Situational Leadership Style and Development Levels of Followers

                     Definition of Situational Leadership

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One of the most widely recognized approach to leadership is the situational approach, which was developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1969a).

The premise of the theory is that different situations demand different kind of leadership. From this prespective, to be an effective leader requires that a person adapt his or her style to the demands of different situations.

As per Northouse (2016),this approach is composed with two major dimensions which are,

1) Leadership styles
2) Development level of followers

Leadership Styles

Leadership style consits of the behaviour pattern of a person who attempts to influence others. It includes both directive behaviours and supportive behaviours.

Directive Behaviour - helps followers accomplish goals by giving directions, establishing goals and methods of evaluation, setting timelines, defining roles, and showing how the goals are to be acheived. Directive behaviour clarify, often with one-way communication, what is to be done, how is to be done, and who is responsible for doing it.

Supportive Behaviour - help followers feel comfortable about themselves, their co-workers, and the situation. Supportive behaviour involves two-way communication and responses that show social and emotional support to others.  

Development Levels

Development level is the degree to which followers have the competence and commitment necessary to accomplish a given goal or activity

 (Blanchard et al.,1985).

Stated another way, it indicates whether a person has mastered the skills to acheive a specific goal and whether a person has developed a positive attitude towards the goal (Blanchard et al.,1993).

There are four development levels of followers

1.) Followers having low competence and high commitment. They are new to the goal and do not know exactly how to do it, but they are excited about the challenge of it.

2.) Followers having some competence but low commitment. They have started to learn a job, but they also have lost some of the initial motivation about the job.

3.) Followers who have moderate to high competence but may have variable commitment. They have essentially developed the skills for the job, but they are uncertain as to whether they can accomplish the goals by themselves.

4.) Followers having both a high degree of competence and a high degree of commitment to getting the job done. They have the skills to do the job and the motivation to get it done. 

Leadership styles and the development levels of followers are elaborated in the following figure.

Figure source- Peter G. Northouse 2016, Leadership theory and practice, 7^th edn, SAGE Publications, Inc, USA.

The situational approach is constructed around the idea that the followers have different development levels, and the suitable leadership style should be adapted to acheive the desired goals. 

Referenses
Diagnosing Educational Leadership Problems: A Situational Approach by Philip E. Gates, Kenneth H. Blanchard, Paul Hersey 1976.  http://ascd.com/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_197602_gates.pdf
Acessed on 13th May 2018 at 7.45am

Peter G. Northouse 2016, Leadership theory and practice, 7^th edn, SAGE Publications, Inc, USA.

https://culcungamkhus84.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/situational-leadership-styles-2/ Accessed on 12th May 2018 at 9.45pm

Bibliography 
Richard L. Daft 2010, Management. Ninth ed. Mason, USA: South-Western Cengage Learning.