ABSTRACT
Leadership theories and customer service concepts have been increasing in importance for many types of organizations around the world. Therefore, through research within the management, leadership, customer service, and communication areas, the authors developed the paradigm of Service Leadership, based on the evolution of a collective leadership mindset of an entire organization. A service leadership mindset of an entire organization will consider every employee-customer encounter to be an invaluable opportunity to improve customer service and engender customer loyalty. The following sections present a quick overview of key research areas and the ways that the findings helped frame the new service leadership paradigm. Service Leadership is the culture that empowers the organization to strategize its promises, design its processes, and engage its people in a proactive quest for competitive advantage. The challenges are great for today’s service organizations, but the opportunities for those who master the science of leadership in the service sector are also tremendous.
