Date of Award
2-14-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Department
College of Business
First Advisor
Letta Campbell, DM, SPHR
Second Advisor
Larry Hughes, PhD
Third Advisor
Gregory Rodriguez, EdD
Committee Members
Letta Campbell, DM, SPHR; Larry Hughes, PhD; Gregory Rodriguez, EdD
Keywords
Direct support professionals; Human services; Intellectual and developmental disabilities; Massachusetts; Retention; Servant leadership
Abstract
This research examined servant leadership in academic literature indicating that its framework can be uniquely effective in human services, contributing to an enhanced employee experience, stronger retention, and improved service outcomes. In the human services sector for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), there is a workforce crisis of direct support professionals (DSPs) that is forecast to worsen by age-based projections (Lin et al., 2015; Pettingell et al., 2022). Turnover of DSPs in the IDD sector has remained high for a quarter century, a problem exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with DSPs leaving the workforce (Desroches & Tyo, 2023; p. 250). Coupled with increasing demands for staffing from progressively advancing service delivery expectations, this problem threatens the sustainability of essential services for people with IDD and requires multifaceted solutions.
In the context of that problem, this research considered how effective application of the servant leadership framework in the IDD sector could be part of those multifaceted solutions to stabilize and sustain essential services. Can servant leadership counter longstanding perceptions by DSPs of being unheard and underappreciated as essential workers? If servant leadership can be uniquely effective in human services, given the recognized flexibility in how servant leadership is defined, understanding the hierarchical importance of servant leadership core characteristics is critical to effective application. To further that understanding, this study addressed the following research questions.
RQ1: Which core characteristic of servant leadership, if any, is perceived to be most important to DSPs serving individuals with IDD?
RQ2: Do DSPs in different age demographics perceive core characteristics of the servant leadership framework differently?
RQ3: Do DSPs with differing years of experience perceive core characteristics of the servant leadership framework differently?
To answer these research questions, this quantitative study asked DSPs working in the IDD sector in Massachusetts to rank the following core characteristics of servant leadership in order of perceived importance: accountability, authenticity, empathy, empowerment, humility, and listening. That data was collected via an electronic survey with Qualtrics. Utilizing SPSS software (version 29) for descriptive statistics and nonparametric analyses of variance, findings indicated two tiers of core characteristic by perceived importance, based on statistically significant groupings of characteristics and mean ranked order scores. Findings and interpretations from this research contribute to an improved understanding of the hierarchical importance of core characteristics to the servant leadership framework in the IDD sector. This improved understanding can inform practical application toward a positive employee experience that enhances retention, benefits service outcomes, and supports the sustainability of essential services for people with IDD.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Timothy, "Exploring the Perceived Importance of Servant Leadership Core Characteristics by Direct Support Professionals Serving Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Massachusetts" (2025). JWU Dissertations & Theses. 28.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/jwu_etd/28
