What is Situational Leadership and Why Leaders Should Learn it

Situational leadership has become essential for leaders to thrive in the current ever-changing work environment. As the name suggests, situational leaders can adjust and modify their leadership style in response to circumstances and tackle challenges head-on. This guide provides an understanding of this leadership imperative, discusses its advantages and disadvantages, suggests ways to choose the right leadership style, and explores some examples of situational leadership. 

What is Situational Leadership?

Situational leadership is a flexible leadership model used to adapt according to the work environment and the needs of the team members. It is a timeless framework based on the leader’s ability to adjust their situation to the changes, overcome challenges, and drive results. 

The situational leadership model was first developed in 1969 by leadership expert Ken Blanchard and author Paul Hersey. According to Blanchard and Hersey, one leadership style cannot work for all situations, so leaders should adapt their approach to fit the situation. The situational leadership model describes four leadership styles—telling, selling, participating, and delegating. 

1. Telling (S1): In which the leader makes decisions to provide guidance and close supervision to the team members.
2. Selling (S2): In which the leaders support unmotivated team members to improve and effectively execute their tasks by providing clear directions.  
3. Participating (S3): In which leaders collaborate with their team members in the decision-making process and leave the final decision to them.  
4. Delegating (S4): Where the team members are highly competent and the leaders delegate responsibilities to the team and provide minimum guidance. 

Why is it Important?

Situational leadership is an effective leadership framework as it adapts to the situation and the needs of all team members. It builds strong relationships between the leaders and their teams as it requires close communication between them. Situational leadership can prepare leaders to stay abreast of changes, effectively tackle problems, and set up their teams and business for success. 

Importance of Learning Situational Leadership

To become a great situational leader, you need the following traits. The good news is that these are learnable skills.  

1. Flexibility

This is an integral characteristic of situational leaders. It allows leaders to become better equipped to overcome roadblocks, ensure the team’s success, and thrive in new situations.  

2. Direction

Having a clear sense of direction enables leaders to provide effective guidance and support to team members. 

3. Delegation

This skill is essential for the success of leaders and their team members. A situational leader must know how to leverage the strength of their team to complete specific tasks.    

4. Coaching

This allows leaders to connect with their team members and help them reach their full potential. 

5. Encouraging Participation

This ability is important because situational leaders need to take their entire team along and empower each team member to participate and grow.  

Mastering these situational leadership skills can empower you to build an efficient, high-performing team that will stay relevant for years. As you can see, learning situational leadership is highly beneficial for the organization as it creates a better work environment and drives it toward a successful future. If you want to polish your leadership skills, explore these leadership courses offered by Emeritus, and taught by experts from the best universities in the world.

How to Choose the Right Leadership Style at the Right Time

According to Blanchard and Hersey, situational leadership styles are most effective when paired with the following four stages of employee development:

1. Low Competence: High Commitment

In this case, leaders guide employees with no specific skill set. 

2. Some Competence: Low Commitment

Here. leaders coach team members with some skills to perform successful tasks. 

3. High Competence: Variable Commitment

Again. leaders encourage the participation of highly skilled team members.

4. High Competence: High Commitment

Leaders delegate tasks to highly developed and skilled team members and empower them to work independently. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Situational Leadership

Advantages of Situational Leadership

• Adapt and modify according to the situation 
• Create a better work environment for the team members 
• Adjusts the style to best fit any given situation
• Builds a strong relationship with team members
• Enhances team performance

Disadvantages of Situational Leadership

• Overlooks long-term goals 
• Depends on the leader’s relationship with the employees 
• Not effective for repetitive tasks 
• Consistent changes can cause confusion

Examples of Situational Leadership

John Wooden 

John Wooden, former UCLA men’s basketball coach, is considered one of the greatest sports coaches in American history. Under his leadership, his team won 10 championships and held an 88-game winning streak in the NCAA. Situational leadership models suggest that leaders should consistently modify their coaching style based on the team members. As a coach, Wooden had to adapt his coaching style according to his players, identify each player’s needs, and understand their emotions to bring out the best in them. Wooden’s athlete-focused coaching style and his connection with them on an emotional level was huge factor behind his and his team’s success.

Steve Jobs 

Apple co-founder and chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios, Steve Jobs, is one of the most influential situational leaders. He had a knack for foreseeing trends and was one of the leaders behind the technological evolution that we see today. Jobs’ leadership style is commonly known as autocratic due to his perfectionist traits; however, he was a multifaceted leader with a distinctive personality. As a situational leader, Jobs used to apply situational leadership frameworks to provide a clear direction of vision to his employees, delegate tasks, and encourage individuals to pursue their unique ideas. Jobs knew how to empower his tech developers, leverage their strengths, and bring out the best in them. His success as a leader is one of the key factors behind the tremendous success of Apple.   

ALSO READ: How Does Leading Change in an Organization Benefit it

Lead the Change with Emeritus

Situational leadership allows leaders to adapt to changing circumstances, overcome challenges, achieve goals, and thrive in new situations. Situational leaders can have a huge impact on employees and the organization; if you are looking to adjust your leadership style to align with the unique needs of today’s business environment, explore these leadership courses offered by Emeritus. 

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