2.5. THEORIES RELATED TO THE STUDY
2.5.1. Servant Leadership Theory
Most of the policy makers and administrators want to provide service to the local communities, however, the “how to do it” part as a servant leader becomes a problem for them. Effective service delivery in municipalities, such as Greater Giyani Municipality, is dependent on the type of leadership that the manager demonstrates in their area of responsibility. Both policy makers and administrators need to apply Servant Leadership theory to enhance actual delivery of services in the Greater Giyani Municipality. According to Chinomona (2013), many people want to be seen as servant leaders, but the requirements for an individual to be considered a servant leader makes it impossible for all leaders to be servant leaders. Personal integrity and service to others, including communities, are key to Servant leadership. Such leaders put their own interests aside for the benefit of their people. Due to its emphasis on providing services to people, the Servant Leadership theory is most applicable to public institutions such as municipalitiesOrganizations that emphasize need fulfilment (such as local government) may choose servant leadership as their preferred leadership style for managers (Van Dierendonck, Daan, Boersma, de Windt, & Alkema, 2014). According to Northouse (2009), servant leadership is a style of leadership with significant self-sacrificing and ethical undertones that requires leaders to be aware of and empathize with their followers' needs. Leaders should look after their followers by ensuring that they become better, smarter, freer, happier, healthier and more self-reliant so that they might become servant leaders themselves (Northouse, 2009).
According to Greenleaf (1998:47), Servant theory of leadership is “a multidimensional leadership theory that starts with a desire to serve, followed by intent to lead and develop others, to ultimately achieve a higher purpose objective to the benefit of individuals, organisation and society”. The key emphasis in Servant Leadership theory is on what effective leader is within their value, belief, motives, assumptions, traits and skills rather than on how they act (Frick, 1998). Servant leadership guarantees that other high priority needs are being served, the willingness, obligation or desire to serve the interests of other citizens (Greenleaf,
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1998). For instance, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years behind bars because he felt South African people were entitled to democracy. Good leaders represent others, and they become leaders of servitude. This clearly indicate that policy makers and administrators in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality should focus more on the needs of their citizens.
The competent leader knows the significance of the supporters in the leadership equation (Kjaer, 2013). In servant leadership, the ability to listen is critical (Spears &
Lawrence, 2005). Municipal leaders in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality should work to discover and clarify the community‟s will. The most effective servant-leaders are those who have developed into skilled and attentive listeners (Spears &
Lawrence, 2005). These abilities have a positive impact on the leader and followers trust. According to Rubin, Bommer, and Bachrach (2010), communities that view their leaders to care about their well-being and values are more likely to have strong levels of affective trust.
The servant-leader is good at bringing people together (Spears & Lawrence, 2005).
This provides for better community expectations management and reduces the danger of a relationship breakup. The servant-leader possesses conceptual skills that allow him or her to see beyond day-to-day circumstances and perceive the larger picture (Spears & Lawrence, 2005). Furthermore, Cheema and Popovski (2010) state that leaders who have a vision for the future and the ability to take decisive action to bring about change through persuasion and coalition building have a higher level of trust in their communities. Policymakers and administrators in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality should have foresight, a trait that allows them to forecast the future and improve service delivery by drawing on lessons learned in the past as well as current circumstances.
Local government leadership is a technique that combines collaboration and community, personal engagement in decision-making, ethics, caring behaviour to encourage community development, increase the institution‟s quality, and care (Spears & Lawrence, 2005). Leadership in municipalities is an essential aspect of the work environment and the wellbeing of the community (Gaines, 2012). In resource-strapped municipalities like Greater Giyani Local Municipality, delivering public goods requires collaborative leadership from those in positions of power and
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the beneficiaries. Servant leadership fosters a culture of shared leadership and accountability (Gaines, 2012). Gaines (2012) also emphasizes the need of collective leadership, arguing that, "a culturally superior leadership process" includes
"direction, alignment, and commitment to results". Political and administrative leaders in Greater Giyani Local Municipality should focus on communal goals, collective effort, utilization of joint knowledge, and compromise of self-interest and beliefs in order to deliver effective service to the communities.
Leaders who are servant should be promoted in local government because they are appear to be significantly motivated by the promise of bettering the lives of their constituents. This is especially true in the context of local leadership, when the leaders and the people are in close proximity. Supporting this view is Van Dierendonck et al. (2014), who argues that in terms of psychological or social distance, followers who are psychologically (or socially) more proximate to the leaders are more likely to build rapport and have a higher-quality relationship with the leader (van Dierendonck, Daan, Boersma, de Windt, & Alkema, 2014).Engaging the community can assist in sharing responsibility for the betterment of their life. The servant-leader builds community. According to Spears and Lawrence (2005), a leader perceives that much has been lost in recent human history as a result of the shift from small communities to massive institutions as the principal shapers of human life. This knowledge prompts the servant-leader to seek out ways to foster community among individuals who work within a certain institution (Spears &
Lawrence, 2005).
In South Africa's public service, the Servant Leadership idea is the most closely aligned with the public service model and the concepts of Batho Pele (People First).
Servant leadership is vital in South Africa's difficult public goods delivery environment because it inspires policymakers and administrators to act ethically, honour promises to communities, and demonstrate conceptual skills such as balancing daily labour with long-term goals (Hunter, Neubert, Perry, Witt, Penney, &
Weinberger, 2013). The servant-leader principle, when applied in Greater Giyani Local Municipality, can help establish trust, minimize self-focus, and redefine public service into genuine service via attitude and action. Leaders who focus on delivering are more likely to be trusted by their community and hence more likely to be supported. The said style of leadership is sorely needed in local municipalities.
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Gaines (2012) further argues that for municipal leaders to be influential, they should possess some significant characteristics of servant, transformational and situational leadership.