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Spiritual Leaders As Servant-Leaders
Dissertation   Open access

Spiritual Leaders As Servant-Leaders

Sarah Jeanne Schindele Kalinoski
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2013

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Abstract

Our human relationship with the Earth is seriously troubled. My research suggests that our primary problem is of a spiritual nature. As such, spiritual leaders can play a pivotal role in restoring the human-Earth relationship. Servant-leaders, as described by Greenleaf (1977), emerge consistently throughout the course of the human story to offer the wisdom required in each moment. In this qualitative study, I used the servant leadership construct as a framework for data collection and analysis. I interviewed a cross-section of influential spiritual leaders in northwest Florida to discover whether they are acting as servant-leaders by responding to the call of their congregations, their own leaders, and/or their higher power regarding the human- Earth relationship. Interview data was then subject to a series of content analyses, with an emphasis on similarities among leaders and their traditions. The first analysis was inductive; I used a coding process (Schwandt, 2007) to reveal themes. Thematic analysis provided insight into the participants' understanding of the human-Earth relationship and helped to organize and appreciate likeness and difference among leaders. The second analysis was deductive; I applied the work of Sendjaya, Sarros, & Santora (2008) and Barbuto & Wheeler (2006) to examine the characteristics of servant leadership among study participants.
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