Trends and Insights in Servant Leadership:  A Bibliometric Study on Workplace Outcomes

Ariel Bosquillos; Mary Ann Carranza

doi:10.69569/jip.2025.814

Authors

Ariel Bosquillos Graduate School, Bulacan State University, Bulacan, Philippines
Mary Ann P. Carranza Graduate School, Bulacan State University, Bulacan, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2025.814

Keywords:

Employee engagement, Ethical leadership, Leadership trends, Organizational commitment, Servant leadership

Abstract

This bibliometric study addresses the absence of a comprehensive, quantitative synthesis of servant leadership research focused on workplace outcomes over the past decade. It aims to map the evolution, intellectual structure, and thematic directions of servant leadership scholarship related to employee and organizational outcomes from 2015 to 2025. Using the Scopus database, we retrieved peer-reviewed journal articles in business and management that contained the terms “servant leadership” and workplace outcome-related terms in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Descriptive bibliometric indicators, co-citation analysis, and keyword co-occurrence analysis were conducted to examine publication trends, citation networks, and thematic clusters. The analysis of 15,846 cited references, of which 68 met the threshold for significant influence, reveals a strong upward trajectory in servant leadership publications over the 11 years, with a sharp increase beginning in 2017 and peaking in 2024. Co-citation and co-word analyses identify five major thematic clusters: psychological mechanisms (e.g., job demands-resources, self efficacy), leadership measurement and innovation, affective commitment and performance outcomes, authentic and transformational leadership, and ethical leadership. Across these clusters, servant leadership consistently emerges as a multifaceted construct that integrates ethical behavior, psychological empowerment, and developmental support, thereby enhancing employee engagement, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and reducing burnout. The findings consolidate fragmented evidence on servant leadership and workplace outcomes, highlight influential works and patterns of collaboration, and clarify where research activity has been most intense. This study provides a stand-alone, evidence-based overview that guides scholars in identifying gaps and future research directions and supports practitioners in designing leadership development initiatives that promote ethical, people centered, and sustainable organizational performance.

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