Situational Leadership Meaning: What is Situational Leadership?
Situational leadership is when a person basically more experienced than you, a manager in cases of organizations, guides you through a process in a certain specific situation to attain success.
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Who is given the leadership depends on that person’s background, knowledge, personality, ego, and motivators. It’s not necessary for that person to be your manager, it could also be a colleague with prior experience in that field and is give a role to lead the team for a particular project.
If they’re guiding you, no matter how little it is they’re contributing, on certain projects there’s a situational leadership there.
However, it still requires for the person selected to be the leader to have certain expertise. Plus, for different tasks and situations, different types of expertise and hence various types of leaders may also be required. So, in those cases, this situational leadership model can help.
Situational Leadership Theory
This is the theory of 21st century. It was considered when the developers of this theory realized that different situations require different types of leaders. And with their specific expertise, it can be easier to achieve success.
Who Developed the Concept of Situational Leadership?
Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey developed the theory of situational leadership in 1969.
How Does Situational Leadership Differ from Other Leadership Styles?
As discussed before, situational leadership is an approach of 21st century. It’s more flexible than other types of leadership approaches, which are more rigid than this.
Besides that, leaders can modify their approach and strategies in situational leadership unlike other leadership styles, which are comparatively more rigid.
Here’s a quick brief about all other leadership styles since you understand situational leadership now assuming you’re the HR leader.
Autocratic Leadership
- In this type of leadership, you make decisions without input from the team.
- Maintains tight control and authority over the team.
Transformational Leadership
- In this type of leadership, you inspire and motivates followers to achieve their full potential.
- Often involves charismatic leaders who drive change.
Laissez-Faire Leadership
- In this type of leadership, you adopt a hands-off approach, providing significant freedom to the team.
- Works well when the team is highly skilled and motivated.
Servant Leadership
- In this type of leadership, you prioritize serving others and meeting followers’ needs.
- Emphasizes humility and a focus on the well-being of the team.
What Are the Key Principles or Core Elements of Situational Leadership?
Here are the key principles of core elements of the situational leadership.
Telling (Directing)
This is the starting point, especially for newbies. Leaders give clear instructions to low-skilled but eager team members. It’s like being a coach, providing guidance and motivation. The leader focuses a lot on tasks as the relationship is still budding. The goal is to guide them to the next level of ability. It’s very leader-driven at this stage.
Selling (Coaching)
For those who’ve learned a bit. Leaders still heavily guide tasks but now build a relationship too. It’s less about telling and more about suggesting and encouraging. The leader acts like a coach, recognizing progress and motivating further development. Again, very leader driven.
Participating (Supporting)
Now, the team member is competent but inconsistent or not fully committed. The leader works alongside, offering support and ensuring work quality. It’s less about tasks and more about building relationships. This phase is more follower-driven and focused on relationships.
Delegating
This is a sweet spot. In this case, team members are fully empowered and competent. Leaders can delegate tasks with minimal supervision, trusting in excellent results. It’s very follower-driven, with low focus on both tasks and relationships. The goal is achieved – a self-sufficient, motivated follower.
How to Implement Situational Leadership in HR
As an HR, you might be in a situation where a junior HR joins in and you may need to lead them for a while in different ways. So, in those situations, you may be a situational leader.
Here’s the full process of how you can carry this out without stressing. You’ll need to:
- Assess how much the individual is willing to work and take up new challenges.
- Evaluate the potential and commitment level of your employee and understand their strengths and weaknesses.
- Now that you have specific details of their traits, you can start by recognizing different situations where your employee might need help—for instance, onboarding, employee relations, or anything else.
- Based on that, train and guide them altering your strategies and approaches depending on their needs.