THE MEANING OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP: A QUALITATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Putra Wiramuda
S.Psi., Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, putrawiramuda@gmail.com

Abstract
Background: In this day and age, finding the servant leadership is really hard, most organization focus on bigger profits and corporate business expansion. A serving leadership emphasizing more on members’ interests face various challenges because any profit gained is used for the members’ welfare. The model of servant leadership can be adopted by non-profit organization in the field of human welfare (for example: education).

Research Purpose: This research aims are: (1) to explore the individual experience of people doing servant leadership in daily organizational life; (2) to find meaning in individual experience doing servant leadership in daily organizational life.

Research Design: The research type is a qualitative research with interpretative phenomenological analysis method. Interpretative phenomenological research consist of two steps, first, subjects will interpret their world; second, researcher try to define subject interpretation process of their world. Through phenomenology researcher try to explore the meaning of life of some individuals to create a universal meaning.

Research Question: This research have two questions, those are: (1) how is the experience of someone doing servant leadership? (2) What is the meaning of someone doing servant leadership?

Sample: The sampling technique is purposive sampling. This research take subject from those who use the servant leadership model in their organization. Data gathering will be done through semi structural interview, so dialogue between researcher and subject in exploration of subject experience in doing servant leadership up to finding meaning of said experience can occur.

Result: According to data analysis of someone doing the servant leadership, some group of themes can be seen, those are: (1) it arise from their concern about problems around them, (2) it pushes subjects to start collecting resources to start a movement for change, (3) the movement for change is vital in welfare improvement of the members. (4) So the organizational activities is not for profits but sincerely for helping members. (5) Servant leadership is shown by various attributes and traits to serve members. Conclusively, servant leadership means: (1) a leadership born from the concern of wanting to help members’ issues. (2) Leader need to directly serve members so a trust can grow, and such trust can inspire members to help and grow with each other’s. (3) The most important things to understand from Servant Leadership are to see other members as equal members of family, work honest, sincere, wholehearted, and committed to keep helping each other’s.

Keywords: Meaning, Servant Leadership, Qualitative Phenomenological Study