Introduction
Thank you for the opportunity to read your thoughts on the leadership theories applicable to the healthcare setting. I noticed that the leadership styles you selected, namely servant and transformational leadership, are both based on the empowerment of the followers and the facilitation of their contribution to the organization. Therefore, both fit the healthcare organization since the contribution of each member of the interdisciplinary team is essential to deliver reliable, timely, high-quality, and safe evidence-based care.
Discussion
The issues related to the servant leadership theory that you highlighted are correlated with the Christian worldviews, which enhances the potential of this approach to meet the requirements of healthcare organizations. Research shows that “servant leadership is a holistic leadership approach that engages followers in multiple dimensions (e.g., relational, ethical, emotional, spiritual), such that they are empowered to grow into what they are capable of becoming (Eva et al., 2019, p. 112). Furthermore, this type of leadership pertains to the leader’s values and ethical beliefs, which they aim to develop in their followers (Eva et al., 2019, p. 112). Thus, this theory implies that only a leader with high moral standards, compassion, and communication skills might be able to instill a culture of values and ethicality.
Conclusion
Your comparison of the servant leadership theory with the transformational approach is very insightful since it identifies the role of a leader as a distinctive feature. Indeed, while a servant leader is selfless in motivating teams, a transformational leader uses their personality to encourage others to follow their example. Moreover, researchers state that both transformational and servant leadership theories are particularly important for organizational learning (Xie, 2020, p. 220). Since continuous learning and performance improvement are essential for patient care, both transformational and servant leadership approaches might meet the needs of such an entity.
References
Eva, N., Robin, M., Sendjaya, S., Van Dierendonck, D., & Liden, R. C. (2019). Servant leadership: A systematic review and call for future research. The Leadership Quarterly, 30(1), 111-132. Web.
Xie, L. (2020). The impact of servant leadership and transformational leadership on learning organization: A comparative analysis. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(2), 220-236. Web.