Introduction
In organizations, leaders and managers can demonstrate different management and leadership styles. The leadership approach that is pursued by a leader can play an important role in determining its effectiveness in accomplishing the established goals and creating a strong relationship with the followers. The behavioral approach of leadership is seen to focus on the actions of leaders while the situational approach puts emphasis on the given situation and circumstances ( Uhl-Bien, 2011, pg. 102) . This implies that the situational leadership approach requires the leaders to change their leadership style based on the prevailing circumstances. The paper analyzes the two leadership styles that include the situational and behavioral leadership styles. It assesses the theories associated with these leadership styles to determine their effectiveness in companies.
Overview of Behavioral and Situational Leadership Theories
Behavioral and situational leadership approaches are some of the popular and commonly applied leadership theories by many leaders and managers of organizations. The two leadership approach takes different perspectives and has different features and characteristics. The behavioral approach to leadership focuses on the behavior of a leader. In essence, it focuses on what a leader does and the associated actions when at the workplace. The actions of leaders can play a significant role in influencing the behaviors of the followers. This leadership approach is aimed at influencing the actions of followers in an organization to accomplish the desired objectives established by the leader.
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The situational leadership approach is one of the recognized leadership theories developed by Hersey and Blanchard ( Northouse, 2018, pg 75) . The situational leadership approach is where the leader emphasizes on given situations. This implies that a leader will adapt various leadership style based on the prevailing situation and circumstances. The leadership style works on the premise that different situations require different types of leadership style. As a result, an effective leader should ensure that his or her leadership style conforms to a given situation.
Description of Blake and Mouton’s Leadership Grid
In the Leadership Management Grid, there are five main leadership styles that include the authority-compliance, country-club management, impoverished management, middle-of-the-road management, and team management. Each of the leadership styles has distinct feature and characteristics that make them unique to each other.
The country-club management is where thoughtful attention to the needs of individuals is valued. It leads to the satisfaction of the relationship and promotes friendly and comfortable organizations working environment ( Northouse, 2018, pg 82) . The team management leadership focuses on the accomplishment of work by the committed employees. Besides, the interdependence between the employees for a common objective leads to respect and trust. The authority compliance put emphasis on the requirements of the task and job while putting less emphasis on the individuals. The impoverished management is where a leader is not concerned with both the interpersonal relationship and tasks. It is where a leader goes through the leadership emotions but his or her actions are withdrawn or uninvolved ( Uhl-Bien, 2011, Pg. 104) . The last leadership style is the middle-of-the-road management where a leader is a compromise with an intermediate concern for a given task or job as well as intermediate concern for the individuals working on a task.
Description of Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory
The situational leadership theory can be explained using the development level of followers. The development level of followers refers to the extent to which the followers have the commitment and competence that are necessary to achieve a specified goal or objective (( Northouse, 2018, pg 91 ). Essentially, it shows whether an individual has mastered the necessary skills that are required to achieve the established goals. In addition, it shows whether an individual has developed a positive regarding an established goal.
It is argued that the followers are at a high degree of development if they are confident and interested in their jobs and able to accomplish the established objectives. The followers are argued to be at the developing level when they have little skills and competency required to achieve the goals but have the belief that they are motivated and confident to effectively accomplish their job. The levels of development are grouped into four categories that include D1, D2, D3, and D4 and ranges from the developing level to the developed level. In specific, the followers at D1 level have low skills and competency but high in confidence and commitment. This group are new and not aware of the established goals and do not know how to work and accomplish the goals. The follower at D2 level have certain skills and competencies but low level of commitment. In essence, this group followers are in the initial stages of learning but have lost initial confidence and commitments regarding their job. The third follower at D3 level refers to the followers with moderate or high competence but have varying confidences or commitment ( Northouse, 2018, pg 98 . The D3 group is argued to have developed the necessary skills for the job but is still uncertain whether they are capable of accomplishing the goals. The last group D4 refers to the highest level of development with a high degree of commitment and confidence to ensure that the work is well done. In essence, they have the skills and competence to do the job and accomplish the established goals and objectives.
Analysis of Case Study Chapter 4 (Case 4.3)
1. Marianne has the country club management style which emphasis on the creation of a relationship with the follower. In essence, she seems to be interested in developing personal relationships with employees to nurture and develop their skills. Betsy has team management skills where she emphasizes the participation of all the employees in their tasks to ensure that the established objectives are accomplished.
2. Betsy does not necessarily need to change her leadership style to improve the situation but should focus on creating a close relationship with the two employees. Marianne also needs not to change her leadership but instead support team management leadership style.
3. Marianne and Betsy can work together when they understand and accept the leadership style adopted by each other for the benefit of the company.
Analysis of Case Study Chapter 5 (Case 5.2)
1. Jim is using the coaching approach which is highly directive and supportive. The approach enables the leader to focus on communication to achieve the desired goals as well as meet the socio-emotional needs of the followers.
2. The managers are at the D3 level of development where they have acquired the necessary skills for the job but are not sure whether they can work and accomplish the goals established by the company.
3. From the leadership perspective, Jim is not encouraging his follower to remain committed and attend the training program as required. Jim has failed to give adequate motivation to the managers and this has made many of them to skip the training program or attend late. Essentially, Jim should have provided adequate support and direction to the managers to ensure that the training program is successful.
4. There are several changes that Jim can implement to improve the outcome of the seminars. One of the changes is to motivate the employees to attend all the seminars. This can include giving directions on the rules of the seminars and the desired objectives. The managers should also be involved with the arrangement of the seminar to develop a feeling that they are valued. This can also motivate them to attend all the seminars arranged by the company.
Case Study Activity: Discussion of your personal/professional experience with these models.
The models of leaders portrayed in Chapter 4 and 5 are effective and exist in many organizations. They explain the different leadership style adopted by managers in organizations. Evidently, the difference in leadership style as portrayed in the two models explains some of the conflicts that leaders encounter in companies. In reality, managers and leaders do have different leadership style ( Armandi et al., 2003, pg. 1082) . However, it is important that they recognize and accept the leadership style adopted by each other. This can ensure that they work as a team to accomplish the objectives established by an organization.
Conclusion
The behavioral and situational leadership styles are some of the two leadership approaches that are widely used by many managers and leaders of companies. The two leadership styles have different characteristics and approaches that make them differ from each other. The analysis of the two leadership style indicates that their effectiveness can differ based on a given situation and circumstance. As a result, it is necessary for a leader to adopt a leadership style that conforms to a given situation to ensure that he or she is effective in achieving the goals established by a company. The leaders should be flexible and ready to adapt any leadership style that matches the needs of the company and the employees. Such strategies can ensure the success of leaders, as well as help, motivate the employees to work and improve their performance.
References
Armandi, B., Oppedisano, J., & Sherman, H. (2003). Leadership theory and practice: A “case” in point. Management Decision , 41 (10), 1076-1088. doi.org/10.1108/00251740310509607
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice . Sage publications.Ebook. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781544325194/cfi/6/2!/4/2/2@0:0
Uhl-Bien, M. (2011). Relational leadership theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing. In Leadership, gender, and organization (pp. 75-108). Springer, Dordrecht. doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9014-0_7
