What are the advantages of using a Situational Leadership style?

1 What is Situational Leadership?

Situational Leadership is a model developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in the 1970s, based on the idea that there is no one best way to lead, but rather a range of styles that can be effective depending on the situation. The model identifies four main styles of leadership: directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. Each style corresponds to a different combination of task-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors, as well as a different level of direction and support that the leader provides to the followers.

2 How to assess the situation?

To use Situational Leadership effectively, you need to assess the situation in terms of two factors: the competence and the commitment of your team members. Competence refers to the skills, knowledge, and experience that they have to perform a specific task, while commitment refers to the motivation, confidence, and willingness that they have to achieve a goal. Based on these factors, you can classify your team members into four levels of readiness: R1 (low competence, low commitment), R2 (low competence, high commitment), R3 (high competence, low commitment), and R4 (high competence, high commitment).

3 How to match your style to the situation?

Once you have assessed the situation, you can match your leadership style to the readiness level of your team members. Generally, more direction and less support should be given to those who are less competent, and more support and less direction to those who are more competent. For example, directing is suitable for R1 team members who require clear instructions, close supervision, and frequent feedback to perform a task. With this style you should define goals, roles, and procedures for them, and monitor their progress closely. Coaching is suitable for R2 team members who need guidance, encouragement, and explanation to perform a task. You should involve them in setting the goals, roles, and procedures while providing them with coaching and feedback to help them develop their skills. Supporting is suitable for R3 team members who need recognition, involvement, and collaboration to perform a task. You should share decision-making with them, listen to their ideas and concerns, and praise their achievements. Lastly, delegating is suitable for R4 team members who need autonomy, responsibility, and trust to perform a task. You should delegate authority and accountability to them while providing minimal direction and support.

5 How to apply Situational Leadership in practice?

Situational Leadership is a powerful tool that can help you improve your people management skills and achieve better results. To apply it in practice, you must first assess the situation, analyzing the task, the team, and the environment, and determining the competence and commitment level of your team members. Then, you must match your style to the situation, choosing the most appropriate leadership style for each team member based on their readiness level. After that, you should implement your style by communicating expectations, providing direction and support, and monitoring and adjusting your style as needed. Finally, you should evaluate the results by reviewing outcomes, providing feedback, and celebrating successes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?