Mindfulness training as servant leadership development
Servant leadership research focuses on skill-building, but the underlying other-orientation that motivates serving others is rarely developed. We asked whether mindfulness training could fill that gap.
What did we research?
An eight-week mindfulness intervention delivered to 62 organisational leaders, examining how mindfulness training influences the development of servant leadership behaviours in everyday workplace settings.
What did we find?
Pre-intervention, leaders wanted to support followers but lacked the capacity to do so amid demanding workloads. Post-intervention, three mechanisms emerged: developing oneself as a servant leader (self-awareness, self-care), serving the follower (relationships, development, well-being), and serving the team (culture). Mindfulness practice enabled the other-orientation that servant leadership requires.
What was the impact?
We reframed how servant leaders are developed. Rather than teaching servant behaviours directly, organisations can use mindfulness training to build leaders' inner capacity to serve. The findings offer HR professionals, leadership coaches, and development practitioners an evidence-based, holistic alternative to traditional skills-focused leadership programs.
Article
- Urrila, L., & Eva, N. (2024). Developing oneself to serve others? Servant leadership practices of mindfulness-trained leaders. Journal of Business Research, 183, 114858