Study on Afghan-Americans, Culture, and Servant LeadershipServant Leadership

8/13/2019 Study on Afghan-Americans, Culture, and Servant LeadershipServant Leadership

1/9

The Best of Both Worlds: A QuantitativeStudy on Afghan-Americans, Culture,and Servant Leadership

-Selaiman Noori


2/9

In an organization, leaders must believe in change, innovate continuously,recognize the need for transparency, and stress the importance of unity andcollaboration. In highly competitive, rapidly changing environments, caringand appreciative leaders are the ones to bet on for long-term success.

A study by Mujtaba and Kaifi illuminated how Afghan leaders have higher

scores on the relationship orientation, which relates to higher levels ofemotional intelligence and better job performance.

This research by Selaiman ooriseeks to understand whether there is adifference between those who were born in Afghanistan with regard to theirservant leadership orientation compared to those who were born in the

United States as first-generation Afghan-Americans.


3/9

Winston and Patterson provided an integrative definition of leadership bystating:

A leader is one or more people who selects, equips, trains, and influencesone or more follower(s) who have diverse gifts, abilities, and skills andfocuses the follower(s) to the organizations mission and objectives causing

the follower(s) to willingly and enthusiastically expend spiritual, emotional,and physicalenergy in a concerted coordinated effort to achieve theorganizational mission and objectives


4/9

Leadership is about behavior first and skills second. It all comes back topromoting positive expectations and having these expectations realized. It isimportant for a leader to know his or her own strengths.

Servant leaders will respect everyones opinion, even if someone challengesan organizational policy. They treat people as they would like to be treated.

Servant leaders are followed because people trust and respect them, notbecause of the skills they possess. Leadership is both similar and differentfrom management.


5/9

In the mid-20th century, Afghans began migrating to Europe and the UnitedStates for educational and professional purposes. The first wave of Afghanrefugees arrived in the United States shortly after the former Soviet Unioninvaded Afghanistan in 1979.

The first-generation Afghans who have grown up in United States are

successful in pursuing their educational and entrepreneurial dreams invarious industries.

Many Afghans have also proven to be strong leaders in their professions.


6/9

Hypothesis 1: Male and female Afghans will have similar servant leadershipscores.

Hypothesis 2: Afghan respondents who are 26 years of age and older willhave higher servant leadership scores than Afghan respondents who are 25years of age and younger.

Hypothesis 3: Afghan-American respondents who were born in the UnitedStates will have similar servant leadership scores as respondents who wereborn in Afghanistan.


7/9


8/9

Afghans seem to have a natural propensity toward servant leadership,perhaps because they have a higher need for such empathetic leaders. Orperhaps, Afghans ideologically tend to lean toward servant leadershipbecause they are more focused on relationships with their colleagues, peers,and customers.

This study focused on the Afghan-American population to better understandtheir tendencies toward servant leadership. The results demonstrated thatthe respondents scored in the high range of servant leadership orientation.


9/9

Study on Afghan-Americans, Culture, and Servant LeadershipServant Leadership

Documents

Transcript of Study on Afghan-Americans, Culture, and Servant LeadershipServant Leadership