Stewardship theory

Stewardship theory is a theory that managers, left on their own, will act as responsible stewards of the assets and resources they control.^{[citation needed]} 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 U.S. 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).