Systemic servant leadership and sustainability: a case study of servant leadership implementation through a systems lens

Cherid, H, 2025. Systemic servant leadership and sustainability: a case study of servant leadership implementation through a systems lens. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

This study explores the evolution of Servant-Leadership (SL) into a Systemic Servant Leadership (SSL) framework, addressing its limitations in navigating complexity, power dynamics, normative control, and scalability, in multinational organisational contexts. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a global values-led organisation, the study integrates Systems Thinking with SL to examine how leadership behaviours and processes adapt across contexts to enable navigating complex changes such as of corporate sustainability. It critically investigates how SL, while ethically grounded and community-oriented, can fall short in fostering analytical depth, structural adaptability, and contextual responsiveness when implemented at scale. Through a thematic analysis of interviews, documents, and organisational practices, using a systems lens, the study develops and theorises four systemic processes- Adaptive Learning, Integrative Communication, Systemic Innovative Collaboration, and Inclusive Monitoring & Evaluation- that interact with six evolved SSL behavioural dimensions- Co-creating Values, Systemic Support & Development, Shared Moral Authority, Adaptive Serving, Interconnected Community-Building, and Developing Systems Awareness. These developments respond to contemporary business emergent tensions, particularly those arising from global standardisation, values alignment pressures, and regional disparities in practice.

The SSL framework is proposed to address key limitations in traditional SL by enabling dynamic feedback, distributing moral agency, surfacing context-sensitive insights, and integrating stakeholder perspectives across multiple system levels. The research highlights that a dual transformation- of individual leadership behaviours and organisational systems- supports more equitable, responsive, and sustainable leadership practices capable of navigating complexity and driving systemic change.

Ultimately, the study offers SSL as an empirically informed, theoretically elaborated and practically applicable framework for operationalising values-led leadership in complex, evolving organisational
environments.

Item Type:	Thesis
Creators:	Cherid, H.
Contributors:	Name Role NTU ID ORCID Jalan, I. Thesis supervisor HMD3JALANI https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2098-7821 Chapple, W. Thesis supervisor SMI3CHAPPWA https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1834-8075 Vivier, E. Thesis supervisor SMI3VIVIEL https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3401-0365
Date:	July 2025
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Laura Borcherds
Date Added:	06 Jan 2026 10:28
Last Modified:	06 Jan 2026 10:28
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/54924

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