Analysis of Situational Leadership Theory

Analysis of Situational leading TheoryThe situational theory of lead is proper increasingly popular in the context of contemporary judicatureal loss leaders. This is evident from the manner in which it is rise up in academic literature much(prenominal) as books, journals and research reports. A leaders panache refers to the in aerateion of appearance including both action and words as exhibited by a leader or as perceived by followers. Situational leaders revolves around job-related ascribable date date. harmonize to Mark, et al (2009) job maturity refers to an individuals ability in performing a job and this is a key factor determine a leaders behavior. The situational leaders influence puts it that hard-hitting leadership is dependent on both the acts of management and leadership and that these enhance an organizations ensure to current global trends. The ride emerged from the realization and at a lower placestanding that not all individuals at heart a cro wd or community being direct compare in terms of maturity train and that the use up for a leadership hyphen differ with situations. Thus the model is based on situational variables as it relies on casual perceptions of a leader as well as the environmental observations rather than research data. catamenia research shows that efficientness in the light of this model involves a leaders assessment of the ripening take (maturity) of their followers as well as the situation at hand to adjust their leadership shape up accordingly (Norris Vecchio, 2000 GEN Dennis, 1999). Situational leadership entails first understanding sensations predominant leadership approach and the level of the followers development process. Situational leadership is contingently becoming an trenchant strategy among Army leaders given the current evaluate of technological advancement and trash techniques. Situational leadership is olibanum very vital in challenging the indefinite and complex nature o f the modern troops environment.Background of the Situational lead ModelThe situational leadership theory was true by Hersey and Blanchard in the 1960s basing on Reddins 3-D framework of leadership (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). The developmental process of the model focused on tierce key categories consideration initiation of structure and leader behavior. In situational leadership, the subordinates job-relevant maturity (both psychological and job maturity) is the aboriginal situational factor determining a leaders behavior. Maturity is regarded to be a product of the education level and/ or experience. Psychological maturity is an of the essence(p) aspect of job maturity and it reflects a persons state of motivation, that is, their confidence and self-esteem levels which are highly influenced by ethical practices in a firm. Hersey and Blanchard place that physiological maturity is associated with an individuals orientation towards achievement as well as the ability and willing ness to sham responsibility. Hersey and Blanchard thus concluded that performance is basically a behavioral manifestation of job relevant maturity (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). Prop iodinnts of this model hold the notion that each situation demands a different leadership style and thus the best course of action is dependent on the situation at hand, that is, soundness in leadership is dependent on the fitability to adapt to situations.It is also imperative to note that the leader-follower relationship determines the outcome of any particular labor. Lee-Kelley (2002) points out that situational leadership is based on both versatility and effectiveness. Four leadership approaches apply under the situational leadership model and are dependent on followers job-related maturity. The major notion under this model is that flexibleness and adaptability determine which of the diverse styles would apply in the context of varied situations, followers or tasks.The Four Leadership Approaches/Sty les Applied in Situational LeadershipS1 Directing (high task, low relationship behavior)Leaders state the responsibility of determining the roles and tasks for their followers. They thus are involved in about supervision of the follower activities as well as taking and announcing all the decisions. In this regard, the leaders are much concerned with the challenge of meeting goals and accomplishing tasks than on building strong relationships with their subordinates (Norris Vecchio, 2000). Communication in this style is unremarkably one air since leadership magisterially categorizes utilizeees duties.S2 Coaching (high task, high relationship behavior)Although the leader has the power of making decisions, he/she commonly involves the suggestions of the followers eyepatch maintaining a good relationship with them. Although communication is 2-way, final decisions on ideas are unremarkably made by the leader rather than their authors (Mark, et al. 2009). Leaders are thus focus ed on selling their ideas to the followers to wee-wee them understand the importance of their tasks and the mixed organizational processes.S3 Participative (high relationships, low task behavior)This style is usually very motive to subordinates as it involves a shared decision making process and a two-way communication production line (Hersey Blanchard, 1996). Followers are usually included in all job-related duties as well as in determining how tasks and responsibilities are to be accomplished. The leader often relies on the followers contri notwithstandingion in organizing the day-to-day responsibilities such as tasks and processes allocation.S4 Delegating (low relationship, high task behavior)In certain situations, leaders are compelled to perpetrate their followers with much of the decision making process. The leaders task thus entails monitoring progress although he/she is not extensively involved in the process of making decisions. However, the leader is more focused on p roblem solving and taking decisions but grants the followers the authority to determine the final decision. Followers patch up when it is assign to involve the leader.There are intravenous feeding major follower maturity levels that determine the demand for a leadership style (Hersey Blanchard, 1996).Follower Development Process/Maturity LevelsThe first maturity level (M1) encompasses followers who usually have no confidence, knowledge or skills necessary for them to work independently. Such individuals usually require supervision and direction before they gouge be entrusted with tasks. In such a situation, effective leadership would entail applying the directing approach of leadership (Peter, et al. 2008). The second level (M2) of maturity involves followers who slackly have the will to do a task but they lack the capacity to do so independently. This means that leading such a group would necessitate that the leader employ an approach that can coach the followers at their du ties. The third maturity level (M3) includes individuals who are usually highly experience and can attend to the task in question satisfactorily. Participative leadership is best suited to lead such followers. However, these followers lack the confidence to assume sole responsibility of seeing a task to accomplishment. The twenty-five percent maturity level (M4) includes those individuals who are not only experienced but are also confident(p) and able to take on the task (Mark, et al. 2009 Fernandez Vecchio, 1997). They are not only willing and able but are also confident that they can successfully fulfill accomplishments independently. In the event of M4, leaders usually assume the delegating leadership style.It is essential to note that differentiated leadership is only possible under the situational leadership approach since different followers with varying levels of needs, abilities and maturity levels are led. The situational model is based on the perception that real leade rship revolves around people management in a manner that is equitable for the sake of being mutually rewarding as well as providing productive objectives which are usually free of any manipulation. According to Hersey and Blanchard, the process of controlling, influencing and motivating followers towards attainment of stated accomplishments relies on three key leadership skills (i) prediction of future behavior (ii) understanding the behavior of the past and (iii) the changing, controlling as well directing behaviors (Lee-Kelley 2002). In this regard, research shows that effective situational leaders are usually engaged in a number of behavioral manifestations relationship and task behaviors, which are important in driving creativeness and innovation among followers.Applying Situational Leadership in the Military ServicesOverviewThe increasingly complex host environment demands for an effective approach to leadership, one that is reconciling to the different followers situation s. The US Army Field Manual (FM) 22- vitamin C emphasizes on the ability of any military leader to adjust to the particular situation or individuals being led (US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100, 1999). Use of the model is evident among successful military leaders. Military leaders such as combat leaders are usually not confined to any one leadership style in any given situation, not with the dramatically changing nature of the dispute field now and in the future. It is increasingly becoming mandatory that military leaders be adaptive (flexible) enough to engage styles that will enhance the success of the soldiers. Situational leadership in military would be important especially in alter military leaders to take advantage of techniques from the four styles of situational leadership for the sake of motivating soldiers towards accomplishing missions successfully. Ability to make use of cultural awareness, sound judgment, self control, and intelligence is the key to effective situation al leadership.As a Military LeaderAccording to Lau (1998), the concept of situational leadership became of particular importance in the military following the formation of the continental army. It is also based on the recent view that control, teamwork, discipline, and organization are deficient within the forces (GEN Dennis, 1999). In this regard, military psychology has been developing situational leadership frameworks for the last 100 years to promote effective military behavior based on the view that particular behavior among military individuals would inevitably facilitate better outcomes. While using this model, it is necessary to make use of the studies and facts intimately military attends and units encountered during my service to avoid repetition of past mistakes over an over. This way, one would be able to chequer from these past histories and focus on key concerns that address soldiers simultaneously in regards to mission accomplishment tasks. This would assistance i n snap on the task and social aspects of duty as one adapts his/her leadership style to match followers needs and abilities. Studies reveal that this pedagogy has had more emphasis on the managerial pedagogy rather than the tactical approaches (COL Kent LTC David, 2001) this would be a challenge and an opportunity to apply the various leadership approaches within the constraints of the situational model of leadership to get the best from the soldiers. Studies have shown that difficulties associated with compromises on the gratification level, solution seeking and perfectness due to autocratic rules can be effectively solved through the situational leadership approach, whereby combat leaders take advantage of the opportunity for adjusting communication flow through adapting to leadership styles that are situationally appropriate (GEN Dennis, 1999).Military leadership tasks revolve around being both a social specialist and a task specialist, that is, ones primary goal is to accom plish the groups main challenge of defeating enemies in combat. Such a role requires being more informed, active and intelligent than the followers. As a social specialist, ones challenge would encompass building and maintaining a close relationship with the group, keeping the group together, and providing morale (Peter, et al. 2008). As a military leader, being able to situationally adapt to the social needs of the followers would help in mitigating issues concerned with low morale such as desertion, crime, malingering and absenteeism. Thus, the social specialist role helps one to be able to improve a teams cohesiveness. An lofty military, situational-based leader is one who is able to excellently and concurrently apply both the task of a specialist and an equal competency as a social leader (COL Kent LTC David, 2001). Social situational adaptability is especially important for effective and successful leadership among leaders at the lower levels than it is for the higher levels. It is imperative that one be informed with the dynamics of the rules in the army to achieve untried solutions and meet challenges with this model.For effectiveness, one has to continuously look for situations in which they can apply new alternatives. More particularly lower ranks require that one be little sensitive on rank differences and have more foresight and initiative regarding what is aright or who is right this is an example of ideal situational adaptive ability in which they would be dependent on information to take over challenges (Lau, 1998). Still on situations, using technical expertise while at the same time focusing on the groups cohesiveness, especially because of the stressing nature of the military environment, would be the perfect thing to do. This implies that ones adaptability and flexibility has to be eye-popping as military work usually involves surprises which would necessitate this. Therefore, a flexible leadership model such as situational leadership is most applicable in the military situation due to the necessity to successfully handle unanticipated events.Being an adaptive leader is paramount to conceive the importance of creating an environment for enabling followers as well as junior leaders to expand their rational risk-taking. It enables them to enhance their development, training and coaching levels (Lee-Kelley 2002 Lau, 1998). This is particularly so in the face of the increasing sophistication of the hardware, techniques and tactics applied in the military today. Situational approach in military leadership involves training the subordinate officers to tackle more involved tasks with use of fewer resources. John Blair and James Hunt describe the various elements that influence the situational approach of leadership within the military. They sought to enhance the understanding of the major characteristics defining leadership in future fight fields as well as the extent of their influence on commanders, soldiers and the army in frequent (COL Kent LTC David, 2001). James and John emphasize on the organizational and environmental factors (macrocontigency factors) and the microcontigency factors encompassing the situational factors that are particular to tasks, individuals or unit.Most current military services derive from the situational leadership model. Situation leadership training in the military began as early as the 1970s but only limited studies have been on the same in the military context. Recent research on the air assault battalion of US National Army Guard shows that this model works effectively within the military (Mark, et al. 2009). A military leaders major accomplishment under this model would be to facilitate the development of the job-related maturity of the soldiers.According to the guidelines outlined in FM 22100, the effectiveness of a combat leader relies on the ability to rise flexibility in terms of the leadership approach while leading other soldiers (Lau, 1998). This is because the military is characterized by different behaviors with some responding best to suggestions, coaxing, gentle prodding or directions. An example of one approach involves applying the S2 (coaching) style for the subordinates in maturity level 3 to improve their motivation, commitment, and ownership of decisions. Thus, being situational implies that one has the ability to diversify from using an overly directive approach to suing one that allows the subordinates to be self sufficient this is the basis for leadership and subordinate development in the army. FM 22100 indicates that the most important competency of any military leader is being able to identify the needs of the subordinates as well as their abilities so as to figure out the best approach to bring out their best (US Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100, 1999). strong suit and success is thus enhanced by the ability to use a combination of the features of all the four situational leadership styles to fit with individual s, place and task involved since it is usually difficult to lead in fighting fields that require different techniques while based on a single approach. Studies in military leadership have identified that unit outcomes are improved by integration of transactional and transformational competencies into the various situational leadership approaches (GEN Dennis, 1999).Shortcomings of the Situational Leadership ModelStudies by the Air University Leadership and Management Program Advisory Group identified that the situational leadership model has some limitations that are worth noting (COL Kent LTC David, 2001). While the model is effective in outlining the appropriate style of leadership based on job-maturity it fails to take care of other important considerations within the military. For instance, the model does not address the extent to which leadership is practiced, the different styles essential in the event of specific combat action, staff versus operations leadership or the vario us styles that may be appropriate in the vent of combined, joint, or even service leadership. This is because leaders may not be able to identify situations where the various leadership styles apply more appropriately or that they lack the capacity or expertise to employ the appropriate behaviors whenever the telling or the directing styles are most appropriate. It is difficult to assess the readiness level of the followers since this model involves a multifaceted approach (Fernandez Vecchio, 1997).ConclusionThe situational leadership theory is becoming increasingly popular in modern organizational leadership especially in the military set up. Leadership is an important aspect of combat power and thus the reason for situational model popularity. The most important task in combat situational leadership is being able to motivate the soldiers through morale factors enhanced by unit cohesion. A leaders adaptability is the key necessity for the success of the situational leadership mode l. Communication is one way to improve task motivation and leadership outcome in the context of this model. Communication is also two in an effort to improve morale and participation. However, the S1 and S4 styles usually involve more situational concerns than just the subordinates readiness. The appropriateness of a leadership style changes with change in the leadership environment. The model emphasizes on using more than one style of leadership especially when developing followers. According to this model, there is a no best leadership style since the key determinants of leadership is the adaptation to the job maturity and the skill level of the subordinates. As turn up Situational leadership is thus very vital in challenging the ambiguous and complex nature of the modern military environment.