Chapter 5 Situational Approach Leadership Chapter 5 Situational

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Leadership Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Northouse, 4 th edition

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Overview v Leaders don't force people to follow -they invite them on a journey. Charles S. Lauer v. Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Overview v Situational Approach Perspective v Leadership Styles v Developmental Levels v How Does the Situational Approach Work?

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Overview v Developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1969 a) vbased on Reddin’s (1967) 3 -D management style theory. v. It has been refined and revised several times since its inception vit has been used extensively in organizational leadership training and development.

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Description (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969) “Leaders match their style to the competence and commitment of subordinates” Perspective v Focuses on leadership in situations v Emphasizes adapting style - different situations demand different kinds of leadership v Used extensively in organizational leadership training and development

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Description, cont’d (Hersey & Blanchard, 1969) Definition v. Comprised of both a Directive dimension & Supportive dimension: – Each dimension must be applied appropriately in a given situation – Leaders evaluate employees to assess their competence and commitment to perform a given task

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Leadership Styles Definition v. Leadership style - the behavior pattern of an individual who attempts to influence others It includes both: – Directive (task) behaviors – Supportive (relationship) behaviors

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Leadership Styles, cont’d. Dimension Definitions v. Directive behaviors - Help group members in goal achievement via one-way communication through: – Giving directions – Establishing goals & how to achieve them – Methods of evaluation & time lines – Defining roles

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Leadership Styles, cont’d. Dimension Definitions v. Supportive behaviors - Assist group members via two-way communication in feeling comfortable with themselves, coworkers, and situation – Asking for input – Problem solving – Praising; listening

The Four Leadership Styles Supportive Behavior High Supportive Low Directive High Directive Low Supportive Low Directive Behavior D 4 High D 3 D 2 Moderate High D 1 Low

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach S 1 - Directing Style S 1 Directing High Directive Low Supportive v Leader focuses communication on goal achievement v Spends LESS time using supportive behaviors

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach S 2 - Coaching Style S 2 Coaching High Directive High Supportive v Leader focuses communication on BOTH goal achievement and supporting subordinates’ socioemotional needs v Requires leader involvement through encouragement and soliciting subordinate input

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach S 3 - Supporting Style S 3 Supporting High Supportive Low Directive v Leader does NOT focus solely on goals; rather the leader uses supportive behaviors to bring out employee skills in accomplishing the task v Leader delegates day-to-day decision-making control, but is available to facilitate problem solving

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach S 4 - Delegating Style S 4 Delegating Low Supportive Low Directive v Leader offers LESS task input and social support; facilitates subordinates’ confidence and motivation in relation to the task v Leader lessens involvement in planning, control of details, and goal clarification v Gives subordinates control and refrains from intervention and unneeded social support

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Development Levels Definition Dimension Definitions v The degree to which subordinates have the competence and commitment necessary to accomplish a given task or activity D 1 D 2 D 3 D 4 High D 4 Developed D 3 Moderate D 2 Low Competence High Commitment Some Competence Low Commitment Mod-High Competence Low Commitment High Competence High Commitment Low D 1 Developing Developmental Level Of Followers

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach How Does the Situational Approach Work? v Focus of Situational Approach v Strengths v Criticisms v Application

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Focus v Centered on the idea subordinates vacillate along the developmental continuum of competence and commitment v Leader effectiveness depends on – assessing subordinate’s developmental position, and – adapting his/her leadership style to match subordinate developmental level “The Situational approach requires leaders to demonstrate a strong degree of flexibility. ”

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach How Does The Situational Approach Work? Using the SLII model – • In any given situation the Leader has 2 tasks: 1 st Task Diagnose the Situation § Identify the developmental level of employee • Ask questions like: -What is the task subordinates are being asked to perform? - How complicated is it? -What is their skill set? - Do they have the desire to complete the job? 2 nd Task Adapt their Style § To prescribed Leadership style in the SLII model • Leadership style must correspond to the employees development level

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach How Does The Situational Approach Work? Employees Developmental level Leadership style D 1 Low Competence High Commitment S 1 – Directing D 2 Some Competence Low Commitment S 2 – Coaching D 3 D 4 High Directive-Low Supportive High Directive-High Supportive Mod-High Competence S 3 – Supporting High Supportive-Low Directive Low Commitment High Competence High Commitment S 4 – Delegating Low Supportive-Low Directive

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Strengths v Marketplace approval. Situational leadership is perceived as providing a credible model for training employees to become effective leaders. v Practicality. Situational leadership is a straightforward approach that is easily understood and applied in a variety of settings. v Prescriptive value. Situational leadership clearly outlines what you should and should not do in various settings.

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Strengths, cont’d. v Leader flexibility. Situational leadership stresses that effective leaders are those who can change their style based on task requirements and subordinate needs. v Differential treatment. Situational leadership is based on the premise that leaders need to treat each subordinate according to his/her unique needs.

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Criticisms v Lack of an empirical foundation raises theoretical considerations regarding the validity of the approach v Further research is required to determine how commitment and competence are conceptualized for each developmental level v Conceptualization of commitment itself is very unclear v Replication studies fail to support basic prescriptions of situational leadership model

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Criticisms, cont’d. v Does not account for how particular demographics influence the leader-subordinate prescriptions of the model v Fails to adequately address the issue of one-to -one versus group leadership in an organizational setting v Questionnaires are biased in favor of situational leadership

Chapter 5 - Situational Approach Application v Often used in consulting because it’s easy to conceptualize and apply v Straightforward nature makes it practical for managers to apply v Breadth of situational approach facilitates its applicability in virtually all types of organizations and levels of management in organizations