OLA Research Studies

Almost 20 Years of Research Studies with the OLA

Research Studies Conducted Using the OLA

Since 1999 when the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) was created, there have been multiple research studies conducted using the instrument providing a rich research base for the concept of servant leadership. Attached here is a document that provides a summary of the OLA studies indicating different the types of organizations and different topics studied with a summary of key findings.

Scroll down this page to review each of the studies, beginning with the most recent and going back to the original 1999 study by Dr. Laub. Several of these provide the full study for upload.

The Impact of Management’s Use of Servant Leadership Principles to Satisfy and Maintain Volunteer Workforce in a Nonprofit Organization

2017 - Hines, Carmia Sykes
Organization Type:

National Non-profit Organization – emergency disaster relief

Focus:

Volunteer vs. Employee perceptions on SL and Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant positive relationships existed between SL and Job Satisfaction. Volunteers had significantly higher OLA scores than did employees

Generational Differences in the Organizational Leadership Assessment within Religious Non-Profit Organizations along the US/Mexico Border

2017 - Lafitte, Glenn
Organization Type:

Religious Non-Profit Orgs

Focus:

Generational Differences in followers perceptions of SL and followers Job Satisfaction

Findings:

Significant differences found in followers’ perception of SL by language (Spanish speakers had higher perceptions of SL than English speakers)

Servant-Leader Boards: A Quantitative Study of For-Profit Firms in the United States

2016 - Denning, Brian
Organization Type:

For-profit Firm in the U.S.

Focus:

Board leadership

Findings:

A significant positive relationship was established between servant leadership and organizational health

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership and Employee Job Satisfaction in a Colorado Nonprofit Organization

2016 - Henning, Paul
Organization Type:

Non-Profit Organization

Focus:

Job Satisfaction – Psychometrics – validated JS Scale

Findings:

Statistically significant correlations between Job Satisfaction and Servant Leadership

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership and Faculty Satisfaction Among Faculty Members in the Council of Independent Colleges

2016 - DeWoody, Susan
Organization Type:

CIC member Christian Colleges – Faculty

Focus:

Job Satisfaction among faculty

Findings:

Significant positive relationship found between SL and faculty satisfaction

Servant Leadership and its Relationship with Core Self-Evaluation and Job Satisfaction

2016 - McCormick, Tischler, Giambatista & McKeage
Organization Type:

3 firms

Focus:

Core Self-Evaluation – Job Satisfaction

Findings:

SL predicts both Core Self-evaluation and job satisfaction. Core Satisfaction also predicts Job Satisfaction

Servant Leadership: An Effective Leadership Model for Achieving Optimal Productivity

2016 - Hodoh, Stacey
Organization Type:

For-profit Distribution Center

Focus:

Worker Productivity

Findings:

A statistically significant relationship between workers productivity scores and overall SL behavior

Exploring the Leadership Practices of Principals of Blue Ribbon Schools

2015 - Van Worth, Scott
Organization Type:

Blue Ribbon Schools in Oklahoma

Focus:

SL perceptions from teachers

Findings:

All blue ribbon principals espoused SL and displayed 3 SL characteristics; listening, commitment to the growth of teachers and building community

Leading Volunteers: Understanding Correlations between Servant Leadership Practices and Volunteer Satisfaction within a Non-Denominational Church

2015 - Harless, Jon
Organization Type:

Non-denominational Church

Focus:

Volunteer Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant correlation between SL practices and volunteer satisfaction

Perceptions of organizational servant leadership and doctoral student satisfaction with e-Learning

2014 - Nyamboli, Richard
Organization Type:

Higher Ed.

Focus:

Doctoral student satisfaction with eLearning

Findings:

A significant relationship was not found between SL and student satisfaction with eLearning

The Relationship between Servant Leadership and Athlete Satisfaction

2014 - Azadfada, Shiva
Organization Type:

Sports Teams – Iranian Universities

Focus:

Female Athlete Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant positive correlation between SL and athlete satisfaction

Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction in a Multicultural Hospitality Organization: A Quantitative, Non-experimental Descriptive Study

2013 - Wilson, Douglas
Organization Type:

Multicultural Hospitality Org

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A statistically significant relationship existed between SL and Job Satisfaction as perceived by culturally diverse employees

Servant Leadership in Mississippi Private Christian Schools: A Correlational Study of Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction

2013 - Mortan, Michele Morgan
Organization Type:

Christian Private Schools

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A Study of Elementary School Administrators' Implementation of Servant Leadership and Elementary School Teachers' Job Satisfaction in an Urban School District

2012 - Shears, Mitchell
Organization Type:

Urban Elementary Schools

Focus:

Teacher Job Satisfaction

Findings:

High performing schools had the highest mean scores in all categories of the OLA – Low performing schools had the lowest mean scores

Higher Education Leadership: Servant Leadership and the Effects on Student Satisfaction

2012 - Padron, Joshua
Organization Type:

Higher Ed

Focus:

Student Satisfaction

Findings:

No correlation found between SL and Student Satisfaction

The Impact of Servant Leadership within a US National Campus Ministry: An Examination of Effective Leadership among Millennials

2012 - Nordbye, Valorie
Organization Type:

National Campus ministry

Focus:

Millennials and effective leadership

Findings:

A positive relationship between the leadership culture style and the growh of the area (staff recruitment, total number of ministries)

Organizational Identity: An Exploration of Organizational Values and Perceived Leadership Behaviors

2012 - McNiven, Chris
Organization Type:

The Brethren in Christ Church (US/Canada)

Focus:

Servant Led Org identity and perceived leadership behaviors

Findings:

An organization may possess values that positively correlate with SL values yet behaviors may not be perceived as being servant-led. This resulted in a model of being and becoming a servant-led organization.

Servant Leadership Training and Development in Selected Evangelical Churches

2012 - McNeff, Michael
Organization Type:

Evangelical churches

Focus:

Servant Leadership Training

Findings:

A positive relationship between SL and the presence of Leadership Development programs

A Correlational Study of Servant Leadership and Teacher Job Satisfaction in a Public Education Institution

2012 - McKenzie, Roger
Organization Type:

Public Education institutions – High Schools

Focus:

Teacher Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A positive correlation between SL and teacher job satisfaction in a public school district

Servant Leadership in Bolivia: A Phenomenological Study of Long-Term Effects of a Servant Leader in Missions

2012 - Chavez, Elizabeth
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – Bolivia

Focus:

Female Servant Leader – founder of 2 universities

Findings:

The OLA and interview data confirm the presence of SL behaviors 30 and 50 years after their founding

An analysis of the Relationship Between Organizational Servant Leadership and Student Achievement in Middle Level Schools

2012 - Babb, Corbett
Organization Type:

Middle Schools

Focus:

Student performance

Findings:

Organizational SL factors had a minimal impact on school effectiveness variables

Servant-Leadership Perception and Job Satisfaction among Saudi Food and Drug Authority Employees: A Correlational Study

2012 - Al-Yousef, Baleegh
Organization Type:

Food and Drug Employees – Saudi Arabia

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A statistically significant positive and substantial relationship between SL and Job Satisfaction

Servant Leadership Practices among School Principals in Educational Directorates in Jordan

2011 - Salameh, Kayed
Organization Type:

Jordanian Educational Directorate

Focus:

SL among school principals

Findings:

SL is practiced at a moderate level

Faculty Perceptions of Organizational Leadership at Christian Colleges and Universities with Missions of Servant Leadership

2011 - Palmer, Marila
Organization Type:

Christian Higher Ed – faculty

Focus:

Faculty perceptions of SL

Findings:

SL Perceptions of faculty with fewest years was significantly higher than those faculty with more tenure

Assessing the Relationship between Servant Leadership and Effective Teaching in a Private University Setting

2011 - Jacobs, Karen
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – private university

Focus:

Effective Teaching

Findings:

No significant relationship between SL and effective teaching

Committed to Serve: A Descriptive Study of the Growing Presence of Servant Leadership Within a Non-profit Organization

2011 - Goodwin, Orenthi
Organization Type:

Non-profit organization – YMCA

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

An Examination of the CompStat Management Model on Organizational Health and Job Satisfaction

2011 - Freeman, Richard
Organization Type:

Law Enforcement

Focus:

The CompStat management method – Job Satisfaction

Findings:

CompStat does not have an adverse effect on the organizational health of police departments

Relational Leadership: A Study of Organizational Health and Clergy Within the Wesleyan Church

2011 - Bradford, Brian
Organization Type:

Pastors – Wesleyan Church

Focus:

Relational Leadership

Findings:

Senior pastors tend to view their relational leadership performance more positively than do staff workers

Correlational Analysis of Servant Leadership and School Climate

2010 - Black, Glenda
Organization Type:

Education – Canada

Focus:

Organizational Climate

Findings:

A significant positive correlation between servant leadership and school climate

Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction among Long-term Care Employees

2009 - Wyllie, Judith
Organization Type:

Healthcare – long term care employee

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant positive correlation between SL and Job Satisfaction.  Significant differences between Manager and Workforce responses

Organizational Leadership: A Study of the Perceptions of Servant Leadership Practices and Beliefs, and its Implications for a Private Christian Institution of Higher Education in Brazil

2009 - Miguel, Jose
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – Brazil

Focus:

SL perceptions in 2 Universities

Findings:

Servant-Leadership in Higher Education: An Analysis of the Perceptions of Higher Education Employees Regarding Servant Leadership Practices at Varying Types of Institutions

2009 - McDougle, Lisa
Organization Type:

Higher Ed

Focus:

Perceptions of administrators compared to workforce

Findings:

A significant difference in the perceptions of administrators and workforce on SL

A Correlational analysis: servant leadership and participation by volunteer leaders of credit unions

2009 - Gormley, James
Organization Type:

Credit Unions

Focus:

Volunteer participation

Findings:

Significant correlations were found between SL and Volunteer Participation

The Effects of Servant Leadership Behaviors of School Principals on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction

2009 - Cerit, Y.
Organization Type:

Education – Turkey

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A strong positive relationship between SL of school principals and teacher’s job satisfaction.  SL was a significant predictor of teacher job satisfaction

Servant Leadership in a Community College: A Multivariate Analysis of Employees' Perceptions

2009 - Adamson, Laurie
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – Community College

Focus:

Perception Match

Findings:

No statistically significant differences between leaders and workforce though leaders perceived higher levels of SL

Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction

2008 - Xin Yin
Organization Type:

Focus:

Job Satisfaction – Psychometrics – Reliability

Findings:

A significant positive correlation between SL and Job Satisfaction – Reliability score of .9769 for the OLA

A Correlational Study of Servant Leadership and Elementary Principal Job Satisfaction in Ohio Public School Districts

2008 - Svoboda, Sandra
Organization Type:

Education – Elementary School Principles

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant positive correlation was found between SL and principal job satisfaction 

Servant-minded Leadership and Work Satisfaction in Islamic Organizations: A Correlational Mixed Study

2008 - Salie, Achmat
Organization Type:

Islamic organizations – U.S.

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

Servant Leadership and Effective Classroom Teaching

2008 - Metzcar, Aaron
Organization Type:

Education

Focus:

Effective Teaching

Findings:

There may be a positive relationship between SL and effective teaching

An Exploratory Study of Servant Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and Job Satisfaction Among High-Tech Employees

2008 - Johnson, Lolita Regina
Organization Type:

High Tech/Emotional  Intelligence

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

No significant relationship between SL and Emotional Intelligence or between EI and job satisfaction

Influence of Servant-Leadership Practice on Job Satisfaction: A Correlational Study in a Lutheran Organization

2008 - Inbarasu, Jeba
Organization Type:

Religious Org – Lutheran (ELCA)

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant relationship between SL and Job Satisfaction

Servant Leadership: A Model for Organizations Desiring a Workplace Spirituality Culture

2008 - Herman, Rebecca
Organization Type:

Organizations

Focus:

Workplace spirituality culture

Findings:

Positive correlation between SL and workplace spirituality.

Leadership in Higher Education: An Investigation of Servant Leadership as a Predictor of College Performance

2008 - Hannigan, John
Organization Type:

Higher Ed

Focus:

College performance

Findings:

SL did not exist at the organizational level at the 5 colleges

Employee Perception of Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction in a Call Center: A Correlational Study

2008 - Chu, Hai-Wen
Organization Type:

Call Center

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

SL was positively correlated to individual’s Job Satisfaction

Second fiddle? An interpretive study of followers of servant leaders

2008 - Beaver, Shirley
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – Nursing

Focus:

The follower experience

Findings:

Multiple qualitative responses from followers

A Correlational Study of Servant Leadership and Registered Nurse Job Satisfaction in Acute Healthcare Settings

2008 - Amadeo, Carol
Organization Type:

Healthcare – Nurses

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A strong correlation between SL and RN job satisfaction in acute health-care settings

An analysis of the leadership practices of the churches of the Plymouth Brethren movement in the United States

2007 - Witter
Organization Type:

Religious Org – Plymouth Brethren

Focus:

Perceptions of SL

Findings:

The Plymouth Brethren enjoy a high level of organizational health

Servant Leadership and Team Effectiveness: A Study of Industrial Manufacturing Correlation

2007 - Rauch, Ken
Organization Type:

Industrial Manufacturing

Focus:

Employee Attrition and Absenteeism – Employee Safety

Findings:

A significant correlation between SL and a reduction in both absenteeism and attrition rates. No support for a relationship between SL and accident rates

Serving the World: A Cross-cultural Study of National Culture Dimensions and Servant Leadership

2007 - Molnar, Darin
Organization Type:

Cultural Studies

Focus:

National Culture Dimensions – Hofstede

Findings:

A new instrument is developed – the Servant Leadership Index

Servant leadership from the student officer perspective in Phi Theta Kappa

2007 - Merideth, Susan
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – student officers

Focus:

Student perceptions of SL

Findings:

SL is perceived within this organization

A Study of the Church Staff Organization's Servant Leadership Tendency and Job Satisfaction of the Pastor and of another Ministerial Staff Person in Southern Baptist Convention Churches in Tarrant County, Texas

2007 - Kong, Paul
Organization Type:

Religious Org

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant positive relationship between SL perceptions and Job Satisfaction

Star Gazers or Servant Leaders? An Examination of the Belief and Practice of Servant Leadership in the U.S. Military and a Comparison to Business Leaders

2007 - Kegler, Michael
Organization Type:

U.S. Military

Focus:

Military leader perceptions of SL

Findings:

Team Effectiveness and Six Essential Servant Leadership Themes: A Regression Model Based on items in the Organizational Leadership Assessment

2007 - Irving, Justin
Organization Type:

Focus:

Team Effectiveness

Findings:

SL as a significant predictor of team effectiveness – 6 essential themes are identified

Organizational Leadership and its Relationship to Outcomes in Residential Treatment

2007 - Bradshaw, Mary
Organization Type:

Healthcare – 16 residential treatment organizations

Focus:

Org outcomes

Findings:

A weak negative correlation between SL and successful outcomes

Servant Leadership in Religious Congregations: The Effect on Donations

2007 - Beaver, Tiffany
Organization Type:

Religious organizations

Focus:

Generating revenue

Findings:

No statistically significant correlation between SL and donations

Called to serve: Servant-leadership perceptions at a Franciscan-sponsored university correlated with job satisfaction

2006 - Van Tassell, Malachi
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – Franciscan University

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A moderate positive linear relationship between SL perceptions and Job Satisfaction

Perceptions of the evidence of a servant leadership culture among educators in the P--12 school system in the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists

2006 - Ross, Donovan
Organization Type:

Education/ Religious Org

Focus:

Findings:

There is a difference in how educators perceive the attributes of SL based on gender and enrollment . No difference based on age, ethnicity, level of education

Servant-leadership in a Catholic charities agency: A case study

2006 - McCann, Robert
Organization Type:

Religious Org/ Non-profit

Focus:

Employee perceptions of SL

Findings:

Exploring social enterprise organizational climate and culture

2006 - Klamon, Virginia
Organization Type:

Social Enterprise organizations

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

Enterprise members co-create healthy organizational environments.

Stepping out of the shadow: The leadership qualities of successors in family business

2006 - Cater, John
Organization Type:

6 – Family Businesses

Focus:

Leadership Succession

Findings:

Differing perceptions are presented

Servant leadership: A quantitative study of the perceptions of employees of a Christian-based, for-profit organization

2006 - Arfsten, Debra
Organization Type:

Religious Org

Focus:

Employee perceptions of SL

Findings:

No significant differences in response based on gender and number of years in the organization

Servant leadership in public schools: A case study

2006 - Anderson, Jason
Organization Type:

Education – Public Schools (K-12)

Focus:

Employee perceptions of SL

Findings:

A SL’s behavior positively impacts the health of the school organization

Servant-leadership and job satisfaction: A correlational study in Texas Education Agency Region X public schools

2005 - Miears, Larry
Organization Type:

Education

Focus:

Job Satisfaction – Psychometrics for OLA Ed. Version

Findings:

The OLA Ed. Version shows the same strong internal reliability as the original OLA. SL leads to higher teacher satisfaction

Can Servant-Leaders be Safety Indicators? Development and Test of a Model Linking Servant-Leadership to Occupational Safety

2005 - Krebs, Kristen
Organization Type:

Large pharmaceutical organization

Focus:

Org Safety – workers propensity to actively care for safety and promote safe behaviors

Findings:

SL is predictive of actively caring. SL significantly influenced accidents directly.

A Correlation of Servant Leadership, Leader Trust and Organizational Trust

2005 - Joseph & Winston
Organization Type:

Focus:

Organizational and Leader Trust – with OLA and the Organizational Trust Inventory (OTI)

Findings:

SL correlated positively with both leader trust and organizational trust

Servant Leadership and the Effectiveness of Teams

2005 - Irving, Justin
Organization Type:

17 – organizations

Focus:

Team Effectiveness

Findings:

A statistically significant and positive correlation was found between SL and Job Satisfaction when analyzed in reference to team effectiveness

Servant leadership in higher education: Exploring perceptions of educators and staff employed in a university setting

2005 - Iken, Stacie
Organization Type:

Higher Ed – private Christian university

Focus:

Perceptions of SL

Findings:

Length of employment did not significantly impact perceptions of SL

A correlational analysis of servant leadership and job satisfaction in a religious educational organization

2005 - Anderson, Kelly
Organization Type:

Education/Religious Org – LDS Church

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A strong correlation exists between individual Job Satisfaction and perceptions of SL

Defining Servant Leadership: A Recommended Typology for Servant Leadership Studies

2004 - Laub, Jim
Organization Type:

Focus:

Findings:

Defining of SL terms

Servant leadership qualities of principals, organizational climate, and student achievement: A correlational study

2004 - Lambert, Wendy
Organization Type:

Education – Florida School Districts

Focus:

student achievement – school climate

Findings:

A significant relationship between SL of secondary school principals and gains in student achievement. An even stronger relationship between SL and school climate

Employee perceptions of servant leadership: Comparisons by level and with job satisfaction and organizational commitment

2004 - Drury, Sharon
Organization Type:

Higher Ed

Focus:

Job Satisfaction – Org Commitment

Findings:

A statistically signifiant gap exists between perceptions of SL by different levels of employees – A significant positive and substantial relationship between SL and Job Satisfaction – A statistically significant inverse relationship between SL and Org Commitment

Law enforcement leaders and servant leadership: A reliability study of the organizational leadership assessment

2003 - Ledbetter, Stephe
Organization Type:

Law Enforcement

Focus:

Servant Leadership and ComStat program – Psychometrics – Reliability

Findings:

Confirmed reliability of the OLA

From Paternalism to the Servant Organization

2003 - Laub, Jim
Organization Type:

Focus:

Accuracy study for Org Health Level descriptions

Findings:

OLA founcational concepts (APS and PAC models, Org Health Level descriptions)

Perspectives of servant-leadership and spirit in organizations

2003 - Horsman, John
Organization Type:

34 Multiple Organizations

Focus:

Spirit in Orgs – Psychmetrics

Findings:

A significant relationship was found between personal dimensions of spirit and servant leadership

Organizational servant leadership and its relationship to secondary school effectiveness

2003 - Herbst, Joel
Organization Type:

Education – secondary schools

Focus:

Student Achievement

Findings:

Positive relationships found between SL and student achievement

The relationship of perceived servant leadership and job satisfaction from the follower's perspective

2003 - Hebert, Sherri
Organization Type:

12 Organizations (public and private)

Focus:

Job Satisfaction

Findings:

A significant relationship between perception of SL and Job Satisfaction

Servant Leadership Characteristics in a Health Care Organization, and the Relationship with Leader-Member Exchange (LMX)

2003 - Freitas. F.M.
Organization Type:

Healthcare – Hospital

Focus:

LMX relationship

Findings:

A high correlation between all six subscales of the OLA and the LMX-7 instrument

The perception of servant leadership characteristics and job satisfaction in a church-related college

2002 - Thompson, Robert
Organization Type:

Christian Higher Ed

Focus:

Job Satisfaction – Psychmetrics – validated JS Scale

Findings:

The perception of SL (OLA) positively impacts Job Satisfaction – validated the OLA Job Satisfaction scale

Spiritual orientation of a leader and perceived servant leader behavior: A correlational study

2002 - Beazley, Debra
Organization Type:

TDIndustries – Construction Org

Focus:

Spirituality in Orgs

Findings:

The correlated dimension of spirituality is positively significant and influential to SL behavior

Servant-leadership: Belief and practice in women-led businesses

2000 - Braye, Ruby
Organization Type:

Women leaders

Focus:

Top female leaders compared to top male leaders

Findings:

No difference found between top male leaders and top female leaders

Assessing the Servant Organization: Development of the Servant Organizational Leadership Assessment (SOLA) Instrument

1999 - Laub, Jim
Organization Type:

40 – Multiple Organizations

Focus:

OLA Develoment – Psychometrics – Job Satisfaction

Findings:

OLA is created with items determined through a Delphi process.  Reliability of .98 with high correlation to Job Satisfaction