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Situational leadership
Paul Hersey, a behavioural scientist and entrepreneur, and Ken Blanchard, an author and a management expert, developed the situational leadership theory in 1969. By that time some authors had stated that leadership is innate, and as such it cannot be learnt. Others had stated that leadership depends on what managers do on a day to day basis rather than on some specific personality traits.
However, Hersey and Blanchard stated that leadership is mainly determined by external situations which require a particular leadership style. For example, the way a hospital should be run is not the way a school should be run or an army should be run.
This is an innovative theory, as it teaches us to observe the context around us and identify what we are required to do in any particular situation.
In the same way, our leadership behaviours should change depending on each team member. If we have to deal with a responsible and reliable team member we might think about delegating some tasks to him/her. On the other hand, if we have to deal with a team member that does not want to take any responsibility beside his/her routine job, a more appropriate behaviour to adopt may be the directing one.
The challenge for us is to use the four main leadership styles that Hersey and Blanchard identify (directing, coaching, supporting and delegating) at the right moment with the right person. In fact, if we use a more directive behaviour with team members that are autonomous and want freedom to act, we might compromise our relationship with them. In the same way, we might put other team members in difficulty when giving them extra tasks that might not be appreciated.
