SAGE Open (Jun 2024)

The Impact of Undergraduates Servant Leadership on Their Employability

  • Xiaoyao Yue,
  • Linjiao Zou,
  • Yan Ye,
  • Ting Cai

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241260936
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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Since there are many advantages of servant leadership, such as altruistic calling, emotional healing, wisdom, persuasive mapping, and organizational stewardship, employers and human resources are particularly concerned about these soft skills when recruiting graduates. This study explores the impact of undergraduates’ servant leadership on their self-perception of employability. We utilized previously validated scale questionnaires (the Servant Leadership Scale and the Undergraduates Perceived Employability Scale) to predict the perceived employability of undergraduates. We used multiple linear regression analysis to examine the five subscales of undergraduate servant leadership. Our extensive research has uncovered substantial evidence supporting all five hypotheses presented in the paper. Five variables, derived from the five dimensions of servant leadership, were used to measure undergraduates’ perceived employability as the dependent variable. Our findings confirm that the altruistic calling, emotional healing, wisdom, persuasive mapping, and organizational stewardship dimensions of servant leadership have positive correlations with undergraduates’ perceived employability. Our findings suggest that undergraduates may be more employable if they exhibit the characteristics of servant leadership. Undergraduates should therefore be encouraged to enhance their soft skills in relation to servant leadership, and universities should consider offering courses on the topic. Employers and HR professionals may want to provide training to new employees on servant leadership to align better with the company culture. This study is the first to predict how undergraduate students’ servant leadership qualities affect their perceived employability. The findings indicate that undergraduates who exhibit servant leadership traits are more likely to have a positive perception of their employability.