Servant Leadership: The Impact on Employee Job Satisfaction in Law Enforcement

Abstract

Servant leadership is an emerging concept with little attention in law enforcement. This quantitative research study examined the prevalence of servant leadership and perceptions of employee job satisfaction in law enforcement. As Greenleaf (1977) puts it, servant leadership’s foundation is prioritizing service first. Under this premise, servant leadership increases efficiency and productivity, boosts morale, and improves job satisfaction (Allen et al., 2018; Charles, 2015; Craun & Henson, 2022; Ebener, 2011; Ebener & O’Connell, 2010). Servant leadership in law enforcement is an understudied topic, and its impact on employee job satisfaction has not been empirically examined. The data were collected and analyzed with the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) developed by Laub (1999). The research study found a strong correlation between job satisfaction and the six constructs of servant leadership; however, there were no differences in perceived job satisfaction based on tenure and education levels. The study extends the research on servant leadership and the potential to impact the law enforcement profession positively.