Introduction
Particularly in organizations involved with sports, the concept of leadership focused on helping others has drawn a lot of attention recently. The attention placed on the needs and development of employees through a leadership approach known as servant leadership ultimately leads to the employees’ emotions of fulfillment, motivation, and loyalty to the company. This literature review examines servant leadership’s impact on employee happiness in sports businesses. Specifically, the two themes that will be explored are how servant leadership increases teamwork and improves commitment to the organization.
Theme 1: Servant leadership increases Team working
Robinson et al. (2021) investigated the relationship between servant leadership, leader effectiveness, and political skill in interscholastic sports administrators and coaches. They found that servant leadership is positively related to the team working and leader effectiveness, and political skill mediates the relationship between servant leadership and leader effectiveness. The study employed a quantitative research design using a survey questionnaire to collect data from 353 interscholastic sports administrators and coaches. The major finding of this study is that servant leadership has a positive impact on team working, which leads to effective leadership.
In contrast, Swanson et al. (2022) explored the role of servant leadership and teamwork in promoting employee well-being in sports organizations. They found that servant leadership and teamwork are positively associated with employee well-being. The study employed a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews to collect data from 25 employees in two sports organizations. The major finding of this study is that servant leadership and teamwork are crucial for promoting employee well-being, which ultimately leads to employee satisfaction.
Both of these publications make the case that servant leadership has been shown to benefit cooperation, which may eventually lead to greater employee satisfaction. However, Robinson et al. (2021) employed a quantitative research design, whereas Swanson et al. (2022) employed a qualitative one. While the quantitative design provides more generalizable results, the qualitative design provides a more in-depth understanding of the phenomenon being studied.
Discussion
Both of these publications provide evidence in favor of the concept that servant leadership may benefit teamwork, which can eventually result in satisfied employees. This is relevant to how servant leadership influences the level of contentment experienced by workers in sports companies. The practice of servant leadership encourages more teamwork, which fosters a climate that is receptive to collaboration and increases employee happiness.
Yet, the fact that Robinson et al. (2021) limited their research to include interscholastic sports administrators and coaches is a drawback of their study. Consequently, the findings may not be applicable to other categories of sporting organizations or their personnel. In addition, Swanson et al. (2022) restricted their attention to the impact that servant leadership and cooperation have in fostering employee well-being. Future research should explore other factors influencing employee satisfaction in sports organizations, such as job autonomy, job security, and fair compensation.
Theme 2: Servant leadership improves commitment to organizational
Robinson et al. (2021) also explored the relationship between servant leadership and leader effectiveness related to organizational commitment. They found that servant leadership is positively related to leader effectiveness, which leads to organizational commitment. The study employed a quantitative research design using a survey questionnaire to collect data from 353 interscholastic sports administrators and coaches. The major finding of this study is that servant leadership positively impacts leader effectiveness, which ultimately leads to organizational commitment.
Similarly, Robinson et al. (2021) found that athletic director servant leadership positively relates to coach commitment, and bottom-line mentality buffers this relationship. The study employed a quantitative research design using a survey questionnaire to collect data from 177 head coaches in NCAA Division I institutions. The major finding of this study is that servant leadership positively impacts coach commitment, and bottom-line mentality weakens this relationship.
Discussion
Both articles support that servant leadership positively impacts organizational commitment, especially when a bottom-line mentality is absent. This is in line with the question of how servant leadership impacts the satisfaction of employees in sports organizations. By improving leader effectiveness and promoting a positive organizational culture, servant leadership creates a sense of commitment among employees.
However, one limitation of these studies is that they only focused on specific types of employees in sports organizations, such as interscholastic sports administrators, coaches, and NCAA Division I head coaches. Therefore, the results may need to be more generalizable to other sports organizations or employees. Additionally, future research should explore the mechanisms through which servant leadership influences organizational commitment, such as through trust, communication, and empowerment.
Conclusion
After reviewing these five articles, it is clear that servant leadership is a critical leadership style that significantly impacts the effectiveness of coaches, administrators, and employees in the sports industry. Lee, Kim, and Cho (2018) found that servant leadership positively impacts organizational culture and job satisfaction in fitness clubs. Servant leaders who prioritize the needs of their employees can create a positive and supportive work environment that promotes job satisfaction and commitment. Similarly, Robinson, Magnusen, Neubert, and Miller (2021) found that servant leadership positively affects leader effectiveness and political skill among interscholastic sports administrators and coaches. This highlights the importance of servant leaders who focus on the needs of their team and prioritize collaboration and teamwork to achieve success. Robinson, Kim, Magnusen, and Neubert (2021) found that bottom-line mentality can buffer between athletic director servant leadership and coach commitment. This highlights the importance of servant leaders who prioritize the well-being and development of their coaches rather than solely focusing on winning at all costs. According to research by Swanson, Todd, Inoue, and Welty Peachey (2022), servant leadership and cooperation benefit sports sector workers’ happiness. Because of this, it’s clear that leaders who put their workers’ needs above their own and encourage cooperation, collaboration, and happiness at work are crucial. In conclusion, Wang, Hu, Chen, and Yang (2021) discovered that servant leadership benefits female athletes’ cohesiveness and burnout and that self-identity mediates the relationship between servant leadership, cohesion, and burnout. This shows that female athletes benefit from having servant leaders who put their needs above their own to forge stronger teams and experience less burnout. In sum, the evidence presented in these five studies points to servant leadership as a crucial leadership style that significantly affects the efficiency of coaches, administrators, and workers in the sports business. A more cohesive and productive team may be achieved when the leader puts the team’s needs first, creates a good and supportive work environment, and emphasizes cooperation and teamwork.
References
Lee, K., Kim, Y., & Cho, W. (2018). A study on the relationship between servant leadership, organizational culture, and job satisfaction in fitness clubs. Sport Mont, 16(3), 43-49.
Robinson, G. M., Magnusen, M. J., Neubert, M., & Miller, G. (2021). Servant leadership, leader effectiveness, and the role of political skill: A study of interscholastic sports administrators and coaches. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(2), 291-303.
Robinson, M., Kim, J. W., Magnusen, M., & Neubert, M. (2021). Win-At-All-Costs? Exploring Bottom-line Mentality as a Buffer between Athletic Director Servant Leadership and Coach Commitment. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 13(1), 2.
Swanson, S., Todd, S., Inoue, Y., & Welty Peachey, J. (2022). Leading for multidimensional sports employee well-being: the role of servant leadership and teamwork. Sport Management Review, 25(5), 748-770.
Wang, Y. S., Hu, H. Q., Chen, Z., & Yang, Y. (2021). How servant leadership impacts the cohesion and burnout of female athletes and how self-identity intermediate the association between servant leadership, cohesion, and burnout. Revista de Psicología del Deporte (Journal of Sport Psychology), 30(1), 204-217.
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