Abstract:

Servant leadership encompasses all leadership skills, going beyond standard leadership by grounding itself on the philosophy of "first of all: human" and "serviceoriented". Servant leadership reinforces organizational culture by “putting the soul into the work performed” (Dinçer & Finirim, 2007). Servant leadership is expected to contribute to the organizational climate where organizational integration is provided, and it will create relationships based on trust and differences in the organization. Thus, servant leadership is expected to reach from servant leader to servant person and servant government. Theoretically, differences serve differentiation while servant leadership serves integration or harmony. The diversity management in an organization with different cultural features requires harmonization of differences and thus an active use of servant leadership. While differences need to be managed in all parts of life, they gain special importance for an organization’s life because concordance and working harmony have a significant effect on organizational outcomes. Many researchers agree that there are various reasons for organizations to pay attention to differences. The first of these reasons is that certain developments in society are reflected in the workforce. For example, the profile of workers has changed due to factors such as the participation level of women in the workforce, the prolongation of the average lifespan and the increase in immigration from village to city. These developments can have a very real impact on organizations that think nothing of differences and do not benefit from the abilities and skills of people belonging to different groups. The second reason is that organizations that believe in equal rights and equal opportunities are beginning to show interest in managing differences. The third reason is that empirical findings suggest that the successful diversity management can give a competitive advantage (Özkaya, Özbilgin & Shengül, 2008).

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