Servant leadership and its influence on employee teamwork, workplace spirituality, organizational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment in the Zimbabwean retail sector

Abstract

The study examined the influence of servant leadership on employees’ team work behaviour, workplace spirituality, citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment in the Zimbabwean retail sector. The human resources issues, organisational behaviour and leadership challenges have been of major concern in the Zimbabwean retail sector. The challenges indicated the need for a new leadership style which can recognise the employees’ needs. Servant leadership is a concept that has garnered attention from the researchers in the past decade, whilst it requires leaders to rely on one to one communication in order to understand the capabilities, requirements, wishes, longings, desires, goals and their followers prospective that eventually bring the best from their followers. It is noted from the extant literature that, with the knowledge of each follower’s exceptional characteristics and interests, leaders can assist the followers in achieving their potential. A research gap was identified in that the concept of servant leadership was not researched and applied in the retail sector, whilst most studies were carried out in the services sector and non-profit making organisations. Hence servant leadership was researched in the Zimbabwean retail sector. Four research hypotheses are postulated and empirically tested using a quantitative survey approach with a sample data of 350 employees from the retail sector in Harare Zimbabwe. The sample yielded a 63% response rate. The results indicated that servant leadership positively influences employees’ team work behaviour, workplace spirituality, citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment in the Zimbabwean retail sector in a significant way. Servant leadership implications of the findings are discussed and limitations and future research directions are indicated. The study recommended that interest should be increased towards the development of leaders who have furtherance of followers and organisation as priority whilst setting aside self-interest.Hence, servant leadership should be acknowledged as substantial antecedent and instrument to nurture employee team work behaviour, workplace spirituality, citizenship behaviour and commitment to the retail sector organisations. Moreover the study recommended that further researches should be conducted in all industries and other areas in the country and that subsequent research should envisage replicating this study in other similar and developing countries in the Africa to allow for comparisons of results.