Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model: How It Works (2024)

FAQs

How does the Situational Leadership Model work? ›

The Situational Leadership^® methodology is based on the relationship between leaders and followers and provides a framework to analyze each situation based on the Performance Readiness^® Level that a follower exhibits in performing a specific task, function or objective.

Under the Hersey-Blanchard model, a leader must adapt their leadership methods depending on the ability and willingness of their followers. For example, a follower with a D2 development level should be led differently than a follower with a D4.

In Hersey and Blanchard's approach, the key to successful leadership is matching the proper leadership style to the corresponding maturity level of the employees.

Using Situational Leadership, you can control all possible outcomes. Situational leadership means being able to control outcomes because you are able to effectively influence your organization in all directions: upwards, across and down. You think proactively and consider how your subordinates will react.

Who is an example of a situational leader? A sports team manager is an example of a situational leader. Every new season, new members join while others leave. In such a situation, the leader must adapt to the skills of the new and incorporate them into the team.

One of the main benefits of using situational leadership in project management is that you can adjust your approach based on the skills and competence of each team member. If you have several R1 team members, you can plan your schedule accordingly, leaving plenty of time for supervision and monitoring.

This article will go into the four leadership styles (Telling, Selling, Participating and Delegating) Hersey and Blanchard came up with in order to better deal with these different stages of followers.

Explanation: Situational Leadership Theory, or the Situational Leadership Model, is a model created by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, developed while working on Management of Organizational Behavior.

The model then identifies four leadership styles that will correspond with these leader and subordinate attributes: Delegating - When the subordinate is hi-ability-hi-willingness, the leader must show low-task-low-relationship behavior.

The democratic leadership style is one of the most effective because it encourages everyone to participate in all processes, share their opinions, and know that you will hear them. It also encourages employees to be engaged because they know you will hear their feedback.

Which theory of leadership do you think is most effective? ›

"Transformational leadership," is the most effective style to use in most business situations. However, you can become a more effective leader by learning about these core leadership theories, and understanding the tools and models associated with each one.

1. Be empathetic. Effective leaders need to understand the feelings, motivations and emotions of others, especially the people who work for them. Empathy with employees is crucial now that many people are facing diverse challenges such as anxiety, stress and adjusting to new work conditions and income decline.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Hersey-Blanchard Model

One advantage of an adaptive leadership style is leaders can change their style at their own discretion at any time. Secondly, employees may find a leader who adapts to shifts in the workforce as a desirable trait.

According to this style, leaders exercise decision-making authority and, as implied by the name, “tell” them to the rest of the team. Often, this method is used in emergency situations or those in which prompt and immediate action is required.

Lewin identified three styles of leadership: Autocratic, Democratic, and Laissez-faire. Over time, more leadership styles have emerged, and one that is commonly grouped in with Lewin's three is Transformational Leadership.

All leaders should be in tune with four key factors of leadership: the led, the leader, the situation and the communication. All four factors must always be considerations when exercising leadership, but at different moments, they affect each other differently.

Which of Hersey and Blanchard's four leadership styles is the most appropriate for a follower who is highly ready? ›

S4 - Delegating: This style is most appropriate for high follower readiness (R4). It emphasizes low levels of both task and relationship behavior.

Blanchard believes that servant leaders are constantly trying to find out what their people need to perform well and to live according to their organization's vision. Rather than wanting people to please their bosses, servant leaders want to make a difference in their employees' lives and in their organizations.

The message from situational leadership theory is that a leader must first seek to understand – looking carefully at tasks that individuals and teams are set and their level of competency – in order to manage people effectively.

The Hersey-Blanchard model suggests that the following leadership styles are the most appropriate for these maturity levels: Low Maturity (M1)—Telling (S1) Medium Maturity (M2)—Selling (S2) Medium Maturity (M3)—Participating (S3)

The best approach to measuring leadership is to evaluate a leader's performance in the three areas in which all great leaders must excel: clarity of thought / communication, judgment about people, and personal integrity / commitment.

Participative leadership is often favored as it helps to build trust with employees. Empowering them and encouraging them to share their ideas on essential matters, demonstrating their value to a team.

Autocratic leadership: It is least effective because an autocratic leader takes every decision, and employees' ideas and input also matter. An autocratic leader does not take any pinion of teams. Employees, in this case, feel unappreciated, demoralized, and undervalued.

Take scientific management — best known as Taylorism — arguably the most enduring management theory of them all. It suggests that a manager's job is to increase efficiency in a production system.

The leadership theory that has the greatest application is the transformational leadership theory. This theory emphasizes on the need to motivate workers and to raise their morale, in order for the organization to achieve success(Johnson, 2017).

What are the two important keys to effective leadership? ›

They found that: Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization. Effective communication by leadership was the key to winning organizational trust and confidence.

Situational leaders tend to stay in close communication with team members. They assess and adjust their approach to provide what's needed to support success. This helps them build strong relationships with the team. As a result, it creates a better work environment in which employees feel valued as individuals.

Under the Hersey-Blanchard model, a leader must adapt their leadership methods depending on the ability and willingness of their followers. For example, a follower with a D2 development level should be led differently than a follower with a D4.

Situational leadership is an effective model of management in the modern business world. To be a top leader in the industry, you must learn to adapt your leadership style. The trick to succeeding as a leader is to find a balance between directing and delegating and supporting and enhancing the team.

Four Leadership Styles

S1 = Directing/Telling (High Directive, Low Supportive) S2 = Coaching/Selling (High Directive, High Supportive) S3 = Supporting/Participating (Low Directive, High Supportive) S4 = Delegating (Low Directive, Low Supportive)

What are the 4 development levels situational leadership? ›

Development level 1 (D1): Employee has low competence but high commitment. Development level 2 (D2): Employee has some competence but low commitment. Development level 3 (D3): Employee has high competence and variable commitment. Development level 4 (D4): Employee has high competence and high commitment.

LEADERSHIP MODEL. SLII is an easy-to-understand, practical framework that enables your managers to diagnose the development level of an employee for a task: D1 – Enthusiastic Beginner; D2 – Disillusioned Learner; D3 – Capable, but Cautious, Contributor; and D4 – Self-Reliant Achiever.

This article will go into the four leadership styles (Telling, Selling, Participating and Delegating) Hersey and Blanchard came up with in order to better deal with these different stages of followers.

The four leadership styles that are presented in this theory are Telling, Selling, Participating, and Delegating. To go along with those four leadership styles, the Hersey Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory also provides four maturity levels that describe those who are making up the team.

The situational theory of leadership refers to those leaders who adopt different leadership styles according to the situation and the development level of their team members. It is an effective way of leadership because it adapts to the team's needs and sets a beneficial balance for the whole organization.

Lewin identified three styles of leadership: Autocratic, Democratic, and Laissez-faire. Over time, more leadership styles have emerged, and one that is commonly grouped in with Lewin's three is Transformational Leadership.