Exploring a model of servant leadership, empowerment, and commitment in nonprofit organizations

• Date: 01 September 2018
• Author: Howard M. Crowson,Gia R. Tatone,Bruce E. Winston,Stuart Allen
• Published date: 01 September 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nml.21311

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Exploring a model of servant leadership,

empowerment, and commitment in nonprofit

organizations

Stuart Allen

1

| Bruce E. Winston

2

| Gia R. Tatone

1

| Howard M. Crowson

3

1

Department of Organizational Leadership, Robert

Morris University, Moon Township, Pennsylvania

2

School of Business & Leadership, Regent

University, Virginia Beach, Virginia

3

Department of Educational Psychology,

Oklahoma State University, Norman, Oklahoma

Correspondence

Stuart Allen, Robert Morris University, 6001

University Boulevard, Moon Township, PA

15108-2574.

Email: allens@rmu.edu

This study examined a model of servant leadership's rela-

tionship to organizational commitment through structural

and psychological empowerment, focusing on leader–

follower dyads in a nonprofit organization. Survey data

was collected from 128 employees of a nonprofit organi-

zation in a northeastern U.S. city. After model re-specifi-

cation, a well-fitting model emerged, indicating that

structural empowerment mediates the relationship between

servant leadership and organizational commitment. More-

over, the model suggests that structural empowerment's

effect on organizational commitment is both direct and

indirect—the latter occurring through the meaning dimen-

sion of psychological empowerment. This study provides

initial support for structural empowerment being a mecha-

nism through which servant leadership impacts organiza-

tional commitment in nonprofits. In addition, the role of

meaningful work is highlighted as an antecedent to organi-

zational commitment for nonprofit employees. Servant

leaders are suggested to create structurally empowering

working environments, which support employees' stronger

commitment to the organization.

KEYWORDS

nonprofit organizations, organizational commitment,

psychological empowerment, servant leadership,

structural empowerment

1|INTRODUCTION

Nonprofit organizations face many unique leadership challenges (Herman, 2016), such as pressure

in recent decades to be “more efficient and businesslike”(Suarez, 2010, p. 696), necessitating

Received: 23 April 2017 Revised: 7 February 2018 Accepted: 14 February 2018

DOI: 10.1002/nml.21311

Nonprofit Management and Leadership. 2018;29:123–140.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/nml © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 123

substantial strategic and operational changes. Although effective nonprofit leadership shares charac-

teristics with the public and private sectors (Akingbola, 2013; Ronquillo, Hein, & Carpenter, 2012),

nonprofit organizations require an unique leadership approach as a result of reliance on donations

and volunteers, emphasis on mission over profit, lower salaries and limited resources, competition

with other sectors for talented leaders, among other factors (Herman, 2016; Suarez, 2010; Tidwell,

2005). Servant leadership has received limited attention as a potential leadership style suited to non-

profit organizations (Palumbo, 2016; Ronquillo, 2011) despite its emphasis on mission (Vaill,

1998), suitability to humane and caring organizations (Northouse, 2016), and its follower-centric

approach to achieving organizational objectives (Palumbo, 2016). Van Dierendonck, Stam,

Boersma, de Windt, and Alkema (2014) point to servant leadership's potential to address the new

challenges organizations face, including increased reliance on people within a knowledge-based

economy, which may equally benefit nonprofit organizations (Ronquillo et al., 2012).

Servant leaders are seen as unique because of their focus on service to their followers (Farling,

Stone, & Winston, 1999). Structural empowerment, in the form of information, resources, support,

and opportunities (Laschinger, Finegan, Shamian, & Wilk, 2001), is a possible mechanism through

which servant leaders may create empowering work conditions for their followers. Empowering

work conditions are believed to result in feelings of empowerment (a state of psychological empow-

erment), enhancing followers' perceptions of being able to influence work roles and outcomes

(Lucas, Laschinger, & Wong, 2008; Spreitzer, 1995). More specifically, structural empowerment

may have an effect on nonprofit employees' and volunteers' feelings that their work makes a differ-

ence both in meaning and impact (dimensions of psychological empowerment). Empowered

employees are argued to express a reciprocal commitment to their organizations (Avolio, Zhu,

Koh, & Bhatia, 2004; Wayne, Shore, & Liden, 1997). This resulting organizational commitment is a

positive and desirable outcome for organizations, including nonprofits (Vecina, Chacón, Marzana, &

Marta, 2013), associated with additional outcomes such as satisfaction with the organization, job sat-

isfaction, motivation, organization-related extra-role behavior, intentions to stay, work performance,

and lower absenteeism (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990; Riketta & Van Dick, 2005; Solinger, Van Olffen, &

Roe, 2008).

Servant leadership's positive relationship with organizational commitment has been reported in

multiple studies (Parris & Peachey, 2012). Positive relationships have also been found between ser-

vant leadership and structural empowerment (Van Winkle, Allen, De Vore, & Winston, 2014), and

servant leadership and the meaning dimension of psychological empowerment (Asag-Gau & Van

Dierendonck, 2011). However, these variables have not been explored in a single model examining

the mechanisms through which servant leadership may contribute to increased organizational com-

mitment through increased structural and psychological empowerment. Responding to Ronquillo's

(2011) call for further research on servant leadership in nonprofits, this study examines the research

question: What is the mediating role of structural and psychological empowerment in the relation-

ship between supervisors' servant leadership behaviors and followers' commitment to their nonprofit

organization?

2|LITERATURE AND CONCEPTUAL MODEL

2.1 |Servant leadership

Servant leadership has received growing interest from leadership practitioners and researchers

(Parris & Peachey, 2012), including nonprofit scholars (Palumbo, 2016; Ronquillo et al., 2012).

124 ALLEN ET AL.