Servant Leadership in Japan: A Validation Study of the Japanese Version of the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS-J)

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop and validate a Japanese version of the Servant Leadership Scale and to clarify the relationship between servant leadership (SL) and well-being among Japanese workers. Methods After the Japanese version of the SLS (SLS-J) and of its short form (SLS-J-short) were developed in conformity with the guidelines ( Wild et al., 2005 ), a web-based survey was administered to 516 Japanese employees (20 or older and have a supervisor). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to evaluate a construct validation of the SLS-J and the SLS-J-short. Convergent validity was estimated with theoretically related constructs (e.g., transformational leadership, supervisory support, and interpersonal justice) and potential consequences of SL (e.g., affective commitment, work engagement, job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), psychological distress, and work performance). Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) using the test-retest method was conducted with 104 of the initial respondents to assess internal consistency reliability. Additionally, the effects of SL on employees’ work engagement and the mediating role of employees’ affective commitment were estimated. Results CFA confirmed that an eight-factor model (SLS-J) and a five-factor model (SLS-J-short) had the most satisfactory fits for the two scales with Japanese workers. Tests of convergent validity and reliability showed sufficiency for each of the dimensions of SLS-J and SLS-J-short. Additionally, it was revealed that SL has an impact on employees’ work engagement through a mediation of affective commitment at a cross-sectional level, and the indirect association between SL and work engagement via affective commitment remained afterward. Conclusion SLS-J and SLS-J-short were confirmed to have good reliability and validity for Japanese workers. Also, this study found that SL has an important role in enhancing the engagement of workers.

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“…Concerning servant leadership, subscales of empowerment showed the greatest associations for both HCWs and non-HCWs. Empowerment in leadership was defined as a motivational concept aimed at fostering a pro-active, self-confident attitude among followers and giving them a sense of personal power by encouraging self-directed decision making, information sharing, and coaching for innovative performance [ 24 ]. In Japan, leaders who can empower their team members also facilitate PS.…”

“…Servant leadership was measured with the Japanese short version of the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS-J) [ 24 ] evaluating the employees’ supervisors. This scale includes six items measuring empowerment (leader side), three items measuring humility (servant side), three items measuring standing back (servant side), three items measuring stewardship (leader side), and three items measuring authenticity (servant side) on a six-point Likert scale.…”

The Survey Measure of Psychological Safety and Its Association with Mental Health and Job Performance: a Validation Study and Cross-Sectional Analysis

“…Servant leadership was measured by the Japanese short version of the Servant Leadership Survey (SLS-J) 17 , evaluating the employees' supervisor. This scale has six items for empowerment (leader side), three items for humility (servant side), three items for standing back (servant side), three items for stewardship (leader side), and authenticity (servant side), on a six-point Likert scale.…”

“…In relation to servant leadership, subscales of empowerment showed the greatest associations in both HCWs and non-HCWs. The empowerment in leadership was defined as a motivational concept aimed at fostering a pro-active, self-confident attitude among followers and giving them a sense of personal power by encouraging self-directed decision making, information sharing, and coaching for innovative performance 17 . In Japan, leaders who can empower their team members may be likely to be leader with PS.…”

Overcoming the Fukushima Wastewater Crisis: What the Japanese Authorities Could Do to Address Opposing Views

“…One way of identifying potential servant leaders is through a psychometric test called the Servant Leadership Survey. This survey, which has been adapted and validated in Japan (Kobayashi et al 2020), covers eight main facets: empowerment, stewardship, accountability, courage, humility, standing back, authenticity, and forgiveness.…”