1. Leadership: Situational Approaches
Chapter 5

2. Situational Approaches to Leadership
Situational approaches to leadership examine the interplay among the leader, the follower and the situation in order to find causal relationships that will lead to predictability of behavior.
All situational approaches require the leader to behave in a flexible manner to be able to diagnose leadership style appropriate to the situation and to be able to apply the appropriate style.

3. Five Situational Models and Theories
Tannenbaum-Schmidt Continuum of Leadership Behavior
Fiedler’s Contingency Model
House-Mitchell Path-Goal Theory
Vroom-Yetten Contingency Model
Hersey-Blanchard Tridimensional Leader Effectiveness Model

4. Tannenbaum-Schmidt Continuum of Leader Behavior
How to Choose a Leadership Pattern
Select one of the seven possible leader behaviors depending upon the forces.
There are two styles of leader behavior which are authoritarian and democratic.

5. Leadership Styles The Authoritarian The Democratic
- Leader makes decision and announces it
- Assumes people are innately lazy and unreliable
The Democratic
Leader permits followers to function within limits defined by superior
- Assumes that people can be basically self-directed and creative at work if properly motivated

6. Fiedler’s Contingency Model
Three major situational variables:
Leader -Members Relationship
Personal relations with members of their group
Task Structure
Directing a well defined job
Position Power
The power and authority their position provides

7. Leadership Styles Fiedler Concluded Are Appropriate for Various Group
Task- Oriented Style
Relationships-Oriented Considerate Style
Task-Oriented Style
Favorable-Leadership Situation
Situation Intermediate in Favorableness for Leader
Unfavorable Leadership Situation

8. House-Mitchell Path-Goal Theory
According to this theory, leaders are effective because of their impact on followers’ motivation, ability to perform effectively and satisfactions.
The theory is called Path-Goal because its major concern is how the leader influences the followers’ perception of their work, goals, personal goals and path to goal attainment.

9. Leader Roles in the Path-Goal Model
Path Clarification
Leader defines what follower must do to attain work outcome
Leader clarifies follower’s work role
Follower has increased knowledge and confidence to accomplish outcomes.
Increase Rewards
Leader learns follower’s needs
Leader matches followers needs to reward if work outcomes are accomplished
Leader increases value of work outcomes for follower
Follower displays increased effort and motivation
Organizational work outcomes are accomplished

10. Vroom-Yetten Contingency Model
This model developed by Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetten is based on a model which takes a contingency approach to leadership.
This model is based on the assumption that situational variables interacting with personal attributes or characteristics of the leader result in leader behavior that can affect organizational effectiveness.

11. Types of Managerial Decision Styles in the Vroom-Yetten Model
-Solve the problem using information available
- Obtain necessary information from your followers
- Share the information with relevant followers (individually)
- Share the problem with your followers as a group, obtain ideas and suggestions
- Share a problem with your followers to generate and evaluate alternatives and reach consensus

12. Vroom-Yetten Summarization
This approach is important for several reasons:
It is widely respected among researchers in leadership behaviors
Leaders should have the ability to vary their styles to fit the situation
People can work to be developed into more effective leaders

13. Hersey-Blanchard Tridemensional Leader Effectiveness Model
In this model, the terms task behavior and relationship behavior are used to describe leadership style.
Task behavior- The extent to which leaders are likely to organize and define the roles of the members of their group
Relationship behavior- The extent to which leaders are likely to maintain personal relationships between themselves and members of their group

14. Hersey-Blanchard Tridemensional Leader Effectiveness Model
High
Relationship
Behavior
Low
Relationship and
Low Task
High Task
And
High Relationship
Low Relationship
Task Behavior
Low High

15. Effectiveness Dimension
The effectiveness of leaders depends on how appropriate their leadership style is to the situation in which they operate.
By adding effectiveness to the task behavior and relationship behavior dimensions, leadership style and situational demands are integrated.

16. Instrumentation
To gather data about behavior of leaders, two leader effectiveness and adaptability description instruments were used.
Leadership Instruments:
LEAD Self
LEAD Other

17. Consistency
Consistency is using the style appropriate for the followers’ level of readiness in such a way that they understand why they are getting a certain behavior.

18. Summary Studies show that there is no best style of leadership.
Effective leaders adapt their behavior to meet the needs of their followers’ and the particular event.