Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Potter, Mike

Committee Member

Breen, Dallas

Committee Member

French, P. Edward

Committee Member

Shaffer, Stephen D.

Date of Degree

12-12-2025

Original embargo terms

Visible MSU Only 1 year

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Major

Public Policy and Administration

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Abstract

This dissertation examines the impact of trust on the relationship between servant leadership and organizational performance in public sector organizations. Public institutions face challenges like limited budgets, public scrutiny, and the need for fairness and transparency. Effective leadership is essential, yet much research focuses on the private sector, leaving a gap in understanding government leadership, where performance is measured by efficiency, fairness, trust, and public value. Servant leadership, defined by Greenleaf in 1977, emphasizes humility, empathy, and prioritizing others' needs, contrasting with traditional authority-driven models. While it is recognized as an ethical approach, there is limited evidence connecting it to measurable outcomes. Trust is crucial for effective functioning, as it influences collaboration and commitment. However, its mediating role between leadership and organizational outcomes in the public sector needs more study. This quantitative study investigates how servant leadership impacts organizational performance through trust, using data from the 2023 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). The findings reveal that trust significantly links servant leadership behaviors to better organizational performance.

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