Servant leadership approach and employee performance in Tanzania Teachers’ Union in Dar es Salaam

The study assessed the application of the Servant Leadership Approach (SLA) on employee performance at the Tanzania Teachers Union (TTU). Specif­ically, it tested TTU employees’ understanding of the application and association of SLA on employee performance improvement. The study used a descriptive de­sign to analyse the characteristics of TTU leaders, servant leadership traits, and their impact on employee performance. Structured and unstructured question­naires, interviews, observation and documentary reviews were used to collect data. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 21) enabled the descriptive analysis of the data collected. The results indicated that TTU employees under­stand SLA and its associated traits well. Equally, TTU leaders apply several serv­ant leadership strategies in running their offices. Leaders empower subordinates through task delegations, staff training and development programs, and the sharing of information through different digital platforms including WhatsApp groups. TTU fosters ethical conduct and has a code of ethics that is adhered to by all TTU employees. TTU’s Council enhances participatory decision-making at the micro and macro levels. This study further revealed a direct relationship between the SLA and employee performance by increasing work morale, reducing service time out period, increasing service quality, and enhancing service culture. TTU can in­crease its employees’ performance through an SLA by providing training programs for TTU leaders regarding servant leadership traits. Against this backdrop, TTU is recommended to promulgate a leadership policy emphasising using the SLA to serve its members properly.