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http://www.sayeconomy.com/situational-leadership-by-kenneth-
blanchard-and-paul-hersey/

Adopting different leadership styles depending on the situation.

Explanation of Situational Leadership Model of Blanchard and Hersey.
('68)

What is Situational Leadership? Description

The Situational Leadership method from Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey
holds that managers must use different leadership styles depending on the
situation. The model allows you to analyze the needs of the situation you're in,
and then use the most appropriate leadership style. Depending on employees'
competences in their task areas and commitment to their tasks, your leadership
style should vary from one person to another. You may even lead the same
person one way sometimes, and
another way at other times.

Blanchard and Hersey

characterized leadership style in
terms of the amount of direction
and of support that the leader
gives to his or her followers, and
so created a simple matrix (figure).

Leadership Behavior of the

Leader

• S1 - Telling / Directing -
High task focus, low
relationship focus - leaders
define the roles and tasks of
the 'follower', and supervise
them closely. Decisions are
made by the leader and
announced, so
communication is largely
one-way. For people who
 lack competence but are enthusiastic and committed. They need direction
and supervision to get them started.
• S2 - Selling / Coaching - High task focus, high relationship focus -
leaders still define roles and tasks, but seeks ideas and suggestions from
the follower. Decisions remain the leader's prerogative, but
communication is much more two-way. For people who have some
competence but lack commitment. They need direction and supervision
because they are still relatively inexperienced. They also need support
and praise to build their self-esteem, and involvement in decision-
making to restore their commitment.
• S3 - Participating / Supporting - Low task focus, high relationship
focus - leaders pass day-to-day decisions, such as task allocation and
processes, to the follower. The leader facilitates and takes part in
decisions, but control is with the follower. For people who have
competence, but lack confidence or motivation. They do not need much
direction because of their skills, but support is necessary to bolster their
confidence and motivation.
• S4 - Delegating - Low task focus, low relationship focus - leaders are
still involved in decisions and problem-solving, but control is with the
follower. The follower decides when and how the leader will be
involved. For people who have both competence and commitment. They
are able and willing to work on a project by themselves with little
supervision or support.

Effective leaders are versatile in being able to move around the matrix
according to the situation, so there is no style that is always right. However, we
tend to have a preferred style, and in applying Situational Leadership you need
to know which one that is for you.

Likewise, the competence and commitment of the follower can also be

distinguished in 4 quadrants.

Development Level of the Follower

• D4 - High Competence, High Commitment - Experienced at the job,

and comfortable with their own ability to do it well. May even be more
skilled than the leader.
• D3 - High Competence, Variable Commitment - Experienced and
capable, but may lack the confidence to go it alone, or the motivation to
 do it well / quickly.
• D2 - Some Competence, Low Commitment - May have some relevant
skills, but won't be able to do the job without help. The task or the
situation may be new to them.
• D1 - Low Competence, High Commitment - Generally lacking the
specific skills required for the job in hand, but has the confidence and /
or motivation to tackle it.

Similar to the leadership styles, the development levels are also situational. A
person could be skilled, confident and motivated for one part of his his job, but
could be less competent for another part of the job.

Blanchard and Hersey said that the Leadership Style (S1 - S4) of the leader
must correspond to the Development level (D1 - D4) of the follower - and it's
the leader who adapts. By adopting the right style to suit the follower's
development level, work gets done, relationships are built up, and most
importantly, the follower's development level will rise to D4, to everyone's
benefit.

Steps in Situational Leadership. Process

1. Make an overview per employee of his/her tasks

2. Assess the employee on each task (D1...D4)
3. Decide on the leadership (management) style per task (S1...S4)
4. Discuss the situation with the employee
5. Make a joint plan
6. Follow-up, check and correct

Strengths of the Situational Leadership model. Benefits

• Easy to understand
• Easy to use

Limitations of the Situational Leadership model. Disadvantages

• Model fails to distinguish between leadership and management. What is

called leadership style is really management style. Compare also:
Leadership Pipeline
• Leadership is not primarily about making decisions anyway - it is about
inspiring people to change direction.
 • Leaders may indeed vary the way they inspire people to change. But this
is when they have already decided on the need to change. Hence
leadership style does not reduce to decision making style.
• Focuses too exclusively on what the person in charge does.
• Of course both leaders and managers have to behave differently in
different situations. But that is just a trivial fact of life, rather than
anything profound in terms of our basic understanding of what it means
to lead or manage.

Assumptions of Situational Leadership. Conditions

• Leaders should adapt their style to follower 'maturity', based on how

ready and willing the follower is to perform required tasks (that is, their
competence and motivation).
• There are four leadership styles that match the four combinations of
high/low readiness and willingness.
• The four styles suggest that leaders should put greater or less focus on
the task in question and/or the relationship between the leader and the
follower.
• Presumes that leadership is about how the boss makes decisions.

Book: Paul Hersey, Kenneth H. Blanchard, Dewey E. Johnson - Management

of Organizational Behavior: Leading -

Readings List

• Hersey, Paul and Blanchard, Kenneth. Management of Organizational Behavior:

Utilizing Human Resources (Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1982).

• www.12manage.com/methods_blanchard_situational_leadership.html

• Blanchard, Kenneth. “Recognition and Situational Leadership II” Emergency

Librarian . March/April 1997, Vol. 24 Issue 4, p.38.

• Situational Leadership®: Conversations with Paul Hersey. Schermerhorn, John R Jr.

© 2001 Center for Leadership Studies, Inc

• Center for Leadership Studies: www.situational.com

• Ken Blanchard Companies: www.kenblanchard.com

• Situational Leadership. Yeakey, George W.. Military Review , Jan/Feb2002, Vol. 82

Issue 1, p72
• Great Ideas Revisited. Blanchard, Kenneth H.; Hersey, Paul. Training &
Development , Jan96, Vol. 50 Issue 1, p42

• So You Want to Know Your Leadership Style? Henry, Paul; Blanchard, Kenneth H..
Training & Development Journal , Feb74, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p22
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http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Aa2R-
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