| Course | BUSI 345 Leadership Theory and Practices (BUSI345) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 5 |
| Assignment | Group Discussion Board Forum |
| Paper type | Group discussion response |
| Length | about 755 words (thread and replies). Course guide: one group response of 700-800 words to the prompt, citing at least 4 scholarly sources besides the course texts and Scripture, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 100 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 5 in Liberty's published BUSI 345 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 345 Week 5
Group Discussion Board Forum: Transformational and Servant Leadership
BUSI 345 Leadership Theory and Practices, Group Discussion Board Forum
Thread by [Student Name]
The group prompt is a composite; the group response cites real textbooks, research and Scripture.
Our group concludes that transformational and servant leadership share much, but they differ in where the leader looks first, and for a Christian leader the servant's focus should come first, with transformational practices serving it.
Two Styles, Much Shared Ground
Northouse (2016) describes transformational leadership as a process that changes people by engaging their motives, setting high expectations and inspiring them toward a shared vision. The chapter lists four components: the leader serves as a role model people trust (idealized influence), offers a compelling vision (inspirational motivation), challenges followers to think in new ways (intellectual stimulation) and attends to each person's growth (individualized consideration). Servant leadership, as Northouse presents it, begins with the leader's desire to serve and emphasizes followers' growth, healing and empowerment, along with service to the wider community. Both styles reject leadership as mere transaction, both care about followers and both aim to make people better. Individualized consideration, one of the four transformational components, even sounds like servant leadership, since it asks leaders to coach followers and attend to each one's needs.
The Difference Is Focus
The distinction is one of emphasis. Stone et al. (2004) compared the two styles and concluded that their principal difference lies in the leader's focus: transformational leaders direct their attention mainly toward the organization and build followers' commitment to its objectives, while servant leaders direct their attention mainly toward followers, and organizational outcomes are a subordinate result. The same leader behaviors, such as encouragement or coaching, can serve either focus. What changes is the reason behind them and what the leader does when the two aims conflict, which is the test the next section applies.
What the Evidence Shows
Both styles work. Judge and Piccolo (2004) pooled studies of transformational leadership and found it closely tied to how satisfied followers were, how motivated they felt and how effective they rated their leaders. The question is whether servant leadership adds anything. Hoch et al. (2018) tested exactly this and found that, unlike ethical and authentic leadership, servant leadership explained meaningful variance in outcomes beyond what transformational leadership explained, which suggests its focus on followers is more than a relabeling. The authors still caution that the styles overlap heavily, so the added value is real but modest.
Servant leadership also appears to spread. Liden et al. (2014) studied restaurants in a national chain and found that servant leaders built a culture of service within their restaurants, and that culture was linked to employees' identification with the restaurant, their job performance and their creativity and service to customers, and to lower intentions to leave. A leader who serves teaches a whole unit to serve, and customers feel the difference. A review by van Dierendonck (2011) adds that servant leadership's distinctive features, such as humility and stewardship, are exactly the qualities transformational models leave out.
The Difference in a Real Decision
The difference in focus shows up most clearly when goals and people pull in different directions. Imagine a regional sales manager whose team is behind its quarterly target while one member is caring for a seriously ill parent. A transformational leader would likely rally the team around the target, perhaps redistributing the struggling member's accounts and inspiring everyone to stretch. A servant leader would begin with the struggling member, asking what that person needs, and might lighten the load for a season while explaining to the team why the group is carrying it together. Both leaders might hit the target. The servant leader, however, teaches the team that people will not be sacrificed to numbers, which builds the trust that carries a team through the next hard quarter.
The Pattern Jesus Set
Blanchard et al. (2016) argue that Jesus models leadership that starts in the heart and asks whether the leader is serving self or others. After washing the disciples' feet, Jesus asked whether they understood what he had done, and told them that since their Lord and Teacher had washed their feet, the disciples should do the same for one another, since he had set them an example (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, John 13:12-15). Jesus certainly cast a vision and inspired his followers, which are transformational practices, but those practices served people rather than using them.
Conclusion
A Christian leader need not choose between the two styles' behaviors. Vision, inspiration and intellectual challenge are valuable, and a servant leader who never sets direction leaves followers without the shared purpose that gives service its meaning. What must be settled is the order: followers first, with the organization's goals pursued through their growth. The research suggests that this order does not cost results, and Scripture suggests it is the pattern our Lord set.
References
Blanchard, K., Hodges, P., & Hendry, P. (2016). Lead like Jesus revisited: Lessons from the greatest leadership role model of all time. W Publishing Group.
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501-529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316665461
Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755-768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
Liden, R. C., Wayne, S. J., Liao, C., & Meuser, J. D. (2014). Servant leadership and serving culture: Influence on individual and unit performance. Academy of Management Journal, 57(5), 1434-1452. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0034
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Stone, A. G., Russell, R. F., & Patterson, K. (2004). Transformational versus servant leadership: A difference in leader focus. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 25(4), 349-361. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730410538671
van Dierendonck, D. (2011). Servant leadership: A review and synthesis. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1228-1261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310380462
What the BUSI 345 Week 5 instructions ask
In Module/Week 5 each group develops one collaborative response to the prompt in the Group Discussion Board Forum, worth 100 points, while each member also posts an individual Forum 3 thread. Readings are chapters 8 and 9 of Northouse, on transformational and authentic leadership, and chapters 17 through 20 of Lead Like Jesus Revisited, plus a lecture video. The group response must run 700 to 800 words in current APA format and contain at least four scholarly references besides Northouse, the Lead Like Jesus text and Scripture. Because the group writes one response, members must agree on a position and divide the research, then edit the response into a single voice before posting.
How this BUSI 345 Week 5 example is built
Comparison drives the structure: shared ground first, then the key difference, then the evidence and a conclusion. A brief paragraph defines each style using Northouse's chapters. The difference is stated as a matter of focus, following an article that compared the two styles directly. Three studies test whether the difference matters in practice, one on transformational leadership's outcomes, one meta-analysis on servant leadership's added value and one on serving culture in a restaurant chain. Scripture, chiefly Jesus washing the disciples' feet, supports the group's conclusion that a Christian leader can use transformational practices while keeping a servant's focus. Each member's research is woven into one argument.
BUSI 345 Week 5 grading rubric: where the points go
The group forum is graded on how well the response answers the prompt with course concepts from both textbooks, whether it stays within 700 to 800 words, and whether it brings in four or more scholarly sources besides the two texts and Scripture, formatted in current APA style. Because it is a group product, instructors also look for a single coherent argument rather than separate sections stitched together. A response that compares the two styles precisely, supported by research rather than general impressions, earns more than one that simply praises servant leadership. Scripture should be integrated where it informs the comparison, and the conclusion should take a clear position. Groups that cite the same study twice under different headings, or contradict themselves between sections, signal that the parts were never reconciled.
BUSI 345 Week 5 help: mistakes that cost points
Agree on your group's position early, then assign each member one or two sources to find and summarize. Use Northouse's definitions so the comparison is precise. Look for articles that compare the two styles directly, as well as meta-analyses that test their effects. Let one member write the draft and a second revise it, so the post sounds like a single author. Watch the 800-word ceiling; a comparison invites long lists, so keep only the points that change your conclusion. Place Scripture where it decides something, such as what the leader attends to first. Check that every source cited in the paragraphs appears in the reference list. Before the group posts, read the response aloud together; awkward transitions between members' sections show up immediately.
Related BUSI 345 sample papers
Other BUSI 345 weeks
- BUSI 345 Week 1: Forum 1 Thread
- BUSI 345 Week 2: Forum 1 Replies
- BUSI 345 Week 3: Leadership Paper Bibliography
- BUSI 345 Week 4: Forum 2 Replies
- BUSI 345 Week 6: Forum 3 Replies
- BUSI 345 Week 7: Leadership Philosophy Paper
- BUSI 345 Week 8: Forum 4 Replies
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BUSI 345 Week 5 questions, answered
What is the BUSI 345 Group Discussion Board Forum?
A collaborative forum in Module/Week 5, worth 100 points, in which each group posts one 700 to 800 word response with four scholarly references plus the textbook and the Bible.
Where can I find a free BUSI 345 Week 5 sample paper?
Scroll to the full BUSI 345 Week 5 group response comparing transformational and servant leadership, with four studies, Northouse and Scripture. It runs about 720 words.
What is the main difference between transformational and servant leadership?
Transformational leaders focus first on the organization's goals and inspire followers toward them, while servant leaders focus first on followers' growth and well-being, trusting results to follow.
Is servant leadership more effective than transformational leadership?
A meta-analysis found servant leadership explained some outcomes beyond transformational leadership, but both styles are associated with positive results. Context and follower needs still matter.
What else is due in BUSI 345 Module/Week 5?
Each student's Forum 3 thread is due alongside the group response, after chapters 8 and 9 of Northouse, chapters 17 to 20 of Lead Like Jesus Revisited and the module/week's recorded lecture.
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