EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

SERIES
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Situational Leadership
LECTURE 4
by

Subhas Chandran
Faculty of Defence & Management Studies
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2012

INTRODUCTION
The appropriateness of a leaders behavior with a group of

followers often reflects the situational context.

The situation, not someones traits or abilities, plays the

most important role in determining who emerges as a

leader.
Great leaders typically emerged during economic crisis,

social upheavals, or revolutions.

It was believed that leaders were made, not born, and

that prior leadership experience helped forge effective

leaders.
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Situational Factors
Role Theory:
A leaders behavior depends on a leaders perceptions
of
how critical the situation is :
Rules and regulations governing the job.
Role expectations of subordinates, peers, and

superiors.
Nature of the task.
Feedback about subordinates performance.

Multiple-influence Model
Micro-variables within the organization
Macro-variables - external to organization

Situational levels: Task, organizational, and

environmental levels.
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EXPANDED LFS MODEL

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Congruence Model

Based on a Systems Theory Approach - assumes that

systems always stay in balance. (homeostasis)

Each individual element plays a role - inputs

(environment, resources, history), process (work, people,
formal organization, informal organization), outputs
(system, unit, individual) - but the focus is on the
process portion of the model.

The work factor provides a framework to assess,

describe, and categorize situational influences based on
the components of the job characteristics model with the
addition of task structure and task interdependence.
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Congruence Model

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Congruence Model
A Systems Theory based model that asserts
that all systems attempt to stay in balance
The People Factor relates to the interaction
between leaders and followers
The Formal Organization - the importance of
looking at specific organizational factors and
how these influence the situation.

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Congruence Model
The informal organization component captures

the influence of organizational culture and

climate.

In making changes to the system, it is

important to consider the potential implications

(or ripple effects) or only changing one portion
of the model.
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Congruence Model
The Work Job Characteristics
Skill Variety: Performing a variety of different activities or

skills.
Task Identity: Does situation or task require completion of

a whole unit of work from beginning to end with a visible

outcome?
Task Significance: Does the job substantially impact

others lives.
Autonomy: Extent of individual freedom over what and how

he does it.
Feedback: Degree of information a person accomplishing a

task receives about the task performance.

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Congruence Model
The Work Task Structure
People vary in their preferences for, or ability to handle,

structured versus unstructured tasks.

Subordinates need help when:
A task is unstructured.
They do not know what the desired outcome looks

like.
They do not know how to achieve the outcome.

Reducing the degree of ambiguity inherent in an

unstructured situation is a leadership behavior usually

appreciated by followers.
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Congruence Model
The Work Task Interdependence
Task interdependence: Tasks require coordination and

synchronization for work groups or teams to accomplish

desired goals.
For tasks requiring a high levels of interdependence place a

premium on leaders organizing and planning, directing,

and communication skills.
Task interdependence can also dictate which leader

behaviors will be effective in a particular situation.

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Congruence Model
The People
Leaders should look at the followers in terms of:
Skills
Knowledge
Experience
Expectations
Needs
Preferences

In a rapidly changing environment, diversity allows the

species to sense and adapt more quickly.

Diversity is essential to quality and survival in a rapidly

changing world.
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Congruence Model
The Formal Organization:
Ones hierarchical level in an organization.

Leaders effectively change their leadership style as

they move up an organizational ladder.

Leaders at high organizational levels often perform a

greater variety of activities and are more apt to use

participation and delegation.

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Organizational Design
Functional Design

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Organizational Design
Product Design

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Organizational Design
Matrix Design

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The Informal Organization

Organizational culture: System of shared
backgrounds, norms, values, or beliefs among
members of a group.
Organizational climate: Members subjective
reactions about the organization.
Leaders can change culture by attending to or
ignoring particular issues, problems, or projects.
Leaders can modify culture
Through their reactions to crisis
By rewarding new or different kinds of behavior
By eliminating previous punishments or negative

consequences for certain behaviors.

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HERSEY - BLANCHARD SITUATIONAL

MODEL
HIGH
R
E
L
A
T
I
O
N
S
H
I
P
S

Participating Style
Share Ideas
Decisions

Explain

---------

-------------

Followers Able

Followers Unable

unwilling, not confident

willing, confident

Delegating Style

Telling Style

Turn over decisions

Give Instructions

--------------

------------

Followers Able

LOW

Selling Style

Followers Unable

willing, confident
confident

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unwilling, not

TASK BEHAVIOUR

HIG
H

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HERSEY - BLANCHARD SITUATIONAL

MODEL
The Situational Leadership Model views leaders as
adapting their leadership styles to the maturity of the followers.

o They base their relationship on either establishing relationships

or going more emphasis on task behaviors.

o

Delegating Style - Group takes responsibility for task

decisions it is a low task low relationship style.

Participating Style - Group goes for shared ideas and

participative decisions on task directions - low task high
relationship style

o Selling Style explaining task in a supportive and persuasive

way high task and high relationship style.
o

Telling Style give specific directions and close

supervision high task low relationship style
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MILITARY SITUATIONAL MODEL

US. AIR WAR COLLEGE LEADERSHIP MODEL (AWC)
oThe AWC model is a military situational leadership model.

oLeadership art of influencing and directing people (followers) to

accomplish the mission in a particular situation or environment

oEffective leaders adapt their behavior to meet the needs of

followers and the particular environment

Situational Leadership is a registered trademark of the Center for Leadership Studies.

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

Some Observations:
The arrow from followers to mission is unidirectional - the

followers actually work to accomplish the mission.

Communication (feedback) between leader and follower is the

critical factor and needs to be free-flowing.

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

Situations examined are:

1. The levels at which leadership is exercised.
2. Peacetime leadership as compared to war-time
operations.
3. A comparison of service, joint, and combined
leadership.

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

1. LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP
2. It is mission specific at tactical level but broader at higher

levels of leadership e.g. bomb a target, seize and hold terrain

etc.
3. Leadership situation changes from tactical to operational and

strategic, - at higher level, mission tasking is less specific.

4. As you go higher the number of people responsible for

increases but interaction becomes less and less direct.

5. Effective leader ensure that vision, values, and vitality

permeate the organization i.e climate control.

6. The concept of climate control includes delegating work and

empowering subordinates to accomplish the mission.

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

As Unit Leadership moves up, it becomes less hands-on,

less technical
Leader Is still mission driven but as a generalist, leaves

technical details to unit commanders.

Decisions made above tactical level - made with less than

100 percent of the required information.

Vision is the ability to see into the future and is key to

organizational success and survival (essential above

tactical level).
Time frame for planning above tactical level increases.

as issues are more complex, conceptual, and abstract.

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

2. PEACE OR WAR!

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

2. PEACE OR WAR !
oThe wartime mission is more critical and failure is potentially

tragic. So Mission" column arrow is larger others.

oIn time of war, the mental state of followers important. Fear

complicates their ability to perform.

oTo compensate for fear and the greater importance of mission

accomplishment, leaders may become more authoritarian.

oThe fundamental purpose of basic training is to break down

the civilian mind-set , willingness to face life-threatening

situations and obey battlefield orders. The military discipline
during basic training, a reflexive obedience to an authoritarian
leadership style.
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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

3. JOINT & COMBINED LEADERSHIP

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

3. JOINT & COMBINED LEADERSHIP
oToday's operations climate involves the composition of

friendly coalition Joint Forces and or Tri Service Forces

(combined) in any operations.
oA single-service operation is relatively easy to

coordinate since like-minded individuals are involved in

accomplishing the mission.
oDoctrinal and service differences, cultural and historical

differences compound efforts to coordinate combined

operations.
oInter-service rivalries have complicated and will

continue to complicate mission accomplishment. E.g. Gen

MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz rivalry in the Pacific.
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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

4. STAFF & OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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AWC LEADERSHIP MODEL

4. STAFF & OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP
oLeaders in operational units are probably more effective if

they conform to the heroic leader style, while a staff leader's

style is more appropriately bureaucratic and participative.
oThe interaction between leader and followers is primarily

verbal and informal in an operational environment but in the

staff environment is written and more formal

Situational Leadership is a registered trademark of the Center for Leadership Studies.

Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard, Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing
Human Resources, (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1982), 86.
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