Episode 1 article abstract: Conflicts are ubiquitous in all life’s domain where people live and perform interdependent tasks, including convents. Managing conflicts among followers is an essential responsibility of leaders. The way leaders behave while managing such conflicts have received little academic attention; available studies have focused on business contexts. This study aimed to examine the relationship between servant leadership, and emotional exhaustion through team conflicts, and further investigates the mediating role of leaders’ third-party conflict behaviors such as avoiding, forcing, and problem-solving. Data were gathered from 453 religious sisters (followers), in 166 convents, in a Catholic Women Religious Institute mostly based in Nigeria. Structural equation modeling confirmed that servant leadership was associated with reduced team conflicts through leaders’ third-party behaviors. Further findings showed that perceived servant leadership was negatively related to emotional exhaustion through a nonforcing expression. We discussed theoretical and practical implications.

Dr. Hillie Aaldering works as assistant professor at the department of work- and organizational psychology at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Her research is focused on understanding the psychology of individuals in conflicts, both within and between groups, and especially on promoting cooperation through conflict handling and negotiations. She uses both experimental games and field studies in her research. She has published in leading journals in the field of social and organizational psychology on these topics.

Dr. Katalien Bollen obtained her PhD in Psychology at KU Leuven, Belgium (“Mediation in hierarchical labor conflicts”). Katalien works as Senior Expert at both ‘Mediation, Communication & Coaching’, and ‘Family Business Dynamics-Governance’ (Deloitte Legal -Lawyers). She supports clients in their communication and conflict skills in order towards mutual understanding and learning. Katalien is affiliated to the University of Leuven, where she teaches Negotiation and Mediation at the Faculty of Law (KU Leuven) and co-supervises several PhD students at the faculty of Psychology. Her research interests focus on conflict management with a special interest for mediation as well as third party interventions, online mediation, power, leadership & coaching in (family) business. Katalien is mediator and Fellow of the Leuven Centre for Collaborative Management (LCM). She is involved in different executive master's programs on mediation.

Innocentina-Marie Obi is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium. Currently, she is finalizing her PhD in which she investigates Servant Leadership and Third Party Conflict Behavior in relation to Religious Sisters’ Wellbeing in Female Religious Institutes. Her research interests focus on (servant) leadership and conflict management. Special interest goes to third party conflict behavior, African leadership, trust, inclusive human resource management, and wellbeing. Innocentina-Marie is a Roman Catholic Nun of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy Religious Institute, Nigeria.

Paper citation:
Obi, I. M. O., Bollen, K., Aaldering, H., Robijn, W., & Euwema, M. C. (2020). Servant Leadership, Third‐Party Behavior, and Emotional Exhaustion of Followers. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, online first edition. https://doi.org/10.1111/ncmr.12184