Situational LeadershipⓇ

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What is Situational LeadershipⓇ (SL)?

The Situational LeadershipⓇ method from Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey holds that managers should use a different leadership style, depending on the situation. The model encourages the leader/manager to analyze the needs of the situation, and then to use the most appropriate leadership style. Depending on the competences of employees in their task areas and their commitment to their tasks, the leadership style you should use should vary from one person to another. You may even lead the same person in one way in a particular area, and in another way in another area.

Blanchard and Hersey categorized leadership styles in terms of the amount of direction and of support that the leader gives to his or her followers, and thus created a matrix (figure).

Leadership Behavior of the Leader

• S1 - Telling / Directing - High task focus, low relationship focus - leaders define the roles and tasks of the 'follower', and supervise them closely. Decisions are made by the leader and announced, so communication is largely one-way. For people who lack competence but are enthusiastic and committed. They need direction and supervision to get them started.
• S2 - Selling / Coaching - High task focus, high relationship focus - leaders still define roles and tasks, but seek ideas and suggestions from the follower. Decisions remain the leader's prerogative, but communication is much more two-way. For people who have some competence but lack commitment. They need direction and supervision because they are still relatively inexperienced. They also need support and praise to build their self-esteem, and involvement in decision-making to restore their commitment.
• S3 - Participating / Supporting - Low task focus, high relationship focus - leaders pass day-to-day decisions, such as task allocation and processes, to the follower. The leader facilitates and takes part in decisions, but control is with the follower. For people who have competence, but lack confidence or motivation. They do not need much direction because of their skills, but support is necessary to bolster their confidence and motivation.
• S4 - Delegating - Low task focus, low relationship focus - leaders are still involved in decisions and problem-solving, but control is with the follower. The follower decides when and how the leader will be involved. For people who have both competence and commitment. They are able and willing to work on a project by themselves with little supervision or support.

Effective leaders have to be versatile in being able to move around the matrix according to the situation, because there is no style that is always right. However, human beings tend to have a preferred style. In applying SL you have to be aware which style is your own prefered one.

Likewise, the competence and commitment of the follower can also be cetegorized into 4 quadrants.

Development Level of the Follower

• D4 - High Competence, High Commitment - Experienced at the job, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. May even be more skilled than the leader.
• D3 - High Competence, Variable Commitment - Experienced and capable, but may lack the confidence to go it alone, or the motivation to do it well / quickly.
• D2 - Some Competence, Low Commitment - May have some relevant skills, but won't be able to do the job without help. The task or the situation may be new to them.
• D1 - Low Competence, High Commitment - Generally lacking the specific skills required for the job in hand, but has the confidence and / or motivation to tackle it.

Similar to the leadership styles, the development levels are also situational. A person could be skilled, confident and motivated for one part of his his job, but could be less competent for another part of the job.

Blanchard and Hersey said that the Leadership Style (S1 - S4) of the leader must match with and correspond to the Development level (D1 - D4) of the follower - and it's the LEADER who adapts. By adopting the right style to suit the follower's development level, work gets done, relationships are built up, and most importantly, the follower's development level will rise to D4, to everyone's benefit.

Steps in Situational LeadershipⓇ. Process

1. Make an overview of the main tasks per employee.
2. Assess the employee on each task (D1 - D4).
3. Decide on the leadership (management) style per task (S1 - S4).
4. Discuss the situation with the employee.
5. Make a joint plan.
6. Follow-up, check and correct.

Strengths of the Situational LeadershipⓇ model. Benefits

• Relatively easy to understand
• Relatively easy to use

Limitations of the Situational LeadershipⓇ model. Disadvantages

• The model does not distinguish between leadership and management. What is called "leadership style" is nowadays often called "management style". Compare also: Leadership Pipeline
• Leadership is not primarily about making decisions - it is about inspiring people to change direction.
• Leaders may indeed vary the way they inspire people to change. But this is when they have already decided on the need to change. Hence leadership style does not reduce to decision making style.
• Focuses too exclusively on what the person in charge does.
• Of course both leaders and managers have to behave differently in different situations. But that is just a trivial fact of life, rather than anything profound in terms of our basic understanding of what it means to lead or manage.

Assumptions of Situational LeadershipⓇ. Conditions

• Leaders should adapt their style to the follower's maturity, based on how ready and willing the follower is to perform required tasks (that is, their competence and motivation).
• There are four leadership styles that match the four combinations of high/low readiness and willingness.
• The four styles suggest that leaders should put greater or less focus on the task in question and/or the relationship between the leader and the follower.
• Presumes that leadership is about how the boss makes decisions.

Book: Paul Hersey, Kenneth H. Blanchard, Dewey E. Johnson - Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading

Forum Forum discussions about Situational Leadership. Preferred Management Style for Professionals? What is the preferred management style for handling a team of professionals? Why?... 38   49 comments Is Situational Leadership Innate in Good Managers? Before I discovered that someone had put a name to this technique, I thought it was one of the things in the kit bag of a good manager. It just makes such basic common sense that I'd be surprised if e... 33   12 comments Situational Leadership Activities and Games I remember planning a situational leadership board game in 1976 as a student. Is that game still available? Who has some more information about other situational leadership games?... 26   6 comments Criticism of Situational Leadership Model For me Hersey-Blanchard have, badly, mixed the Managerial Grid and the Tannenbaum-Schmidt Continuum. Some descriptions are illogical: Coaching is not a management ‘style’ and doesn't correlate w... 19   7 comments Little Research to Backup Situational Leadership The SL model is appealing in its simplicity - hence, probably its attraction as a training model - but there is very little research evidence to support it. The formula it offers managers is a fairly... 16   2 comments We Naturally Regress to our Dominant Leadership Style! It may be "... just a trivial fact of life that leaders have to behave differently in different situations". But another "trivial" fact is that we "naturally" regress to our dominant style without co... 15   3 comments Situational Followership Don't like your boss's leadership style? If you feel frustrated or uninspired by your leader, you're in good company. Many people are unhappy with the leadership styles of those above them. Rather th... 13   Is Situational Leadership Depending on Generation of Followers? The following approximate categorization of generations based on birth year is widely accepted: - Builders (1925-1945) - Baby Boomers (1946-1964) - Generation X (1965-1979) - Generation Y (1980-19... 10   2 comments Practical Situational Leadership Examples Who can illustrate the use of different styles of leaderships with a simple example? Thanks!... 7   7 comments Situational Leadership & Performance Rating Has anyone used the situational leadership development level definitions as rating scales for a performance management program? If so, please comment.... 5   2 comments 🔥 Use of Situational Leadership by Teachers Does the application of situational leadership by the teacher help reduce individual differences between students and raise the scientific level of students?... 4   4 comments Leadership Style for a New Institution My comment is a question seeking some guidance: here is my challenge and need some perspectives on. I am part of a new institution where everything is being done form scratch. The team has agreed on s... 4   3 comments Preferred TEAM Management Style? What is the preferred management style for dealing with a team that includes all four types: D1; D2; D3; D4?... 2   1 comments Start a new topic about Situational Leadership Sign up for free

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Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about Situational Leadership. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. 🥇 Commitment in Situational Leadership The commitment to actually applying SL is crucial, but is often variable. It depends upon the job and the senior management. Inconsistent management by senior management of their staff will cause yo y... 69   2 comments 🥈 Definition of Job Maturity and Psychological Maturity in SLT What precisely is meant with job maturity and psychological maturity in the context of Situational Leadership Theory? Thanks for your help...... 17   3 comments 🥉 In Situational Leadership, the Leader Determines the Situation Trouble with Situational Leadership is: the model relies on the manager or leader to be the sole determinant of the employee's "ready, willing and able" status (whether or not we are aware of it). In ... 11   4 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about Situational Leadership. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips Managing Very Clever People What you should understand if you're 'managing' extremely clever people... Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones say in HBR March 2007 that to manage extremely smart key people in an organization, first of... Also Adapt your Leadership Style to Society Situational Leadership Remember that leaders should not only adapt their style to employee competences, but also to to the changing demands of ... Leadership Practices Inventory by Kouzes and Posner Common Behaviors that Successful Leaders Display Kouzes and Posner in their (2002) book 'The Leadership Challenge' mention 5 Leadership Practices (common behaviors that ... How to Develop your Own Leadership Philosophy Leadership/Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring In an article “When should a leader be directive or empowering? How to develop your own situational theory of leadership... What is the Opposite of Situational Leadership? Leadership Development, Management Development, Coaching, Mentoring Situational Leadership can be seen as an adaptive style. The opposite, non-adaptive, or inflexible, style of leadership ... Employee vs Task-oriented Leadership, Adaptability Based on Blanchard, in 1990, Blank, Weitzel, and Green analyzed leader task and relationship behavior in terms of Consid... Situational Leadership® II Training on SL The Ken Blancard company is now teaching Situational Leadership® II (SLII®), a method based on three key skills: 1. Dia...

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Compare with Blanchard and Hersey Situational LeadershipⓇ:  Leadership Styles  |  Stages of Team Development  |  Leadership Pipeline  |  Leadership Continuum  |  Hagberg Model of Personal Power  |  Managerial Grid  |  Path-Goal Theory  |  Theory X Theory Y  |  Contingency Theory  |  Competing Values Framework  |  Expectancy Theory  |  Result Oriented Management  |  Bases of Social Power  |  Seven Surprises  |  Seven Habits  |  Results-Based Leadership  |  Level 5 Leadership  |  Servant-Leadership

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