Servant-leadership! Where did it come from?!

Probably everyone is aware of the expression of servant-leadership. And it might be self-explanatory already, right? Honestly, whenever someone says that Scrum Masters are servant leaders, I feel proud of myself. Because I was a Scrum Master at that time!

Then, after a long time, I wondered where that servant-leadership came from. Who invented it? And why? I started my research until I found very useful insights that talk about the evolution of leadership throughout the years and centuries. Not only that information important to know about leadership’s history, but also, more importantly, to understand the new leadership dynamics as I’ll explain later in this article.

Let’s explore the 4 major eras in leadership. Trait, Behavioral, Situational, and the New Leadership eras.

Trait Era (1840s – 1940s):

Great Man Theory (1840s)

• The core belief is leaders are born, neither made nor trained. So, whether someone was born with a unique set of skills to be an effective leader or not.

Trait (1930s – 1940s)

• Trait theory has evolved from the Great Man theory. It was said that leaders can be born or made. So, the traits of effective leaders can be inherited, or transformed to people during training and practicing.

Behavioral Era (1940s – 1950s):

Behavioral Theory

• Evolved from trait theory and its core belief that leaders are made more than being born as leaders. And anyone can learn about leaders’ behavior to be one of them. That theory focuses on the leader’s behavior more than his characteristics.

Situational Era (1960s – 1990s):

Contingent and Situational Theories

• It was realized that different factors contribute to leader-follower relationships like the environment, industry, or type of work. It focuses on leadership in certain situations rather than the traits or behaviors of the leader. So, leaders must assess the situation and choose which style should be used to fit with that situation. For instance, if the team is full of experts, the leader will follow a democratic approach. If the leader is the most knowledgeable person in the group, he will use power, authority, etc.

New leadership Era (1990s - present):

Previous traditional theories of leadership, which view it as a one-way process with distinct leaders and followers, have become outdated. The complexity of modern challenges like rapid change, technological innovation, and globalization requires a new approach. This recognizes the dynamic interactions among leaders, followers, situations, and systems, emphasizing the latent leadership abilities of followers.

Transactional and Transformational Theories

• Transformational leadership is when leaders inspire and motivate followers, used when organizations need to change or go in a new direction. It's crucial in today's fast-paced tech industry where innovation and agility are key. It gave rise to methodologies like Lean and Agile to help cope with the fast pace of change and complexity.

Collaborative, Shared, and Collective Theory

• Thanks to the transactional theories, that opened the door for more styles to be developed. According to collaborative, shared, and collective theories, success in an organization is more dependent on coordinative leadership practices distributed throughout the organization rather than the actions of a few individuals at the top.

Servant-Leadership

• It was originally introduced in the 1970s by Robert K. Greenleaf but wasn’t so popular then. Now, after the big shift in leadership dynamics throughout the years, especially in the last couple of theories, servant leadership has become more popular. Servant leaders seek to support their team members and are most concerned with serving people first.

Inclusive-Leadership

• A recently emerged style where leaders value and respect the diversity of their team members. They actively involve everyone, regardless of differences, in decision-making and problem-solving. This approach fosters a sense of belonging, encourages diverse perspectives, and promotes fairness and equity within the organization.

Complexity

• Complexity leadership is about dealing with the complexities of modern organizations. It values adaptability, collaboration, and learning from experiences at all levels. It encourages trying new things to solve complex problems effectively. This theory looks at the whole picture, considering how different parts of a social system interact with each other.

After knowing how leadership evolved, the answer to my question above is finally revealed!

Also, I became certain that evolution happened just to cope with the fast-paced and complex world that we live in now. So, learning and practicing these styles isn’t optional anymore. And that old believe that a leader has to know all the answers shouldn’t exist anymore.

Another important secret that I was able to uncover. Finally, I understand why in Scrum Guide 2020 Scrum Master role has been rephrased from “servant leader” to “true leader who serves the team, PO, and the org…”!

It wasn’t a big change for me earlier, but now I can see a big difference. And yes, it is worth that change!

Servant leadership is just a specific leadership style, but not the only one out there. Dictating a specific leadership style for SM was just a limitation more than a gift.

Specifying that SM is a true leader means, he is a skillful leader who is aware of different leadership styles and knows when to use them while considering all framework roles and constraints. Also, it’s extensible for the future. In case a new leadership style has emerged, we don’t want an updated version of the Scrum Guide to mention that explicitly.

At the end, whether you are an SM or not, understanding the different styles of leadership is crucial for you and your team’s success. Maybe you can mix some and introduce a brand-new one ;)

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