Situational Leadership

Theory
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH, 2010 | COMMENTS OFF | SHARE:

What Is Situational Leadership Theory?

If you haven’t noticed it yet, most leadership theories build on the previous one. In the
same manner, situational leadership theory builds upon contingency theory. Where
contingency theory asserts that certain leaders work best in certain environments
because of their leadership style, situational leadership theory argues that any leader
can work best in any environment by changing their style accordingly.

Situational leadership defines four leadership styles: S1 (high-directive but low-

supportive), S2 (high-directive and high-supportive), S3 (low-directive but high
supportive), and S4 (low-directive and low-supportive). Developed by Hersey &
Blanchard, the theory’s model (called Situational Leadership II or SLII) promotes a
particular leadership style depending upon the development level of the follower: D1
(low-competence but high-commitment), D2 (moderate-competence but low-
commitment), D3 (moderate-competence but no commitment), and D4 (high-
competence and high-commitment). Effective leadership is a matter of assessing the
development level of a follower and acting in the correlating leadership style to elicit
the best response from followers (D1s respond to S1, D2s respond to S1, and so on).

In the time since its inception, situational leadership II has become a standard model
for use in training managers and leaders. The situational approach is effective and
provides a prescription for leadership success rather than merely describing why certain
leaders work in certain situations. In this way, situational leadership theory further
eroded the notion of, “one best way” of leadership. Despite a broad base of support from
trainers and consultants, situational leadership theory lacks a significant body of
research-based support. While situational leadership considers the followers in
determining leadership style, it does so on a one-on-one basis and does not provide
guidelines on how to use the model when leading group.
The situational leadership theory refers to those leaders
who adopt different leadership styles according to the
situation and the development level of their team members.
It is an effective way of leadership because it adapts to the
team’s needs and sets a beneficial balance for the whole
organization.
The best known situational leadership model in the field of
psychology and HR is the one established by Paul Hersey
and Ken Blanchard. These two experts established two
basic levels of leadership behavior:
1. Management: The managerial behavior of the leader is
focused on the definition of tasks. The what, when and
how to perform them is established.

2. Support: The supportive behavior is focused on team

development, with emphasis on the participation of all its
members. It provides cohesion and motivates people.

As the leader moves among these behaviors, we can talk

about four leadership levels:
1. The Leader Tells
The main function demanded for a leader is to lead and
make decisions. In order to do so successfully, while
encouraging and motivating our team, it is essential that the
instructions you give to your colleagues are clear and
concise.
The leader must ensure that, from the outset, their team
members know what they have to do. Only then will they be
able to take small steps and achieve success after success, to
ensure and maintain the motivation of the whole group.
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2. The Leader Sells
At this second level, the leader offers
constant supervision to their team, providing constant
feedback. It is also during this stage that the leader asks its
coworkers for information to gather suggestions,
improvements and new ideas that may contribute to the
project.
The final decision is up to the leader, but thanks to those
questions, he involves the whole team teaching them to think
and discern.
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Boss
3. The Leader Advises
Leaders must facilitate and encourage teammates. This
is the only way to ensure getting the best out of them, since
they have received guidance and motivation towards the
same objective.
When this stage is reached, leadership provides opportunities
for the team to discuss and exchange views as well as
different perspectives, thus enriching the collaborative
process.
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Works
4. The Leader Delegates
It is essential that leaders want and know how to delegate
tasks to their team. At this level of situational leadership,
individuals are mature; they know how to behave, what their
role is, and what is expected of them, because their leader
has been able to explain everything clearly.
For this reason, the leader is able to delegate
responsibilities to colleagues and respect their way of
carrying out the tasks entrusted to them and the decisions
they make.
What can we learn from the teachings of Hersey and
Blanchard and the situational leadership theory? A valuable
lesson: leaders must not be static. To lead successfully, in any
aspect of life, leaders must learn to adapt to the
circumstances, and even more, to the people we live and
work with every day.