Situational leadership

Situational leadership rejects the idea that one leadership style is universally effective. Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard argued that leaders should adjust their behaviour to the particular task and to the readiness of the person or group responsible for it. Effective leadership is therefore dynamic rather than fixed.

When to use it

Use the model whenever a leader must decide how much direction and support a person or team needs for a defined assignment. Its value lies in prompting deliberate flexibility rather than reliance on a preferred default style.

Capability affects the amount of task guidance required. People who lack the relevant knowledge or experience need clearer instruction about what to do and how to do it; capable performers generally need less. The model originally described this task-specific combination of ability, willingness, responsibility and experience as maturity or readiness.

Commitment affects the amount of relationship support required. People who are uncertain, reluctant or discouraged may benefit from explanation, involvement and encouragement, while confident and committed performers usually require less motivational attention or control. Assess both dimensions for the task at hand rather than labelling someone as generally able, unable, willing or unwilling.

Origins

Hersey and Blanchard first developed the approach in the late nineteen-sixties as the life-cycle theory of leadership while collaborating on Management of Organizational Behavior. They later renamed and extended it as situational leadership. Their work became an influential contingency model because it linked leader behaviour to a follower’s readiness for a particular activity rather than prescribing a single ideal style.

What it is

The model separates leader behaviour into two dimensions. Task behaviour provides structure and direction: defining roles, setting expectations and explaining what, how, when and where work should be done. Relationship behaviour provides socio-emotional support through listening, explaining, encouraging and involving people in decisions. A leader can use either dimension at a high or low level, creating four broad styles.