Servant leadership as a catalyst for faculty development in colleges across Chennai
Purpose The growing need for strong leadership in higher education has drawn attention to “servant leadership” as a means to support faculty career development and build more welcoming campus cultures. Design Building on “Social Exchange and Human Capital theories, research identifies the main factors shaping faculty advancement through a refined servant leadership approach”. surveyed “142 faculty members selected by simple random sampling in a one-time study, applying ‘partial least squares structural equation modelling’ (PLS-SEM)” for analysis. Findings The most important factors that affect career progress are “Putting Needs First,” “Fairness,” and “Conceptual Skills”. results show that focusing on needs, being fair and having ideas really help people move up in their careers. When people feel empowered, it helps them get ahead. Emotional healing did not exhibit a significant influence on career advancement. Putting Needs First, Fairness and Conceptual Skill are really important. “Trust has not illustrated a significant effect on progression, but it depends on fairness, Conceptual Skill and putting needs first”. Such outcomes deepen the focus of university leadership theory while heads of academicians take clear steps to retain faculty and empower a lasting environment. Originality/value This research is innovative in the Chennai higher education context, where evidence linking” servant leadership to faculty career progression remains scarce”. Despite institutional shifts toward stronger leadership roles, little is known about how these behaviours actually drive advancement. This study takes an initial step by “examining leadership practices across various institutions in the region, focusing specifically on what leaders do (their practices) rather than what they are capable of doing (their skills), identifying the behaviours that directly catalyse professional growth” in a competitive academic environment.