Moral Development: The Conceptualisation of Servant Leadership Moral Compass

There is an increase in the study of servant leadership due to its moral and service dimensions. However, research on the moral dimension is inadequate. Hence, this study explored the moral dimension of servant leadership, emphasising the need for moral development (MD) practices in business organisations. The study is underpinned by the ethics of justice theory and three normative ethical theories. To conceptualise the leadership-focused moral model, or servant leadership moral compass (SLMC), elements from servant leadership measurement scales and moral philosophical theories were reviewed and synthesised. The core result shows that servant leaders must be virtuous and make justifiable decisions that yield ethical outcomes. SLMC aims to enable practitioners to discuss ethical behaviours and promote MD.