Jim Lemoine, assistant professor
Department of Organization and Human Resources
Despite the longstanding notion that businesses exist primarily to generate profit, more and more organizations are adopting a new vision: servant leadership, in which leaders prioritize multiple stakeholders and improve society, while prospering financially.
Research led by James Lemoine, assistant professor of organization and human resources in the School of Management, shows how major companies are using servant leadership to benefit teams, the community and the bottom line — and how other executives can become servant leaders themselves.
“Fifty years ago, when retired AT&T executive Robert Greenleaf introduced the concept of servant leadership, it was a radical idea — that leaders could act as servants, emphasizing employee development and societal improvement with profitability,” says Lemoine, a trustee for the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. “But since then, research has consistently shown that a broad stakeholder focus by leaders is the best path for business performance.”