King Frederick the Great – Anti-Machiavellian and Servant Leader?. Issue 2 (14th April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Langhof, Jan G.; Güldenberg, Stefan
• Is Part Of: Journal of management history. Volume 26:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 137
• Page End: 164
• Publication Date: 2020-04-14
• Subjects: Servant leadership -- Anti-Machiavel -- Frederick the Great -- Prussia -- German history; Management -- History -- Periodicals; Public administration -- History -- Periodicals; 658.009
• DOI: 10.1108/JMH-05-2019-0034
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-1348

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: This study aims to include two major objectives. Firstly, Frederick's leadership is explored and characterized. Secondly, it is examined as to why a leader may (or may not) adopt servant leadership behavior in the case of Frederick II, King of Prussia. Design/methodology/approach: The applied methodology is a historical examination of Frederick II's leadership, an eighteenth-century's monarch who has the reputation of being the "first servant of the state." The analysis is conducted from the perspective of modern servant leadership research. Findings: This study shows Frederick remains a rather non-transparent person of contradictions. The authors identified multiple reasons which explain why a leader may adopt servant leadership. Frederick's motives to adopt a certain leadership behavior appear timeless and, thus, he most likely shares the same antecedents with today's top executives. Research limitations/implications: The authors identified various antecedents of individual servant leadership dimensions, an under-research area to date. Originality/value: To the best of authors' knowledge, this study is the first to look at Frederick's leadership style through the lens of modern servant leadership.