The term “situational leadership” has
occupied a spot in the general business lexicon for almost 40 years.
Because it is a broad theory, its relevance
to business managers is ever-changing.
“The theory is so ingrained now that people don’t necessarily call it situational leadership,” says Anne Hach, executive director for professional training at Corporate College, a division of Cuyahoga
Community College. “It’s accepted as a
management truism that good leadership
does not come in one size. Different types
of employees and different types of situations dictate different responses.
“The most important thing for managers
to know is that the more they can understand their employees and the forces
around their employees, the more productive they can make their employees.”
Smart Business spoke with Hach about
how to put situational leadership theory
into actual day-to-day practice.
What is the theory of situational leadership?
The theory is that people can be ranked
into four different quadrants that measure
their competency/skills and their level of
commitment/dedication. The theory dictates that you should differently manage
people who fall into each quadrant. Based
on the theory, the four styles of management are directing, coaching, supporting
and delegating.
Employee competency should determine
how much direction you give them. Their
commitment level should determine how
much support you give them. For instance,
if someone is highly committed but has a
lower skill level, you would want to train
and direct him, so his skill level matched
his commitment level. If you had a highly
skilled employee, you could just delegate a
task without direction.
So in order to practice situational leadership, you have to know the person you’re
dealing with and you have to know the
complexity of the task at hand.
In all fairness, can’t a manager treat all of his
or her employees the same way?
From a practical standpoint, it makes
sense to have different ways of managing
or leading because you can produce better
outcomes in your day-to-day interactions
with employees. If your employees are
more productive, your company will be
more profitable.
What are the fundamental differences that
situational leadership takes into account?
There are three forces at play in any management/subordinate interaction: forces
around the employee and his or her work
style; forces around the manager and his or
her management style; and forces around
the task or the situation.
Forces around the employee can be age,
culture, personality and skill set. The
forces that you bring to the table as a manager are similar.
One of the common problems today is
managing the generation mix. Different
generations have entirely different thought
processes and attitudes, not just different
competency levels. While effectively managing the generation mix is intuitive — you
can’t manage your grandmother the same
way you manage your child — the difficulty is knowing how to react to their differences. That’s where the learned — situational — approach comes in.
Is the situational leadership theory documented by research?
According to research from the Gallup
Group, there are 12 major management
issues that include: letting employees
know what is expected of them, giving
them the materials and equipment to do
their job right, giving them recognition,
making their jobs seem important and listening to their opinions.
It would certainly seem that the business
of being a good manager is fairly intuitive.
The trick is to practice the skills enough so
that, in stressful situations, you make the
right decision. You have to know which
arrow to pull out of the quiver and when to
pull it out — and then you have to be
steady enough to hit the bullseye.
Where can managers find out more about situational leadership?
You can take college-level programs or
register at business schools like Corporate
College, which offer courses like ‘Managing the Generation Mix,’ ‘Managing
Priorities’ and other issues surrounding situational leadership. Leadership conferences are valuable, too.
Blanchard’s book ‘Leadership and the
One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership’ is
available through www.amazon.com, as is
the article ‘Ken Blanchard’s Situational
Leadership II’ and ‘12: The Elements of
Great Managing’ by Rodd Wagner and
James K. Harter, Ph.D.
ANNE HACH is the executive director for professional training at
Tri-C’s Corporate College. Reach her at (216) 987-2962 or
[email protected].