The key characteristics of business managers in exemplary companies and the philosophy of servant leadership

Abstract

Current attitudes towards leadership and management are in line with new research about how increased focus on coaching, culture of equals and common foresight can lead to better outcomes for staff and business in general when compared to focus on giving orders and the power of few. Limited research is available on characteristics of successful companies but among surveys in this field is the survey conducted by labor union Verzlunarmannafélag Reykjavíkur (VR) about Company of the year. Servant leadership builds on freedom of staff members, clear vision and accountability and focus on listening and support of managers. The goal of this study is to investigate the emphasis of managers and leaders of companies which are among campanies that have repeatedly received recognition as an “exemplary company” by VR. Also, the goal was to investigate if and how their emphasis reflects the philosophy of servant leadership. A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing seven managers of VR´s exemplary companies to shed light on important management elements for success of the company. Key elements of respondents’ management and leadership were analyzed and elements important for the success of their companies reflected in three themes. The first theme is management as support and the balance of different roles, the second theme is staff interests and relationship of equals between leaders and staff and the third theme is foresight and active flow of information. Findings are in line with previous research about important leadership qualities linked to job satisfaction and success. Study findings also show that the management emphasis of participants reflect important elements of the philosophy of servant leadership and support previous research about the link between servant leadership, job satisfaction and business success. The findings provide interesting insight into qualities of successful managers and how they reflect servant leadership. The research contributes to knowledge in the field of servant leadership and has practical value for companies, management and staff.