A Phenomenological Study of Servant Leadership within Multigenerational Teams in PreK–12 Educational Settings

Abstract

Understanding and effectively managing the distinct needs and preferences of each generational cohort represented in a multigenerational educational team is crucial for leaders to accomplish organizational goals. The problem is servant leaders have difficulty meeting the range of needs within multigenerational teams of people. Existing literature lacks adequate research on multigenerational followers’ perceptions on building an effective teamwork model through shared values. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a deep understanding of the experiences and perspectives of multigenerational school faculty members regarding PreK12 school leaders within the East North Central region of the USA. Three research questions examined PreK–12 school faculty members' perceptions of their needs being met by leaders, investigated their lived experiences working on multigenerational teams, and explored practices servant leaders can use to build shared values among them. Servant leadership served as the theoretical framework because it places a strong emphasis on meeting the needs of followers being met by their leaders. A phenomenological research design was used with a sample size of 15 that represented approximately 498,811 current PreK–12 educators that live in the East North Central region of the U.S. A semi-structured interview protocol was used, and a thematic analysis of data was performed. Insights yielded teachers have experienced their supportive work environment needs being met. PreK–12 teachers perceived that working on multigenerational teams is beneficial and that varying collaboration techniques help foster shared values within a multigenerational team.