Corporate Case Studies | Servant Leadership Implementation | Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD

In an earlier blog, I spoke about the academic research I did to establish the fact that Servant Leadership does positively impact the performance and community citizenship behaviour of employees in the organisation.

My doctoral research was done in Indian NGOs

Many of us work in for-profit organisations. So the question remains, does Servant Leadership work in for-profit organisations. To find an answer to this question, I studies the leadership philosophy of companies listed in the “Fortune 100 Best companies to work for” list, compiled by the  Great Place to work Institute. I chose the Fortune list, because it ensures that the companies we are looking at are financially sound.

My studies revealed that nearly one third of the companies in this list followed some form of Servant Leadership. This might not be the ideal form of Servant Leadership, but they acknowledge some key elements of Servant Leadership.

Apart from this list, I also studied some companies that I have had the privilege to consult.

The short list of such companies is given below. This list is only indicative and not exhaustive.

I look forward to adding to this list often.

1. Chick-fil-A :  an American fast food chain, created a Servant Leadership model that now yields them successful results. Read more about it in the book ‘Servant Leadership in Action’ by Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell (Pages 34 – 37)
2. Southwest Airlines : According to Herb and Collen Barrett, the founder and President of Southwest Airlines respectively, a Servant Leader’s philosophy should be: “Treat your people right, and good things will happen.” Read more about it in the book ‘Servant Leadership in Action’ by Ken Blanchard and Renee Broadwell (Pages 183 – 188)
3. Google : “The manager has been stripped of all powers”-Work rules by Lazlo Bock, the previous CHRO of Google. Google fosters a culture that is conducive to employee development, inspiring creativity and innovation is aligned to servant leadership culture. Click on this link to read further: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-google-gets-servant-leadership-right-4-steps-your-michael-flynn/
4. “Compassion Builds Better Companies”:: LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner emphasized on the importance of compassion and how it can change one’s career path and life. Click on this link to read further: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/linkedin-ceo-howcompassion-can-build-a-better-company/
5. “Be a ‘Servant’ Leader”: Send Grid: Sameer Dholakia believes that the role of the founder or the CEO is not at the top of a pyramid structure but rather an inverted pyramid. You can read his perspective on Servant Leadership here: : https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/313475
6. Marriott: “Take care of associates and they will take care of the customers.“ Read The Spirit to Serve: The Marriott’s way by JW Marriott Jr. and Kath Ann Brown. See their values at https://www.marriott.com/culture-and-values/core-values.mi#
7. TATA Group: The Tata philosophy of management has always been and is today more than ever, that corporate enterprises must be managed not merely in the interests of their owners, but equally in those of their employees, of the customers of their products, of the local community and finally of the country as a whole.” – J. R. D. Tata : https://www.tata.com/business/tata-sons and the book “The Tatas – How a Family built a Business and a Nation” by Girish Kuber.
8. Ayayla Corporation, Philippines: To become Servant Leaders in these challenging times, I encourage young people to be authentic… : Jaime Augusto Ayala. https://ayala.com/press-room/press-releases/push-for-change-mayor-vico-urges-nations-young-leaders
9. H&R Block : We believe in the power of people helping people. Line by line, and block by block. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7065193612644405250/
10. ESAF Bank, India: Servant Leadership is the most important core value here. https://www.esafbank.com/values-brand-pillars/
11. UST:  UST started the formal implementation of Servant Leadership as the overarching philosophy in 208. Ever since, UST has significantly improved their standing as a great employer, as certified by Great Places to Work institute, Top Employer Institute, reviews in Glassdoor etc. All this while doubling their revenue in 5 years. Read about the UST story at https://ustservantleadership.com/live/

The lessons learned from these case studies is simple. Profit is not a four letter word for Servant Leaders. Results and Relationships can be balanced and the best way to balance it is to embrace Servant Leadership.

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The Author Dr. Madana Kumar, PhD, is the Servant Leadership Evangelist and Chief Consultant at Leadyne. You can connect with him here or contact him here.