| Summary: | This research was conducted to explore the concept of servant leadership in Catholic schools in Thailand. It attempts to examine Greenleaf's theory of servant leadership and whether is it appropriate in a Catholic educational institution within the Thai culture. The research focused on eight schools of Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres, a Catholic missionary organisation that runs private schools. Four principals were selected by a nomination process and are called 'community designated servant leaders' (CDSLs). Another four principals were selected for comparison using match pair criteria, and are called 'other leaders' (OLs). Data were collected by shadowing each principal for a day, through semi-structured interviews with eight principals and 80 teachers in the eight schools involved in the study, and also through the distribution of questionnaires. A total of 1,150 questionnaires were distributed and 944 (82%) were returned. This study contributes to a greater understanding of the daily activities of the principals, the role of Thai religious principals and the service provided by them. A comparative analysis found both similarities and differences between the two groups of principals (CDSLs and OLs). The results from the questionnaires and interviews confirm that the use of servant leadership accounts for some of the differences between schools (e.g., principals who fully demonstrate servant leadership can motivate teachers better than those who use other leadership approaches). However, the servant leadership as practised by the principals in this research was found to be different from Greenleaf's original theory of servant leadership. This could be due mainly to the Thai culture and Catholic religion. All eight principals identified themselves as servant leaders. They all agreed that service is the most important factor for leading the schools. In this study, a new conception of Catholic servant leadership is proposed by focusing more explicitly on Jesus' teaching. A new formula and extended characteristics have been developed, since the research identified a unique combination of characteristics of both Thai culture and Catholic religion, which are: humility, authoritarianism with benevolence, heart, and Catholic values which are mercy and justice.
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