14. Improving Health Care Organizations Through Servant Leadership

Health care managers are often absent from organizational developments in practice despite evidence on the foundational role of first line management to facilitate changes. This chapter presents contributions to servant leadership and a model for developing care processes and well-being at work based on findings derived from studies of exceptionally successful managerial work in hospital wards. Key elements in the servant leadership approach was anchoring in practice and having a sincere follower- and servant focus through continuous involvement and interconnecting values, goals and challenges from different perspectives, and the development and implementation of care processes. The practice servant leader is attentive to psychosocial dynamics and fosters humility and a community of equals. The practice servant leader uses loci of anchoring to involve staff and interconnect management and practice.