LCDP Leadership Learning Series Session -Situational Leadership

LCDP Leadership Learning Series Session-Situational Leadership

Topic: Situational Leadership

●Formal tool thatfocuses on situational, maturity and follower-shiptheory

●I consider this as a common sense approach to dealing with any sized organization.

Prerequisites / Read Aheads:

●Article: Mind Tools. (2015). The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership® Theory [LINK] Listed are various styles, but we will focus on Situational Leadership.

●Video: Please watch these videos, “Kirk versus Picard: Leadership Making Decision Process” [LINK]

●“Star Trek Original Series (TOS):“I don’t expect everyone to be CAPT. Kirk, but these are small examples of leadership traits”[LINK]

●Star Trek Next Generation (TNG):Voicing Dissent - know your supervisor/boss[LINK]

●Star Trek (TOS):Leadership lessons - “Learning, innovation and passion”[LINK]

Questions for discussion:

What kind of leader are you? This relates to our lesson on authentic leadership. Knowing your style of leadership can help you navigate the situational model and effectively use the tool.
Can you think of an example when you recognized a leadership situation as described by the model? Can you recall a moment where the organization moved through the situational model?
Have you ever had to force a shift through the model? Recommendations on moving an organization through the model?.

My approach will be informative with examples from my experiences, both professional and personal. To mix it up I’ll also add some examples that are near and dear to my heart and demonstrate the point far better than my words. (This is for you Timi!!)

The theory states that instead of using just one style, successful leaders should change their leadership styles based on the maturity of the people they are leading and the details of the task. Using this theory, leaders should be able to place more or less emphasis on the task, and more or less emphasis on the relationships with the people they're leading, depending on what's needed to get the job done successfully.

Growing up in a military family certain values and parts of the culture are ‘caught’ and not ‘taught’, so when I began to understand leadership and applied it to my own life I found guidance in one of my favorite television shows, Star Trek. For those unfamiliar the Star Trek universe (tv shows, books, etc..) the two foremost representatives of the show are the characters, CAPT. James Kirk and Jean Luc Picard. Both represent archetypes in leadership as explained in this clip. {Kirk vs Picard: Leadership Decision Making Processes} Star Trek is one of the most iconic franchises in the history of television or film.

Video material in presentation (PDF-attached):

SLIDE 6 URL:

SLIDE 7 URL:

SLIDE 8 URL:

SLIDE 9 URL:

My disclaimer:I use this tool identify 'where' my organization exists. This tool is not the silver bullet answer for organizations analysis or survey but it provides me with a starting point to employ other tools and skills to effectively lead.

The Situational Leadership method from Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey holds that managers must use different leadership styles depending on the situation. The model allows you to analyze the needs of the situation you’re in, and then use the most appropriate leadership style. Depending on employees’ competences in their task areas and commitment to their tasks, your leadership style should vary from one person to another. You may even lead the same person one way sometimes, and another way at other times.

Blanchard and Hersey characterized leadership style in terms of the amount of direction and of support that the leader gives to his or her followers, and so created a simple matrix (figure).

Leadership Behavior of the Leader

●S1 – Telling / Directing – High task focus, low relationship focus – leaders define the roles and tasks of the ‘follower’, and supervise them closely. Decisions are made by the leader and announced, so communication is largely one-way. For people who lack competence but are enthusiastic and committed. They need direction and supervision to get them started.

●S2 – Selling / Coaching – High task focus, high relationship focus – leaders still define roles and tasks, but seeks ideas and suggestions from the follower. Decisions remain the leader’s prerogative, but communication is much more two-way. For people who have some competence but lack commitment. They need direction and supervision because they are still relatively inexperienced. They also need support and praise to build their self-esteem, and involvement in decision-making to restore their commitment.

●S3 – Participating / Supporting – Low task focus, high relationship focus – leaders pass day-to-day decisions, such as task allocation and processes, to the follower. The leader facilitates and takes part in decisions, but control is with the follower. For people who have competence, but lack confidence or motivation. They do not need much direction because of their skills, but support is necessary to bolster their confidence and motivation.

●S4 – Delegating – Low task focus, low relationship focus – leaders are still involved in decisions and problem-solving, but control is with the follower. The follower decides when and how the leader will be involved. For people who have both competence and commitment. They are able and willing to work on a project by themselves with little supervision or support.

Effective leaders are versatile in being able to move around the matrix according to the situation, so there is no style that is always right. However, we tend to have a preferred style, and in applying Situational Leadership you need to know which one that is for you.

Likewise, the competence and commitment of the follower can also be distinguished in 4 quadrants

Development Level of the Follower

●D4 – High Competence, High Commitment – Experienced at the job, and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. May even be more skilled than the leader.

●D3 – High Competence, Variable Commitment – Experienced and capable, but may lack the confidence to go it alone, or the motivation to do it well / quickly.

●D2 – Some Competence, Low Commitment – May have some relevant skills, but won’t be able to do the job without help. The task or the situation may be new to them.

●D1 – Low Competence, High Commitment – Generally lacking the specific skills required for the job in hand, but has the confidence and / or motivation to tackle it.

Likewise, the competence and commitment of the follower can also be distinguished in 4 quadrants

Strengths of the Situational Leadership model. Benefits

●Easy to understand

●Easy to use

Limitations of the Situational Leadership model. Disadvantages

●Model fails to distinguish between leadership and management. What is called leadership style is really management style.

●Leadership is not primarily about making decisions anyway – it is about inspiring people to change direction.

●Leaders may indeed vary the way they inspire people to change. But this is when they have already decided on the need to change. Hence leadership style does not reduce to decision making style.

●Focuses too exclusively on what the person in charge does.

●Of course both leaders and managers have to behave differently in different situations. But that is just a trivial fact of life, rather than anything profound in terms of our basic understanding of what it means to lead or manage.

Assumptions of Situational Leadership. Conditions

●Leaders should adapt their style to follower ‘maturity’, based on how ready and willing the follower is to perform required tasks (that is, their competence and motivation).

●There are four leadership styles that match the four combinations of high/low readiness and willingness.

●The four styles suggest that leaders should put greater or less focus on the task in question and/or the relationship between the leader and the follower.

●Presumes that leadership is about how the boss makes decisions