The Influence of Servant Leadership on Work Engagement in a Community-Based Volunteer Organization During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This case study investigates the influence of servant leadership on work engagement in a community-based volunteer organization during the Covid-19 pandemic from the perspective of followers. The major objective of this study is to determine how servant leadership influences work engagement of subordinates in a Community-Based Volunteer Organization during the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, this study aims to determine the perception of the subordinates towards their head coordinator in being a servant leader; to determine how the head coordinator of a community-based volunteer organization utilized servant leadership qualities to influence work engagement among his subordinates; to identify what servant leadership behaviors the head coordinator expressed towards his subordinates to improve work engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic; and to determine how the head coordinator's leadership behaviors influenced the subordinates' work engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic. With this, the method for data gathering was in the form of in-depth interviews wherein (8) eight volunteers from the organization coming from (4) four different barangay clusters of their town were purposively chosen. Moreover, the qualitative analysis followed Kiger & Varpio’s (2020) six-step process which included the familiarization with collected data, creating codes, identification of themes, review of chosen themes, naming and defining the themes, and producing a discussion regarding the findings. The findings of the study revealed that from the perspectives of the volunteers on the head coordinator as a servant leader, the participants are satisfied with their head coordinator’s emphasis on his effective communication skills and strong desire or passion to help others. Concerning what servant leader qualities the head coordinator utilized to influence work engagement, data revealed that the head coordinator possessed all seven of the dimensions of servant leadership. Furthermore, the volunteers expressed how the servant leadership qualities of the head coordinator influenced them and how they worked. Based on the analysis, the servant leadership qualities of the servant leader influenced the participants in terms of imitation that resulted in the improvement in their work. The volunteers observed that they were able to balance and handle their responsibilities better, and claimed that they became more adaptable. Moreover, regarding the servant leadership behaviors of the head coordinator that influenced their work engagement, it was discovered that the head coordinator had a natural sense of serving others during a crisis, motivating volunteers through encouraging words, sharing power by making volunteers lead, and recognizing volunteers publicly. Finally, it was discovered that the work engagement of the volunteers was influenced by the head coordinator’s servant leadership behaviors by the coordinator being positive, by treating the volunteers like family, and by being casual and non-authoritative. Overall, the findings suggested that the head coordinator possessed servant leadership qualities and utilized various servant leadership behaviors which influenced volunteers’ work engagement, specifically their vigor, dedication, and absorption. Moving forward, further research in other non-profit organizations using additional onsite methods to gain additional perspectives and insights is recommended.