EDM 502Theories of Modern Management

Situational Leadership Theory

Jheally L. Orlanda Discussant

SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY

O is a leadership theory developed by Paul Hersey, professor and author of the book Situational Leader, and Ken Blanchard, leadership guru and author of The One Minute Manager, while working on the first edition of Management of Organizational Behavior (now in its 10th edition).

Paul Hersey Ken Blanchard

O The theory was first introduced as "Life Cycle Theory of Leadership".

O During the mid-1970s, "Life Cycle Theory of Leadership" was renamed "Situational Leadership theory".

O The fundamental underpinning of the situational leadership theory is that there is no single "best" style of leadership.

O Effective leadership is task-relevant, and the most successful leaders are those that adapt their leadership style to the maturity of the individual or group they are attempting to lead or influence.

O Effective leadership varies, not only with the person or group that is being influenced, but it also depends on the task, job or function that needs to be accomplished.

Leadership StylesO S1: Telling - is characterized by one-way

communication in which the leader defines the roles of the individual or group and provides the what, how, why, when and where to do the task;

O S2: Selling - while the leader is still providing the direction, he or she is now using two-way communication and providing the socio-emotional support that will allow the individual or group being influenced to buy into the process;

O S3: Participating - this is how shared decision-making about aspects of how the task is accomplished and the leader is providing less task behaviours while maintaining high relationship behavior;

O S4: Delegating - the leader is still involved in decisions; however, the process and responsibility has been passed to the individual or group. The leader stays involved to monitor progress.

Maturity Level

O M1 - They still lack the specific skills required for the job in hand and are unable and unwilling to do or to take responsibility for this job or task. (According to Ken Blanchard "The honeymoon is over")

O M2 - They are unable to take on responsibility for the task being done; however, they are willing to work at the task. They are novice but enthusiastic.

O M3 - They are experienced and able to do the task but lack the confidence or the willingness to take on responsibility.

O M4 - They are experienced at the task, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. They are able and willing to not only do the task, but to take responsibility for the task.

Maturity Level Most Appropriate Leadership Style

M1: Low maturity S1: Telling/directing

M2: Medium maturity, limited skills S2: Selling/coaching

M3: Medium maturity, higher skills but lacking confidence

S3: Participating/supporting

M4: High maturity S4: Delegating

The Hersey-Blanchard model maps each leadership style to each maturity level, as shown below.

Developing People and Self-Motivation

“Four combinations of competence and commitment make up what we call development level.”

O D1 - Low competence and high commitmentO D2 - Low competence and low commitmentO D3 - High competence and low/variable

commitmentO D4 - High competence and high commitment

Key Points

O All teams, and all team members, aren't created equal. Hersey and Blanchard argue that leaders are more effective when they use a leadership style based on the individuals or groups they're leading.

O Start by identifying whom you're leading. Are your followers knowledgeable about the task? Are they willing and excited to do the work? Rate them on the M1 - M4 maturity scale, and then use the leadership style that's appropriate for that rating.

Fiedler's Contingency Model

Understanding the ModelO The Fiedler Contingency Model was created in

the mid-1960s by Fred Fiedler, a scientist who studied the personality and characteristics of leaders.

Fred Fiedler

OThe model states that there is no one best style of leadership. Instead, a leader's effectiveness is based on the situation.  

This is the result of two factors 1.Leadership style 2.Situational favorableness"

1. Leadership StyleO Fiedler believed that leadership style is fixed,

and it can be measured using a scale he developed called Least-Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) Scale

Unfriendly 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Friendly

Unpleasant 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Pleasant

Rejecting 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Accepting

Tense 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Relaxed

Cold 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Warm

Boring 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Interesting

Backbiting 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Loyal

Uncooperative 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Cooperative

Hostile 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Supportive

Guarded 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Open

Insincere 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Sincere

Unkind 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Kind

Inconsiderate 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Considerate

Untrustworthy 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Trustworthy

Gloomy 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Cheerful

Quarrelsome 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8 Harmonious

Lower Score Higher ScoreO The type of leader

is task-oriented leaders ,Fiedler called these as “low LPC-leaders”.

O He said that low LPCs are very effective at completing tasks. 

O Relationship-building is a low priority.

• High LPCs focus more on personal connections, and they're good at avoiding and managing conflict.

• Relationship-oriented leaders 

2.Situational Favorableness

O Leader-Member Relations – This is the level of trust and confidence that your team has in you. A leader who is more trusted and has more influence with the group is in a more favorable situation than a leader who is not trusted.

O Task Structure – This refers to the type of task you're doing: clear and structured, or vague and unstructured. Unstructured tasks, or tasks where the team and leader have little knowledge of how to achieve them, are viewed unfavorably.

O Leader's Position Power – This is the amount of power you have to direct the group, and provide reward or punishment. The more power you have, the more favorable your situation. Fiedler identifies power as being either strong or weak.

Applying the Fiedler Contingency Model

OStep 1: Identify your leadership styleOStep 2: Identify your situationOStep 3: Determine the most effective

leadership style

Step 1: Identify your leadership style• Rate your

experience with this person using the scale that is LPC scale.

• Higher score - Relationship-focused.

• Lower score -  Task-focused.

Step 2: Identify the situation

Answer the questions:• Are leader-member

relations good or poor in the team?

• Is the task is structured, or is it more unstructured

• Do the leader have strong or weak power over in the team?

Leader-Member Relations

Task Structure Leader's Position Power

Most Effective Leader

Good Structured Strong Low LPC

Good Structured Weak Low LPC

Good Unstructured Strong Low LPC

Good Unstructured Weak High LPC

Poor Structured Strong High LPC

Poor Structured Weak High LPC

Poor Unstructured Strong High LPC

Poor Unstructured Weak Low LPC

Step 3: Determine the most effective leadership style

Criticisms of the Model

OLack of flexibilityOAn issue with the Least-

Preferred Co-Worker Scale .

Key PointsO The Fiedler Contingency Model asks you to think about

your natural leadership style, and the situations in which it will be most effective. The model says that leaders are either task-focused, or relationship-focused. Once you understand your style, it says that you can match it to situations in which that style is most effective.

O However, the model has some disadvantages. It doesn't allow for leadership flexibility, and the LPC score might give an inaccurate picture of your leadership style.

O As with all models and theories, use your best judgment when applying the Fiedler Contingency Model to your own situation.

References:Ohttp://

www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm

Ohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory

Ohttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/fiedler.htm

Ohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiedler_contingency_model