Situational leadership requires the development of coaching skills, clear communication and active listening, for example.
Situational leadership is the name of a type of leadership that emerged around the 1970s.
It is a model designed by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey that proposes to analyze a certain scenario, taking into consideration the maturity of the team in order to promote leadership styles that are in tune with said situation and the degree of group criteria. In this regard, it is necessary to highlight that they, together with Dewey E. Johnson , launched a book known in Spanish as «Organizational Behavior Management. Situational leadership .
In this material that fed the so-called theory of situational leadership, it is indicated that good and most efficient leaders must have, among other qualities, the power of adaptability , empathy and the capacity for both active listening and effective communication .
Characteristics of situational leadership
From the perspective of Blanchard and Hersey , the situational leadership approach requires, first of all, identifying and recognizing the different types of existing leadership . In this framework, we must also know how to distinguish what level of maturity is evident in each team or work group. Nor should we overlook that there are three pairs of stages or phases devised by the aforementioned authors for the implementation of the theory of situational leadership .
Before focusing on the development of situational leadership, it is worth being clear that a dynamic and flexible profile is always recommended for those who exercise leadership .
Within situational leadership , four modalities are differentiated. One of them is called managerial leadership and is applicable to cases in which there is not a group of workers with sufficient autonomy, experience or maturity to independently assume a certain task. That is why someone is required there who is prepared to take on the responsibility of guiding and supervising the rest with commitment and expertise.
When employees enjoy a little more work freedom given their conditions, there is usually supervisory leadership , while on a higher scale the figure of advisory leadership comes into play. This style requires maintaining high group motivation since it enjoys considerable autonomy and there is usually both responsibilities and joint decision-making .
At the last step or level is delegating leadership , where rather than providing support to subordinates, an almost absolute delegation of tasks is observed as a result of the trust that the person in charge of the sector has in the members of his team.
When determining what kind of leadership to apply, the promoters of the theory of situational leadership have indicated, it is essential to go through a process of diagnosis , preparation and comparison , assessment or evaluation , motivation analysis, observation of the degree of maturity and selection of the most appropriate leadership style .
The situational is a leadership model that raises the need to have a guide or leader capable of adapting their role and responsibilities according to the level or condition of the personnel under their charge.
Importance and advantages
Situational leadership , maintain those who know the particularities of this modality, is important and necessary for companies . This tool allows each company, depending on its corporate situation, the characteristics of its employee base and the needs of the team, to have the most appropriate type of leader .
This alternative that pursues efficiency and labor productivity based on the adaptation and degree of maturity of each group offers numerous advantages.
Hand in hand with situational leadership it is possible, among other achievements, to increase work well-being by generating a positive work environment based on motivation, trust, harmony and dialogue. In teams, there is also usually more fluid and direct communication, greater innovation and a great display of creativity.
As group maturity increases, even better teamwork is achieved, as a result of greater independence and decision-making power of its members. And in this prosperous and positive scenario, situations of talent retention and incorporation of suitable personnel generally arise.
Directive leadership, supervisor, advisor, and delegator are types or levels of situational leadership.
Examples of situational leadership
A young worker who has his first job opportunity, to describe a common case as a reference, ideally needs to have a reference in his job who exercises directive situational leadership . In this framework, the situational leader must guide and encourage the adaptation of the new employee with suggestions , constructive feedback and supervision for a considerable time until the employee gains confidence and independence .
Staff who accumulate a lot of experience in their position and are responsible and committed to their work, on the other hand, can perform optimally having a delegating leader at the head of the group. Thus, while the team members organize and execute activities with great autonomy, the leader carries out his role in a relaxed manner, granting his subordinates practically absolute freedom and trust.