The Role of Servant Leadership Style in Improving Innovation in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Purpose: The research aims to empirically study the role of adopting a servant leadership style in improving innovation in higher education institutions.   Theoretical framework: (Piorun et al., 2021) cited that servant leadership will make people emerge as the power will flow down to the subordinates. (Geuther, C. 2014) mentioned that servant leaders can establish a supportive workplace and promote the employees’ self-esteem. In addition, Chinese philosophers in the 5th century BC such as Laozi agreed that servant leaders are those who are characterized by people who say, "we did it ourselves” when things are done (Tarallo, 2021).  In the current study, the researcher will explore the adoption of Servant Leadership in Higher Education Institutions, and its influence on the innovation of these institutions.   Design/methodology/approach: The researcher adopted a quantitative research methodology. The research design is as follows: objectivism research ontology, positivism research philosophy, the research approach is deductive, and the research choice is mono-method quantitative. The research strategy is a survey, and the time horizon is cross-sectional. Items of the questionnaire were adopted and adapted from the Servant Leadership Questionnaires published by (Liden et al., 2008), (Northouse, n.d.), and (Hess & Dumas, 2015). Primary data was collected from higher education institutions and the secondary data was from trusted previous studies found on Google Scholars. The sample size is 208 respondents, and data was collected using Survey Monkey, the online survey development tool to gather data and feedback. Collected Data were statistically analyzed utilizing SPSS, starting with descriptive analysis, followed by Reliability Analysis, Factor Analysis, Chi-Square Test, and Regression Analysis using ANOVA and T-Test.   Findings:  The researcher found that the behavior of servant leaders will play a key role in promoting innovation, and as she/he is a role model, the possession of highly ethical practices has a positive relationship with learners’ satisfaction. In addition, asking for career goals will help strengthen employees' experience in this institution. The campus environment, its maintenance, and attractiveness play a role in increasing the university’s fees.   Research, Practical & Social implications:  The results will set the path in which innovation will be cultivated at the level of the whole higher education institutions by focusing on the set of patterns of behaviors adopted by the leaders.   Originality/value: This study is among the first to tackle servant leadership and innovation in higher education institutions. In addition, this will add to the knowledge in Academia about servant higher education institutions.