What is Situational Leadership
Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model
The Situational Leadership Model was created by Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey, and is probably the most used formal model of leadership today, in part due to its intuitiveness but also attributed to the success of Ken Blanchard's other books in the market place.
The basic premise is that effective leadership requires leadership flexibility since different situations require different leadership approaches and tactics.
Blanchard and Hersey defined four different leadership styles different from each other in terms of how much direction the leader provides to followers.:
- Directing Leaders
- Coaching Leaders
- Supporting Leaders
- Delegating Leaders
They suggest that the most effective style will depend on the level of development of the followers, and that the leader must match his or her approach to what is needed by the follower(s).
For more detailed information about Blanchard's views on leadership, and details of the situational leadership model go to Leadership Books by Ken Blanchard