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DOI :10.26650/JECS390903   IUP :10.26650/JECS390903    Full Text (PDF)

Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example

Elif Baykal, Cemal Zehir, Mahmut Köle

Inspired by positive organizational scholarship, this study focuses on two important concepts of positive organizational behavior: empowerment and gratitude. The effects of servant leadership style—with its ever-increasing popularity—were investigated based on these two concepts, under the assumption that having been affected by servant leadership, gratitude and empowerment will enhance the innovative capacity of the individuals on whom it is tested. The assumption is that this change, in turn, will have a positive effect on the overall performance of the organization. During our field survey, 527 white-collar workers from Turkey’s Marmara region contributed to the study. Our results suggest that servant leadership has a positive effect on the perceptions of empowerment and gratitude felt by followers, and that these feelings in turn affect innovativeness and organizational performance. We thus contribute to the related literature by displaying the positive effects of innovativeness on organizational performance by supporting the view that when firms are more innovative they tend to perform better.. 

Keywords: Servant leadership, gratitude, innovativeness
DOI :10.26650/JECS390903   IUP :10.26650/JECS390903    Full Text (PDF)

Hizmetkar Liderliğin Şükran Duygusu, Güçlendirme, Yenilikçilik ve Performans Üzerine Etkisi: Türkiye Örneği

Elif Baykal, Cemal Zehir, Mahmut Köle

Bu çalışmada, pozitif örgüt okulundan esinlenilerek, iki önemli pozitif örgütsel davranış kavramı olan, güçlendirme ve şükran duyguları üzerine odaklandık. Bu araştırmada, popülerliği her geçen gün artan hizmetkar liderlik tarzının, yukarıda bahsi geçen iki kavram üzerindeki etkisi araştırılmış ve hizmetkar liderlik tarzından etkilenerek, şükran duygusu ve güçlendirmenin bireylerin yaratıcılık kapasitelerini arttıracağı öngörüsü test edilmiştir. Ve bu durumun da örgütün genel performansını pozitif yönde etkileyeceği öngörülmüştür. Saha araştırmamızda, Türkiye'de, Marmara Bölgesinde çalışan 527 beyaz yakalı çalışan araştırmaya katkıda bulunmuştur. Çalışmanın sonucunda, hizmetkâr liderliğin, takipçilerin hissettiği güçlendirme ve şükran duyguları üzerinde olumlu etkileri olduğu ve bu duyguların yenilikçiliği ve örgütsel performansı etkilediği kanıtlanmıştır. Sonuçlar, yenilikçiliğin örgütsel performans üzerindeki olumlu etkilerini göstererek ilgili literatüre katkıda bulunmuş ve firmaların daha yenilikçi olduklarında daha yüksek performans seviyeleri gösterme eğilimininde olduklarını desteklemiştir. 

Keywords: Hizmetkar liderlik, şükran, yenilikçilik

EXTENDED ABSTRACT


This study of positive organizational behavior, rooted in positive psychology, focuses on understanding the effects of servant leadership style on certain positive organizational outcomes, such as gratitude, empowerment and innovativeness. Moreover, it is assumed that positive relationships emerging from these traits will have a significant effect on performance. According to the positive organizational behavior approach, there should be a balance between positivity and negativity. It is believed that when individuals are in a positive mood they have an inner potential to develop their positive psychological strengths. In this context, an empowering leadership style may be imperative to help people develop and attain their ultimate goals. 

According to the positive organizational behavior mindset, perceived organizational support stemming from leadership style encourages innovative behavior. In the related literature, innovation researchers assume that when organizations create ideal working conditions with the right kind of leadership, managerial methods and organizational culture, employees will realize their own potential and generate new knowledge easily. When leaders encourage their subordinates, the latter feel sufficiently empowered to engage in innovative activities, resulting in a fruitful atmosphere of innovativeness. Servant leadership makes followers feel more empowered, which contributes to higher levels of self-confidence, satisfaction, and encouragement to try out new working methods and create new products. This style is regarded as an important determinant of innovative behavior and performance due to the fact that servant leaders prepare the necessary environment for followers’ growth and development, and they ensure trust, further motivating followers by encouraging participation in challenging situations at work. A servant leader’s focused attitude, altruistic behavior, and tendency to give priority to their followers, affects the perceptions of the latter. By being exposed to servant leadership, followers feel encouraged and will thus be more effective in taking on initiatives in their jobs, creating a feeling of security in making their own decisions. Followers realize that they are free to make their own decisions and know that they are responsible for their behavior. The encouragement to cultivate innovative behavior allows followers to be potential innovators.

 Another important concept discussed in this study is gratitude, which is experienced by followers in positive work environments. Conceptually, gratitude is described as a general disposition to respond with grateful emotions and give positive reactions to the benevolent attitudes and actions of others. It nurtures social relationships and increases the probability of returning favors. In this study it is assumed that under such empowering leadership, followers will feel a sense of gratitude towards their leaders and organizations and will thus repay them with a positive attitude by working harder and engaging in higher levels of innovative activities, leading to greater organizational performance.

The research model of this study hypothesizes that a path analysis exists in which servant leadership affects gratitude and empowerment and that this, in turn, affects innovative and organizational performance. Research is applied to the production and service sectors using 645 usable surveys. The results obtained show that servant leadership has a positive effect on empowerment and the gratitude felt by followers, which then affect innovativeness and organizational performance.


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APA

Baykal, E., Zehir, C., & Köle, M. (2018). Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, 0(57), 29-52. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903


AMA

Baykal E, Zehir C, Köle M. Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example. Journal of Economy Culture and Society. 2018;0(57):29-52. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903


ABNT

Baykal, E.; Zehir, C.; Köle, M. Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example. Journal of Economy Culture and Society, [Publisher Location], v. 0, n. 57, p. 29-52, 2018.


Chicago: Author-Date Style

Baykal, Elif, and Cemal Zehir and Mahmut Köle. 2018. “Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0, no. 57: 29-52. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903


Chicago: Humanities Style

Baykal, Elif, and Cemal Zehir and Mahmut Köle. “Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0, no. 57 (May. 2024): 29-52. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903


Harvard: Australian Style

Baykal, E & Zehir, C & Köle, M 2018, 'Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example', Journal of Economy Culture and Society, vol. 0, no. 57, pp. 29-52, viewed 2 May. 2024, https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903


Harvard: Author-Date Style

Baykal, E. and Zehir, C. and Köle, M. (2018) ‘Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example’, Journal of Economy Culture and Society, 0(57), pp. 29-52. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903 (2 May. 2024).


MLA

Baykal, Elif, and Cemal Zehir and Mahmut Köle. “Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example.” Journal of Economy Culture and Society, vol. 0, no. 57, 2018, pp. 29-52. [Database Container], https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903


Vancouver

Baykal E, Zehir C, Köle M. Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example. Journal of Economy Culture and Society [Internet]. 2 May. 2024 [cited 2 May. 2024];0(57):29-52. Available from: https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903 doi: 10.26650/JECS390903


ISNAD

Baykal, Elif - Zehir, Cemal - Köle, Mahmut. “Effects of Servant Leadership on Gratitude, Empowerment, Innovativeness and Performance: Turkey Example”. Journal of Economy Culture and Society 0/57 (May. 2024): 29-52. https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS390903



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Submitted12.02.2018
Accepted11.04.2018

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