). Servant leadership: Validation of a short form of the SL-28. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(2), 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.12.002
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage Publications.
