Guidelines for Developing the Servant Leadership among Village Health Volunteers in Suphan Buri Province

Abstract

This mixed-methods research aimed to study the guidelines for developing the servant  leadership in providing health services among village public health volunteers. The research was divided into two phases:1)situation analysis regarding the servant leadership of Village Health Volunteers (VHVs),and 2)creating guidelines for developing the servant leadership of VHVs. In the first phase, the research focused on the leadership of village health volunteers. The sample group consisted of 291 VHVs. Simple random sampling was applied. In the second phase, the research conducted a focus group with 10 VHV leaders. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The results were as follows.

1. The VHVs tend to exhibit the servant leadership behavior in health services at a moderate level across all aspects. The aspect with the highest rating was "creating value for the community" (M = 20.25, SD = 7.11), followed by “behaving ethically" (M = 20.15, SD = 7.25), “conceptual skills" (M = 19.38, SD = 6.46), and "promoting good health in the community" (M = 19.32, SD = 6.66). The aspect with the lowest rating was "empowering community members to take care of their health" (M = 18.94, SD = 6.39). 

2. Guidelines for developing the servant leadership in VHVs suggests that a short-term training program of 3-5 days is an effective approach to develop the servant leadership. The training methods should be face-to-face as well as practice in real situations or in community settings. Additionally, evaluation methods should include assessments by the VHVs themselves, community inquiries, and feedback from public health officials. Key skills that should be developed for the servant leadership include communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving in various situations, relationship management, team building, motivation, ethical behavior, empowering community members to take care of their health, creating value for the community, and emotional control.

Public health personnel and individuals involved in the development of VHVs can apply this   model to enhance their servant leadership.