A Qualitative Study of Servant Leaders Attaining Positions of Authority in the Nonprofit Sector in Pierce County, Washington

Abstract

This study researched how servant leaders attained positions of executive-level authority in nonprofit organizations in Tacoma-Pierce County, Washington (WA). Nonprofit organizations increasingly need help to maximize impact in their respective communities as the socioeconomic contexts in which they work become more complex. The issues these organizations aspire to address are intertwined, which increases the demand for collaboration across sectors. Research shows that servant leaders are highly effective in these contexts. When servant leaders become executive directors of nonprofit organizations, those organizations adapt and collaborate for better outcomes in the community. However, given their effectiveness, servant leaders are less well-represented in executive-level positions than one might expect. The characteristics or competencies that lead to servant leaders attaining executive-level positions may be related to an appreciation of their servant leadership characteristics by those who make hiring recommendations, or they may be unrelated to their servant leadership characteristics and competencies. This qualitative research studied how 15 servant leaders attained their executive-level positions.