Date
10-14-2026
Department
Graduate School of Business
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (PhD)
Chair
James Thomas
Keywords
Servant leadership, ethical leadership, ethical decision-making, trust, organizational culture
Disciplines
Business | Leadership Studies
Recommended Citation
Davis, Gregory Antoine, "A Multiple Case Study: Servant Leadership and Ethical Practices in Ethically Complex Organizational Environments" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8981.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8981
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how organizational leaders applied servant leadership to inform ethical practices within ethically complex organizational environments. Guided by a constructivist paradigm and Greenleaf’s servant leadership theory, the study examined leaders’ experiences navigating ethical challenges while balancing organizational demands with ethical responsibility. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with organizational participants and document analysis across three organizational cases. Methodological triangulation, member checking, reflexive journaling, and an audit trail enhanced the credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability of the findings. Analysis revealed six interconnected themes: servant leadership, ethical leadership, organizational culture, leader development, organizational outcomes, and ethical decision-making. The findings demonstrated that servant leadership informed ethical leadership, fostered ethical organizational cultures, supported leader development, strengthened organizational outcomes, and promoted ethical decision-making. Four mediating constructs: trust, humility, moral courage, and empowerment, reinforced ethical competence, trust, employee engagement, and accountability, demonstrating that servant leadership functions as an integrated leadership process within complex environments. The investigation concluded that servant leadership provides a practical framework for enhancing ethical leadership, fostering ethical climates, and supporting organizational success. These findings contribute to servant leadership scholarship and provide practical guidance for leadership development, ethical governance, and values-based decision-making across the federal government and other organizational environments.
