Theories of Situational and Participative Leadership

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Participative Leadership Theory
The situational leadership theory
Application of Situational Leadership Theory
Conclusion
References

Introduction

From the early twentieth century, there has been a surge of interest in leadership theory. The leadership models, which were been in existence before, paid attention to the character traits that distinguished leaders from followers. On the contrary, subsequent schools of leadership have focused on the other points, such as the level of participation, skills and situational factors. This paper seeks to compare and contrast the participatory and situational theories of leadership.

Participative Leadership Theory

This leadership model is grounded on the concept that when the thoughts of different people are combined, the decision arrived is better than a single individual’s opinion.

The leader welcomes the participation of the persons responsible for performing various assignments, given that such an approach is more collaborative and less competitive, and as a result, an organization achieves more commitment from participants. Participants may include managers, patrons, juniors and seniors.

Participatory leadership is all about discussions, independent decision making, sharing of power and coming up with decisions jointly, and empowerment. A participative leader makes all the employees involved in the affairs of an organization or corporation unite their efforts to achieve the set goals (Komives, Wagner & Assoc, 2009)

The basic assumptions of the model include the following steps. First, the participation in decision-making enhances the appreciation of the work performed by the individuals who have to implement the decisions. Second, participatory leadership increases people’s commitment to actions.

Third, such a model reduces competition and enhances collaboration in attaining shared objectives. Fourth, several minds arrive at a better decision as compared to a single biased judgment of an individual. The last but not the least, participation boosts social commitment among the participants.

The situational leadership theory

This leadership model has been developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The fundamental basis of the theory is that there is no single “ideal” model of leadership. The theory holds that a leader’s action is dependent on the situational factors, such as capability and motivation of participants and leaders.

The situational factors to be taken into consideration include organization of the work, time management, efforts made, workers’ abilities and skills, roles’ distribution, resources available, cooperation and cohesiveness in organization, and external coordination. Situational leadership is propped by the assumption that leader’s best action depends on variety of contextual factors (Kouzes & Posner, 2003).

Effective leadership calls for everyone’s collaboration to make a decision and take an action. Leaders applying situational leadership model apply the necessary approach in the light of the situational context and the other stakeholders’ or participants’ needs. The model proposes that leaders should support the followers depending on their requirements.

The situational leadership model includes four leadership styles and four maturity levels, as described below. According to Hersey and Blanchard (1993), the first style is Telling, which involves the leader grouping the roles for the juniors and leading them using a one way communication.

The style is autocratic as subordinates strictly follow the directions set by the leader. Selling, the next leadership style, involves the leader directing the subordinates and more leader-juniors communication. The leader communicates to their staff to make them understand the significance of their assignments and the importance of the organizational goals or corporation’s processes.

In the participatory style, the decision making is collaborative, and communication is heard from both sides. The fourth style is Delegating, passing substantial decision and resting the responsibility on the followers (Kouzes & Posner, 2003).

The first maturity level, M1, is marked by lack of skills, knowledge and the confidence to work alone. At level two, M2, followers are incapable of taking independent responsibility for assignments.

Maturity level three, M3, is performed by very experienced and able followers. Nevertheless, the followers may be afraid of accomplishing the objectives on their own. The last maturity level, M4, is for experienced and confident followers. Such people are ready to carry out all the assignments and bear the responsibility for the outcomes of their acts.

The situational leadership requires a leader to combine various styles to achieve the maturity levels of the subordinates. Where the juniors lack knowledge and skills and are incompetent, a telling style of leadership should be adopted.

If the whole staff is familiar with their tasks but not motivated, the leader is to convince their employees on the significance of their tasks and the need to develop the necessary skills. For instance, if the followers are competent, leaders can play the role of consultants.

Employees at the last maturity level are independent in their acts and fully committed to task accomplishment. In such a situation, the most feasible style is delegating tasks. The situational leadership model creates flexibility in the leadership style and contributes to a supportive environment at the workplace.

Application of Situational Leadership Theory

A police commander using a situational leadership approach to deal with a protest needs to be capable of applying other styles of leadership, if needed. They have to understand their juniors’ maturity in terms of readiness to deal with the militia and then apply the most suitable style to the context at hand.

Commander has the following situation-style match-ups to adopt. When the police officers’ readiness to deal with the militias is high, the model suggests that the leader, a police commander, in such a case, should delegate such a task to their junior security officers, with minimal intervention from their side into the process.

The police commander passes over decision making to the security agents who are skilled, confident and willing to handle militias and protests. For example, when the junior police officers are immature or not ready to deal with militias, the situational model requires the leader to use a telling approach with emphasis on job directed behaviors. The commander should give instructions and lay down the directions to be followed in dealing with the protesters (Davis, 2003).

When the security officers have low-to-moderate willingness and readiness to deal with the security issue, it is recommended to adopt a participatory approach.

The participatory leadership style would enable the police commander to maintain a close relationship, share ideas and thus contribute to the juniors better understanding of the situation at hand and building their confidence in dealing with the militia in a professional way.

When commanders find their subordinates have achieved high maturity to deal with the security threat, they can use Selling style. In case the juniors lack the skills but have will and confidence, it is necessary for the commander to provide guidance to ensure task accomplishment. The police commander should maintain flexibility and adjust their styles to their juniors and the context change over time (Rhode, 2006).

Conclusion

In extreme situations, leaders tend to be more dictatorial, especially when faced with the possibility of failure. Nevertheless, leaders usually display integrity, dedication, magnanimity, openness and creativity.

The theories of participatory and situational leadership are among the most widely accepted models of leadership in the modern world. Participative leadership ensures democracy in decision making and creates commitment to fore planned tasks. On the other hand, situational leadership enables a leader to apply a suitable style of leadership in regard to the needs of their followers.

References

Davis, J. R. (2003). Learning to lead: A handbook for postsecondary administrators. Westport, CT: Preager.

Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1993). Management of Organizational Behavior – Utilizing Human Resources. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Komives, S. R., Wagner, W., & Assoc. (2009). Leadership for a better world: Understanding the social change model of leadership development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2003).Jossey-Bass academic administrator’s guide to exemplary leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Rhode, D.L. (2006). Moral Leadership: The theory and practice of power, judgment, and policy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

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