Applying Servant Leadership to Bloom's Taxonomy

Servant Leadership and Bloom’s Taxonomy

Introduction

           Servant leadership is a leadership style that “emphasizes that leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Servant leaders put followers first, empower them, and help them develop their full personal capacities” (Northouse, 2018, p. 227). It is important for leaders following this model to understand Bloom’s Taxonomy when developing their followers as well as themselves. Bloom’s Taxonomy is used to “stratify learning activities into different cognitive levels… [it] has been adopted as a valuable tool for examining students’ learning and to classify examination questions based on the cognitive levels and skills are attempting to assess” (Zaidi, Nikki B et al., 2017, p. 456). While there are a total of six cognitive skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy, this article will look at only the first three and how servant leadership applies to those three.

Discussion

Servant Leadership

           Servant leadership is a model that may seem counterintuitive at first and may be difficult for some to grasp. It can be easy to fall into the mindset of “do as I tell you because I am the boss”. However, we should strive to practice servant leadership because it is what we have been called to do. There are clear examples of servant leadership within the Bible. Jesus himself stated,

“You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not b so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45, ESV).

In this passage Jesus clearly tells the disciples in order to lead they must serve. “Leadership among God’s people should be characterized by serving the people and acting for their best interest” (The ESV Study Bible, 2008, p. 1916).

Knowledge

           “Knowledge is the foundational cognitive skill and refers to the retention of specific, discrete pieces of information like facts and definitions or methodology, such as the sequence of events in a step-by-step process” (Adams, 2015, p. 152). Knowledge is the base upon which all the other skills rest. A servant leader needs to understand his or her followers needs in order to help build a knowledge base. Dean reviews 10 principles for practicing servant leadership in his article Servant leadership for higher education: Principles and practices, principle two is “meeting the needs of others” (2014, p. 274). By identifying the needs of the follower, the leader can develop a course of action to build the followers knowledge base specific to the task(s) he or she will need to accomplish.

Comprehension

           That knowledge is useless of course if you do not understand the facts and how they link together with one another. Organizations must be able to comprehend how the world around them is changing. “[F]irms able to quickly comprehend the unique association between technology, markets and the economy are best positioned to make a swift impact in their respective industries” (“How to build”, 2017, p. 5). Awareness and conceptualization are both characteristics of a servant leader (Katopol, 2015). As a leader, you will need both of these characteristics to understand how the actions of your follower could affect the organization as a whole and vice versa, how the actions of your follower could affect the organization. These are also characteristics a leader should help develop in his or her followers. Developing followers who are able to “see the big picture” will better understand how they fit into the organization and how their role can support the overall vision.

Application

           Application refers to an individual’s ability to solve “problems by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way” (Sarfraz, 2017, p. 42). Through training and professional development leaders can help their followers acquire new skills and apply a general set of rules and facts to a number of different situations, all while operating within the overall organizations vision. Servant leaders should “foster problem solving and taking responsibility at all levels” (Dean, 2014, p. 275). By developing followers who can apply their knowledge and understand the affects of their actions leaders can start to delegate decision making to lower levels, freeing time to focus on higher priority issues.

Conclusion

           “[S]ervant leaders are ethical and lead in ways that serve the greater good of the organization, community, and society at large” (Northouse, 2018, p. 227). They should find ways to help professionally develop their followers, building their capabilities, and finding ways for their followers to succeed. If a leader helps his or her followers succeed within the organization it will only have positive effects on the organization as a whole. Leaders would benefit to remember the words of Jesus as he washed the disciple’s feet,

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:15-17, ESV).

References

Adams, N. E. (2015). Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning objectives. Journal Of The Medical Library Association: JMLA, 103(3), 152–153. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.3163/1536-5050.103.3.010

Dean, D. R. (2014). Servant leadership for higher education: Principles and practices. Review of Higher Education, 37(2), 274-277. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1465556898?accountid=12085

ESV Study Bible : English Standard Version. (2009). Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles.

How to build and enhance strategic leadership capabilities: Bloom's taxonomy can aid development. (2017). Strategic Direction, 33(4), 4-6. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1882352708?accountid=12085

Katopol, P. (2015), Everybody wins: Servant-leadership. Library Leadership & Management (Online), 29, 1-7. Retrieved from https://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1707793053?accountid=12085

Merida, T. (2015). Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings (pp 19). Nashville, Tennessee: Holman Reference.

Northouse, P. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th Edition). Thousands Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.

Sarfraz, H. (2017). Strategic leadership development: Simplified with Bloom’s taxonomy. Industrial and Commercial Training, 49(1), 40-47. doi:10.1108/ICT-08-2016-0056

Zaidi, Nikki B et al. “Climbing Bloom’s Taxonomy Pyramid: Lessons from a Graduate Histology Course.” Anatomical sciences education. 10.5 (2017): 456–464. Web