Stewardship theory explained

Stewardship theory is a theory that managers, left on their own, will act as responsible stewards of the assets and resources they control.

Stewardship theorists assume that given a choice between self-serving behavior and pro-organizational behavior, a steward will place higher value on cooperation than defection. Stewards are assumed to be collectivists, pro-organizational, and trustworthy.^[1]

In American politics, an example of the stewardship theory is where a president practices a governing style based on belief, they have the duty to do whatever is necessary in national interest, unless prohibited by the Constitution.^[2] The Stewardship approach is often associated with Theodore Roosevelt,^[3] who viewed the Presidency as a "Bully pulpit" of moral and political leadership.^[4]

Further reading

• Robinson, Randall L. The Stewardship Theory of the Presidency: Theodore Roosevelt's Political Theory of Republican Progressive Statemanship and the Foundation of the Modern Presidency (1997).

Notes and References

1. Davis, J. H., Schoorman, F. D., & Donaldson, L. (1997). Toward a stewardship theory of management. Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 20-47.
2. Web site: The stewardship theory - Presidential Power.
3. http://cronkitehhh.jmc.asu.edu/blog/2014/03/presidential-stewardship/ Presidential Stewardship
4. https://books.google.com/books?id=cYKDC_MHDqsC&pg=PA183 Constitutional Interpretation: Powers of Government, Volume 1