HR & organizational behavior
Servant leadership scale: definition and measure
- Concept
- Servant Leadership
- Field
- HR & organizational behavior
- Scales in the library
- 1
- Items
- 7
Servant leadership is a leadership style that puts subordinates' development needs ahead of the leader's own interests, cares about the community, and upholds ethical standards. Liden et al. (2015) validated the short form SL-7, in which each item represents one dimension of the SL-28, so the scale is short yet still covers the content. In Vietnam, the concept suits studies on how the direct manager affects engagement, creativity, organizational citizenship behavior, and turnover intention.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Servant Leadership (SL) Servant leadership (SL-7) | Liden et al. (2015) | 7 | Likert 5-point | 7 items, measured as one unidimensional construct; use when the questionnaire is already long. |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Servant Leadership (SL) · Servant leadership (SL-7)
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| SL1 | My supervisor can tell if something work-related is going wrong |
| SL2 | My supervisor makes my career development a priority |
| SL3 | I would seek help from my supervisor if I had a personal problem |
| SL4 | My supervisor emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community |
| SL5 | My supervisor puts my best interests ahead of his/her own |
| SL6 | My supervisor gives me the freedom to handle difficult situations in the way that I feel is best |
| SL7 | My supervisor would NOT compromise ethical principles in order to achieve success. |
Source: Liden et al. (2015). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Servant leadership (SL-7).
Tips
- Respondents rate their direct manager; state this clearly in the instructions for the section.
- The SL-7 is an overall scale; if your topic needs individual dimensions (empowering, putting subordinates first, etc.), you must use the SL-28.
- Servant leadership and transformational leadership are highly correlated; if you include both in a model, check discriminant validity with HTMT.
- The scale can be used with a 5-point or 7-point agreement scale.
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How does servant leadership differ from transformational leadership?
Transformational leadership focuses on inspiring employees to reach organizational goals; servant leadership makes employee development the main goal. The two concepts partly overlap, so check discriminant validity when using them together.
SL-7 or SL-28 for a thesis?
The SL-7 is enough when servant leadership is one variable in a multi-variable model. Use the SL-28 when your topic analyzes each dimension separately.
Which variables does servant leadership usually affect?
Common outcomes are employees' work engagement, job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, creativity, and turnover intention.
References
- Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Meuser, J. D., Hu, J., Wu, J., & Liao, C. (2015). Servant leadership: Validation of a short form of the SL-28. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(2), 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.12.002