Influencing Fairtrade consumption through servant leadership: Bruce Crowther’s story

TLDR: In this paper, the authors examined the role of servant leadership beyond organisational boundaries by making an examination of its role in the establishment and growth of a social movement and found that the success of the Fairtrade Towns (FTT) movement is linked to Bruce Crowther's leadership.

Abstract: Purpose This study aims to expand understanding of servant leadership beyond organisational boundaries by making an examination of its role in the establishment and growth of a social movement. Design/methodology/approach This paper’s findings are developed from four sequential, semi-structured interviews and a narrated tour of Garstang with the founder of the Fairtrade Towns (FTT) movement. It follows a theoretical framework of servant leadership (SLship) from Spears (1996; 2009). Evidence is gathered through in-depth investigation of the activities of Bruce Crowther, the architect and driving force behind the FTT initiative. Findings The findings discovered how SLship operates in a social, place-based setting to influence Fairtrade consumption. The paper argues the success of the FTT movement is linked to Bruce Crowther’s leadership. The findings presented draw and expand upon Spears’ ten characteristics of SLship. Utilisation of this framework sees Crowther emerge as a servant leader operating at a community level to influence FT consumption via the FTT movement. Originality/value The paper makes a contribution to theory by identifying the novel characteristic of servant leaders that is exploring affinity and proffers it as an extension of Spears’ framework. It also provides valuable information about the impact and importance of SLship in the efficacious advance of ethical consumerism.

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Samuel, Anthony, White, Gareth, Martin, Helen and Rowling, Martyn 2018. Influencing fairtrade
consumption through servant leadership: Bruce Crowther's story. Society and Business Review 13
(2) , pp. 170-183. 10.1108/SBR-10-2017-0081 file
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Influencing Fairtrade Consumption Through Servant Leadership: Bruce
Crowther’s Story
Abstract
Purpose: This study expands our understanding of Servant Leadership beyond organisational
boundaries by making an examination of its role in the establishment and growth of a social
movement.
Design/methodology/approach: This paper’s findings are developed from four sequential,
semi-structured interviews and a narrated tour of Garstang with the founder of the Fairtrade
Towns Movement. It follows a theoretical framework of servant leadership from Spears
(1996; 2009). Evidence is gathered through in depth investigation of the activities of Bruce
Crowther, the architect and driving force behind the Fairtrade Towns initiative.
Findings: The findings discover how servant leadership operates in a social, place-based
setting to influence Fairtrade consumption. The paper argues the success of the Fairtrade
Towns Movement is linked to Bruce Crowther’s leadership. The findings presented draw and
expand upon Spears’ ten characteristics of servant leadership. Utilisation of this framework
sees Crowther emerge as a servant leader operating at a community level to influence
Fairtrade consumption via the Fairtrade Towns Movement.
Originality/value: The paper makes a contribution to theory by identifying the novel
characteristic of Servant Leaders that is exploring affinity and proffers it as an extension of
Spears framework. It also provides valuable information about the impact and importance of
Servant Leadership in the efficacious advance of ethical consumerism.
Keywords: Fairtrade, Servant Leadership, Ethical leadership, Exploring Affinity, Ethical
Consumption

Introduction
Fairtrade (FT) has emerged from the outposts of the ‘alternative’ to become a mainstream
staple of normative consumption (Doherty, et al., 2013). Globally its market share in 2015 was
reported to be worth over £6.25 billion, assisting 1.6 million farmers and workers across 75
countries (Fairtrade Annual Report, 2016). In the UK alone FT sales in 2015 were valued at
£1.6 billion, with nine out of ten consumers indicating that they recognised the FT label
(Fairtrade Impact, 2016).
FT research during this period has examined the commercial success of FT that has been
achieved through consumer-led marketing strategies, improvements in product quality, the use
of branding, distinctive labelling and the expansion of distribution via large retail outlets such
as supermarkets (White and Samuel, 2016; Nicholls and Opal, 2005). However, its growth in
popularity has not always been sustained, as the example of Cafe Direct has indicated (Davies
et al., 2010), and the message that FT represents is not always an easy one to communicate
clearly (Golding, 2009). Research has also explored the multiple motivations for FT
consumption, including ethical, sustainable and political perspectives. For example, the work
of Low and Davenport (2009) recognises FT consumption as sustainable, ethical and political,
expressed through consumers ‘shopping for a better world’, while Golding and Peattie (2005)
and De Pelsmacker et al., (2007) identify FT as a model of sustainable consumption.
The FT literature has tended to be dominated by consumption-led studies that tend to think in
terms of buyer behaviour motives, attitudes, beliefs and purchasing patterns. For example, the
discovery that consumers are willing to pay more for FT products even during times of
recession (Bondy and Talwar, 2011) and Nicholls and Lee’s (2006) suggestion that FT needs
to develop brands that are capable of building a positive identity within the children’s market.
It is only relatively recently that FT studies have begun to draw upon the agency of ‘place’ in
influencing FT consumption, in particular, the success of Fairtrade Towns (FTT) in the USA

and the UK in influencing consumers, retailers, and public and private organisations to stock
and consume FT products (Malpass, et al., 2007; Samuel and Emanuel, 2012; Peattie and
Samuel, 2015; Samuel and Peattie,2016).
Contemporary research has only just begun to recognise the important role that individuals play
in the emergence and growth of social movements but their specific contribution remains
poorly understood (Kurland and McCaffrey, 2016). To date, research has not considered the
role of individuals in promulgating the FT message and growing its success. This paper aims
to address that gap by undertaking an examination of Bruce Crowther, the founder and ethical
leader of the FTT movement, who has been credited with aiding FT’s global rise in consumer
awareness and consumption.
Bruce Crowther
Bruce Crowther, described as a ‘Fairtrade legend’ (Lamb 2008), is cited by many for his
significant contribution to advancing the FT movement via his tenacity to cultivate and lead
FTTs into a global phenomenon. For example, Lamb (2008) attributes the FTT movement’s
conception and global success as an inspired case of community activism ‘led’ by the
‘charismatic’ Oxfam campaigner Bruce Crowther. Yet, despite this recognition and his
unquestionable success in developing FT markets, until now his contribution to FT has
remained the property of stories in newspaper articles and magazine features such as The
Guardian (2007, 2008). His contribution to community development and FT through the FTT
movement also featured in the former UK Prime Minister Brown’s (2008) book ‘Britain’s
Everyday Heroes’ and during the same year he received an MBE for his services to FT and
Oxfam.
In November 2001, the Fairtrade Foundation launched the Fairtrade Town (FTT) initiative
conceptualised by Crowther and inaugurated by Harriet Lamb, the Director of the Fairtrade

Foundation, who presented Garstang with the official accreditation of a Fairtrade Town
(Garstang Fairtrade History, 2009). From humble beginnings in Garstang in 2002 the initiative
was recognised as ‘one of Britain’s most active grassroots social movements’ (Kelly, 2008)
and by 2007 the number of accredited FTTs had reached well over two hundred (Allen, 2007).
Over a short period of time, it has experienced rapid global growth incorporating places such
as San Francisco and Kumamoto in Japan into its portfolio. Presently the number of accredited
FTTs in the UK stands at 619 with a further 1211 spread across the globe, with the USA
boasting 44, Turkey 9, Australia 8 and Sweden 67 (Fairtrade Towns, 2016). Each of these
towns is required to follow the five requirements (co-created between Crowther, Garstang and
the Fairtrade Foundation) listed below:
1. The local council must pass a resolution supporting Fairtrade, and serve Fairtrade
coffee and tea at its meetings, in offices and canteens.
2. A range of Fairtrade products must be available in the town’s or city’s shops and
served in local cafés and catering establishments (targets are set according to
population).
3. Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places (estate agents,
hairdressers etc) and community organisations (churches, schools etc).
4. The council must attract popular support for the campaign.
5. A local Fairtrade steering group must be convened to ensure continued
commitment to Fairtrade status.
(Fairtrade Towns 2016)
Given that the FTT movement’s conception and global success has been largely attributed to
the leadership of Crowther, his proven ability to lead in a community context presents a unique
opportunity to develop our understanding of ethical leadership operating outside
organisations’ boundaries. A school of leadership research with strong synergistic links to

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What contributions have the authors mentioned in the paper "Influencing fairtrade consumption through servant leadership: bruce crowther’s story" ?

This study expands their understanding of Servant Leadership beyond organisational boundaries by making an examination of its role in the establishment and growth of a social movement. This paper ’ s findings are developed from four sequential, semi-structured interviews and a narrated tour of Garstang with the founder of the Fairtrade Towns Movement. The paper argues the success of the Fairtrade Towns Movement is linked to Bruce Crowther ’ s leadership. Utilisation of this framework sees Crowther emerge as ervant leader operating at a community level to influence Fairtrade consumption via the Fairtrade Towns Movement. The paper makes a contribution to theory by identifying the novel characteristic of Servant Leaders that is exploring affinity and proffers it as an extension of Spears framework. 

Q2. What have the authors stated for future works in "Influencing fairtrade consumption through servant leadership: bruce crowther’s story" ?

By expanding the empirical boundaries of SLship research to consider its application outside organisations and into a social setting this paper extends their understanding of SLship in practice. Future research should seek to confirm ‘ Exploring Affinity ’ as an attribute of other SLs particularly by confirming its existence in those leaders that operate within organisational boundaries. 

Q3. What are the key strengths of interpretive inquiry?

The cyclic identification and pursuit of emergent lines of enquiry are one of the key strengths of interpretive inquiry (Halcomb and Davidson, 2006). 

Q4. What is the role of a servant leader in building community?

A servant leader fosters and nurtures the community to ensure it is a place where people can feel safe and connected and gain the benefits of such safety and socialfeature of SL which helps to realise tangible gains and promote community development (Laub, 1999). 

Q5. How many accredited FTTs are there in the UK?

Presently the number of accredited FTTs in the UK stands at 619 with a further 1211 spread across the globe, with the USA boasting 44, Turkey 9, Australia 8 and Sweden 67 (Fairtrade Towns, 2016). 

Q6. What was the main theme of the Fairtrade Towns movement?

As Crowther remarked:‘The mark is all central to this, always, for mainstreaming, and so the Fairtrade Towns movement has always been, not about promoting Fairtrade as an alternative, but about the mainstreaming of Fairtrade.’of FT certified goods alone. 

Q7. What are the requirements for the Fairtrade Town?

3. Fairtrade products must be used by a number of local work places (estate agents,hairdressers etc) and community organisations (churches, schools etc). 

Q8. What is the meaning of the FT label?

Supporting the work of Steinrucken and Jaenichen (2007), the symbolic value of the FT label is suggested able to provide consumers with a guarantee of a commitment to the growth of people (producer communities) through the developmental goals of FT being carried out, for example, see the work of White and Samuel (2016). 

Q9. What is the main agenda of the Fairtrade Towns movement?

The sole agenda of promoting only products that carry the FT trademark/label is, in the main, supported and has been commended by participants for its ability to validate a standardised discourse of what Fairtrade represents: 

Q10. What is the meaning of empathy in SL?

In Crowther’s words, this is akin to a friendship where empathy is displayed and healing is carried out across social, economic and geographical divides. 

Q11. What was the purpose of the meal?

In an attempt to persuade organisations such as churches, businesses, schools, etc. o use and or sell FT products, Crowther and the Oxfam Group organised a FT meal at a prominent local restaurant in the centre of Garstang. 

Q12. What are the types of leaders that are considered to be a ‘classical’?

Leaders and leadership may take many ‘classical’ forms (see for example Gandolfi and Stone 2017 and Sudha et al., 2016) and includes more obscure types such as mavens (Feick and Price, 1987), nudgers (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008) and opinion leaders (Rogers, 1962). 

Q13. What is the purpose of this paper?

By conceptualising Crowther as a SL this paper attempts to broaden their insights into the ‘ethical, moral and virtuous’ practices of SL. 

Q14. What is Crowther's view of the FT movement?

His tenacity to understand the importance of linking these groups is identified by Alexander and Nicholls (2006) who posit that Crowther’s entrepreneurial activism in linking the various collective social constructs of a place to the FT movement came from his understanding and respect for the social connections that existed within Garstang. 

Q15. What is the main theme of the paper?

While Throop and Mayberry (2017) suggest that ethical leaders need to collaborate by being sensitive to the context and audiences they face, this paper finds that Crowther’s SL activities emphasise the importance of collaboration.