Situational Leadership Theory

This model was originally developed by Hersey & Blanchard in 1969. It states that not one leadership style will work in every situation, but it requires a variety of leaderships styles based on the situation at hand. The leader should tailor their behavior to the demands of the situation if they will include task or relation behaviors. The four leadership styles that are within the situational leadership, those include: Supportive, Coaching, Delegating, and Directing leadership styles. Those correlate with the scale of developing nature of the individual at the bottom of the image.

This is very important to consider when a situation is presented to you within a workplace. Understanding what the situation is, who is the individual and what type of leadership style they prefer are important to determine the leadership style one chooses.

For instance, if there is an individual that has D3 (Moderate to High Competence and Variable Commitment), the leadership that should be provided is Supporting. This is because the individual is capable of completing tasks on their own but need to be encouraged and supported on the decisions that are made by them. Giving them the freedom to make decisions and supporting those decisions will only allow the employee to gain trust and respect for you. Delegating and micromanaging is not the direction that should be taken by the leader. This situation has occurred in my past management position. It was a time where I allowed the individual some freedom to make decisions and give them the opportunity to grow themselves. I gained trust and respect by the employee but also came to the realization she was able to handle the situations she was face, thus allowing me to give her more responsibility and opportunities for growth and advancement. This example, shows that it is important to understand the surroundings and what type of individual you are working with.