Doctoral Dissertation Defense

Servant-Leadership
& the Prevention
of Hazing.

A qualitative case study on the role of a servant-leadership-centered approach in one Historically Black University marching band — the Blue and Gold Marching Machine.

Author
Thomas L. Jones, Jr.
Major Professor
Dr. Comfort O. Okpala
Degree
Ph.D. · Leadership Studies
Institution
NC A&T State University
01The Problem

Anti-hazing policy is reactive, not root-causal.

Zero-tolerance rules and signed pledges did not break the tradition. Punitive measures drive rituals underground, where subsequent cohorts up the ante — never touching the psychosocial needs that make students submit to hazing in the first place.

2012
The hazing-related death of Robert Champion at FAMU placed a national spotlight on HBCU band activities — and exposed the limits of punitive response.
Reactive policy · Signed pledges
Insufficient for cultural change
02By the Numbers

Rules alone did not
break the tradition.

53
In-depth interviews + 5 focus groups conducted at NC A&T with current and alumni band members.
44
States U.S. states in which hazing is currently classified as a crime.
2012
Catalyst The Robert Champion incident at FAMU that forced national attention onto HBCU band culture.
4
Data Streams Interviews, focus groups, observation, and document / audiovisual review.
03Research Questions

Four questions,
one through-line.

01
RQ / 1 · Leadership
Servant-Leadership & Hazing
How can a leadership-centered approach based on servant-leadership play a role in reducing the threat of hazing?
02
RQ / 2 · Identity
Social Identity in HBCU Bands
What role does social identity play in HBCU marching bands — in shaping in-group liking, cohesion, and belonging?
03
RQ / 3 · Culture
Organizational Culture
How does organizational culture factor into the development of hazing or non-hazing organizations?
04
RQ / 4 · Practice
Educator Response
How can college educators better understand, address, and prevent cultures of hazing within HBCU marching bands?
04Methodology

Qualitative descriptive
case study.

A single-site inquiry at North Carolina A&T State University, drawing on current and alumni members of the Blue and Gold Marching Machine, triangulated across four data streams.

1
Case Site
NC A&T BGMM
53
Interviews
Current & alumni members
5
Focus Groups
With post-session debriefs
4
Data Streams
Interviews · observation · docs · A/V
2
Eras
Pre- and post-2012 shift
Alumni now working with other band programs brought dual-era perspective across the 2012 culture shift at BGMM.
05The Site

The Blue and Gold
Marching Machine.

Site of Inquiry

A band in
transition.

Not always a non-hazing organization — which is precisely what makes it a meaningful case.
Heritage
A pioneering HBCU tradition fusing Big-10 marching fundamentals with the dance, drum, and call-and-response traditions of the diaspora.
Inflection
Following the Champion incident, the 2012 culture shift combined accountability, academic expectations, and national-stage visibility.
Emergence
The most effective student leaders began to display servant-leader qualities — mentorship over intimidation, relevance over ritual.
06Theoretical Framework

Four lenses for
interpretation.

01 · SI
Social Identity Theory
Group liking, cognitive dissonance, self-justification, and groupthink drive in-group / out-group behavior within bands.
Tajfel & Turner, 1979
02 · OC
Organizational Culture
Interpersonal forces shape group norms and thought processes — culture absorbs or repels hazing.
Schein, 1990
03 · EI
Emotional Intelligence
Self-awareness, empathy, and regulation — foundational competencies of the non-hazing leader.
Goleman, 1995
04 · SL
Servant-Leadership
Leaders who place the needs and welfare of followers above their own — and train up their successors.
Greenleaf, 1970
The Linking Pin Notion (Likert) threads these frames together — leaders who mentor leaders build cultural continuity without hazing.
07Finding 01 · Understanding

Students do not want to haze.
They want to belong.

If administrators enact policies that deny the bond-building process, students will subvert those policies to find alternate methods of forming these relationships.
Jones, 2014 — Chapter 5 Conclusion
08Finding 02 · Addressing

A context-based definition
of hazing is essential.

01
Purpose
Every activity must directly prepare the student for the performance, academic, or life demands of the program.
02
Moderation
Challenging enough to build resilience; measured enough to eliminate the risk of injury or abuse.
03
Equality
Nothing is asked of freshmen that has not been asked of the full membership — no hierarchy of suffering.
09Finding 03 · Preventing

Ten competencies of
the servant-leader.

01
ListeningAttuned to peers and new members
06
ConceptualizationEnvisions the "why" behind the drill
02
EmpathyLeads diplomatically, not authoritatively
07
ForesightAnticipates consequences across seasons
03
HealingRestores fractured relationships
08
StewardshipHolds the craft and people in trust
04
AwarenessReads the emotional climate
09
Growth of PeopleInvested in the development of others
05
PersuasionLeads through reasoning, not coercion
10
Building CommunityThe ultimate goal — not the ritual
Greenleaf & Spears — these competencies were the ones most visible in BGMM's best student leaders, and the ones most consistently absent in hazer-era leadership.
10Finding 04 · The Linking Pin

Leaders who train leaders
break the hazing cycle.

01
Identify
Mentor spots leadership potential early.
→
02
Apprentice
Future leader learns alongside the current one.
→
03
Assume
Apprentice takes the role, prepared.
→
04
Continue
Cycle repeats — and the culture holds.
By the time a student is appointed, they are prepared — and less susceptible to relying on hazing as a tool of control or conformity.
11Finding 05 · Cultural Shift

Respect is earned
differently now.

Before · The Old Narrative
Submission as the path to respect.
  • Submission to hazing as entry ritual
  • Respect conferred by suffering
  • "Old heads" as intimidation figures
  • Obedience to irrelevant activities
After · The New Narrative
Relevance as the path to respect.
  • Staying in school and maintaining grades
  • Musical and bandsmanship proficiency
  • Upperclassmen as servant-leader mentors
  • Only activities relevant to the program
12The Central Finding

Servant-
leadership
prevents
hazing.

The Central Argument
Educators must understand the psychosocial root causes of hazing, address the organizational culture that enables it, and prevent it by instilling a leadership style that elevates the welfare of others above the self.
Understand
Address
Prevent
13Implications

Four moves for educators
and administrators.

/ 01
Adopt a context-based definition of hazing.
Evaluate activities by purpose, moderation, and equality — not by appearance or discomfort alone.
/ 02
Invest in formal leadership development.
Annual retreats and structured mentorship pipelines prepare leaders long before the title arrives.
/ 03
Design rigorous, relevant new-member orientation.
Safe and legal processes that are transparent, filmable, and still challenging enough to satisfy psychosocial needs.
/ 04
Cultivate servant-leaders, not enforcers.
Train students to lead through mentorship, empathy, foresight, and stewardship — and the culture follows.
Thank You

Questions?

Author
Thomas L. Jones, Jr.
Major Professor
Dr. Comfort O. Okpala
Institution
NC A&T State University
Jones Dissertation Defense NC A&T
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