The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature

This paper critically examines the literature associated with steward leadership from the Western Christian and secular perspectives. The motivation is to offer a better understanding for individuals endeavoring to apply the emerging steward leadership paradigm to organizations. The critical review...

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Main Author: Carl Lee Tolbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-09-01
Series:Religions
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/9/1187
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author Carl Lee Tolbert
author_facet Carl Lee Tolbert
author_sort Carl Lee Tolbert
collection DOAJ
description This paper critically examines the literature associated with steward leadership from the Western Christian and secular perspectives. The motivation is to offer a better understanding for individuals endeavoring to apply the emerging steward leadership paradigm to organizations. The critical review process was determined as the best method to cultivate direct and indirect literature across multiple diverse domains. Over 1000 sources were examined, resulting in over 400 coded themes creating the foundation of the critical review. During the critical coding appraisal of the literature, four concentrated themes were identified: “steward” and “servant” as leadership modalities, and “mission” and “stakeholder” from a stewardship governance perspective. The identified themes led to the natural creation of a conceptual filter tool, allowing the literature to be more easily identified and sorted based on organizational utility. The literature’s narrative reflection and the normative filtering of the themes identified two key summary details. The first detail was the notion of steward and servant leadership being inescapably connected and inseparable. The second detail was that stewardship governance is a plausible remedy for agency, but agency controls are still needed based on contingency.
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spelling doaj.art-de182de42e6b4d759ef183b38742888d2023-11-19T12:46:13ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-09-01149118710.3390/rel14091187The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership LiteratureCarl Lee Tolbert0CIU Global, Columbia International University, Columbia, SC 29203, USAThis paper critically examines the literature associated with steward leadership from the Western Christian and secular perspectives. The motivation is to offer a better understanding for individuals endeavoring to apply the emerging steward leadership paradigm to organizations. The critical review process was determined as the best method to cultivate direct and indirect literature across multiple diverse domains. Over 1000 sources were examined, resulting in over 400 coded themes creating the foundation of the critical review. During the critical coding appraisal of the literature, four concentrated themes were identified: “steward” and “servant” as leadership modalities, and “mission” and “stakeholder” from a stewardship governance perspective. The identified themes led to the natural creation of a conceptual filter tool, allowing the literature to be more easily identified and sorted based on organizational utility. The literature’s narrative reflection and the normative filtering of the themes identified two key summary details. The first detail was the notion of steward and servant leadership being inescapably connected and inseparable. The second detail was that stewardship governance is a plausible remedy for agency, but agency controls are still needed based on contingency.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/9/1187leadershipstewardstewardshipservantagencygovernance
spellingShingle Carl Lee Tolbert
The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature
Religions
leadership
steward
stewardship
servant
agency
governance
title The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature
title_full The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature
title_fullStr The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature
title_full_unstemmed The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature
title_short The Anointed Steward: A Critical Review of Western Christian and Secular Steward Leadership Literature
title_sort anointed steward a critical review of western christian and secular steward leadership literature
topic leadership
steward
stewardship
servant
agency
governance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/9/1187
work_keys_str_mv AT carlleetolbert theanointedstewardacriticalreviewofwesternchristianandsecularstewardleadershipliterature
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