Abstract
As with most things in life, there is a time and place to reset and get back to the basics. It appears we are at that time and place with the theory of servant leadership. This chapter observes the current state of affairs of the theory from theoretical and practical perspectives. The theory is in need of attention. From an arborist’s perspective, the theory is in need of trimming, pruning, thinning, and overall care. Decisions must be made to carefully protect and nourish the roots of this theory for it to have proper structure and purpose with ongoing literature. Therefore, the intention is to attend to the theory by examining the current situation and returning to its roots to prescribe a regimen for healthy theoretical maintenance. In this chapter, a brief 3-month literature review uncovered the roots of dark leadership traits, threats of overextension of the theory, and possible misguidance or confusion of the basic theoretical foundation. While this chapter is not a one-and-done viewpoint, it is the opening of a respectful conversation about the theory itself and an invitation for scholars to join efforts in making decisions about the boundaries of this theory for the sake of refinement.
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Dean, D.J., Newton, C.H. (2022). Repairing the Theory of Servant Leadership. In: Dhiman, S., Roberts, G.E. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Servant Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69802-7_76-1
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