Evaluation of the Leadership Theory and Leadership Styles - Essay Example

Running Head: Leadership theory Leadership theory Customer’s Name: Institution: Customer’s Course Tutor’s Name 22nd March, 2013. Introduction Leadership is that aspect where managers or people in a higher position look for approaches that they can use on others. This is done with the aim of motivating and influencing them so as to achieve a certain goal or objective. The saying that a manager who is successful should be the one who possesses good diagnostic attitude and values as the spirit of inquiry has been greatly attributed to different leadership theories. It is through managers that employees get their motivating factor as the managers have the responsibility and the ability to spot different abilities in different employees. This therefore makes managers adopt a unique leadership style that will be applied to meet the needs of employees. The theory Hersey –Blanchard in his situational leadership theory sought to differentiate and look for a relationship that existed in different behaviors in leaders of an organization. The three aspects included the maturity of followers, the behavior that existed in different relationships and the behavior in different tasks. In defining the three aspects, maturity is said to be the free will of an individual to take up the task of being in charge of their actions. Task behavior is seen to be the way a leader provides direction to the people he has been assigned to. This may relate to how he directs them, when he directs and where he is supposed to come in to provide directions (Blanchard and Johnson, 1982). The relationship behavior looks at different interactions in a different hierarchy of communication. This indicates the ability of a leader to provide communication as a tool for encouraging and supporting positive behavior. Through the three tasks given that are meant to define how good leadership should be conducted, the theory still claims not to have the best way in which a leader can influence employees or a team. Leadership styles in the theory The situational model gives an analysis of how maturity can be developed as a way of improving the leadership style. Maturity relates to task and relationship behavior where there is a combination of leadership styles. The first style is telling where this is classified under low maturity employees. In this situation, employees are found to be uncooperative and not willing to take up any responsibility in their work. To a large extent, this is attributed to the insecurity that they hold in their tasks which makes them have no confidence in what they are doing (Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson, 2007). For such a level, there should be a clear specification to the directions given and it is through this that effective supervision will be achieved. The second style is selling and this is for employees who have come out of low maturity to having a simpler understanding of being mature. At this stage, the employees have difficulties in owning responsibility but they have the will to take up responsibility. Such a style needs a leader who has a behavior of giving clear directions to where he or she will support the employees in having better knowledge of their task hence driving enthusiasm in them (Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson, 2007). From having simple degrees of maturity to being fully mature brings the participating style where the employees now have full knowledge of what they are required to do but resist the direction which the leaders give them. At this stage, both the employees and the supervisors share the same decision making hence the only role left for the leader is to supervise them as he communicates on issues that can affect the effectiveness of leadership (Northouse, 2004). Delegation style is a style that is developed by employees who have a sense of being part of the organization hence make it their responsibility of being in charge of all their assigned tasks. Such employees need minimal supervision and this is the recommended style due to its effectiveness. Application Different organizations have different approaches and styles that apply for effective leadership. Several activities have to be considered in order to come up with an effective style. To begin with, the situational model states that one has to come up with areas where leadership can mostly be felt. With this as an approach, the leaders should take into consideration different abilities of an individual as that is the only way an employee can be influenced (Blanchard and Johnson, 1982). The next step determines the level of maturity in different employees as their abilities are still considered. The theory states that this happens to be a secret aspect of effective leadership as various components are examined. Some of components looked at in analyzing maturity are: employees who have been motivated by their achievement have similar characteristics where they are found to set high objectives which are at the same time achievable. This is usually seen in the tasks that employees are assigned. Such employees having a high maturity have similar experiences and skills. It is through these two aspects that maturity needed in an organization is realized. The motivation characteristics and the experiences are linked to the willingness to be responsible (Northouse, 2004). This brings out the dimension of two kinds of maturity; one being having technical skills and the other having confidence in what one is doing. The final step in determining maturity is the decision that the leaders choose which of the four leadership styles is effective for different areas and employees. The scale used in the theory The model developed by Hersey- Blanchard has different scales that managers can use in different employees. The telling style requires that one should grant precise instructions and follow closely the activities being carried out. The selling style requires a bit of explanation and give a chance for any questions that the employees may have (Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson, 2007). The participating style requires a supervisor to make decisions with the support of the employees as they have grown in terms of maturity. In order for tasks to be done effectively, there has to be an agreement by both parties. The delegation style which is the best scale according to the theory is where employees have taken full responsibility meaning that trust is gained in any decisions that they come up with hence less supervision. Evaluation of the theory Hersey and Blanchard believe that leaders should be flexible and adjust their styles as employees and situations change over time. The model also implies that if the correct styles are used in lower-readiness situations, followers will mature and grow in their abilities and gain confidence. With the willingness of followers to become mature in delivering their tasks, this allows leaders to be flexible in directing them .The Hersey-Blanchard model can be said to be the most appropriate for programs that are aimed at developing managerial performance. On a critical aspect, the theory has concentrated much on empirical research where little support has been mentioned on the effectiveness of this model in application of leadership styles. The conclusion is the main area where the model concentrates on and it is here where basic ideas can be derived (Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson, 2007). This makes the model to be a test of different styles and it is through different scales that managers should exercise in order to come up with the best fit style for their employees. The model clearly explains different skills and levels that a supervisor should use and this exhibits confidence if the model is used for training different members of the organization. Many are the times when managers find difficulty in choosing the right kind of style to exercise on their employees when it comes to execution of directions. The Hersey-Blanchard model is applicable in almost all levels of the organization and it is through such kind of a model that maturity is appreciated. The theory proves to be of importance when employees are graded according to their merit and at the same time leaders are aware of the limitations in their employees. A question that can be asked about the theory is what happens to the employees who carry out their work without the aim of being competent? This is because the theory highly concentrates on tasks that yield to competence and at the same time willingness to perform the job offered. Such kind of a model to some extent may not be effective in areas such as emergency situations or scenarios that require prompt action to be taken (Blanchard and Johnson, 1982). This is because in such a situation, leaders least look for competency and willingness rather they look for the accomplishment of the task only. In a situation where the employees can predict what the supervisor is going to instruct them to do, such a model is not effective as a leader will come in with their own ideas and the employees will also come up with theirs hence confusion will emerge as one party will not support the other in the decisions made. The model is not precisely giving a way of measuring the accuracy of the style. Through the scale given, no set time has been given to determining an employee’s maturity level. This model would be appropriate if flexibility in time is allowed. The theory lacks standardization where there has to be a time limit where an employee can be assessed to be ready to achieve competency. The theory has put the leadership position as one where there has to be complexity of tasks hence maturity is needed in all areas (Northouse, 2004). This however may not be true in all kinds of tasks. This brings a misjudgment that all the tasks to be performed require a greater scale of performance which is not true. In any level of task performance, the willingness to perform may change thus the scale developed under the theory may prove not to be effective. The model should have created a scale that is based on a particular class of employees. Advantages and disadvantages of the theory Though the theory is a practicable model that can be used in various organizations that aim at competency in the tasks performed, the model has both advantages and disadvantages in them. Among the advantages is the ease in its application which enables manager’s grade their employees according to the maturity level in conducting their duties. Using the scale makes managers have easy assessment as the scales used are simple to understand (Hersey and Blanchard, 1969). Good leadership is not entirely based on the level of maturity but largely on the level of competency. It is through combining competency and maturity that focus is attained to develop good leadership styles in an organization. Some of the disadvantages seen in the theory is it can only be applied to leaders who have no limitation to exercise power as this puts them in a position to be the main decision determinants (Hersey and Blanchard, 1969). If a leader has a limitation in the power he or she exercises, this model will not be effective. The model is only applicable in a situation where there is no limit of time and the tasks performed are not difficult to carry out. This therefore means, tasks that are complex and require less time to be performed will not be relevant to the application of such a model. Lastly, the result cannot be determined as it depends on the attitude of the employees. If they are willing, there will be the effectiveness of the model as compared to working with employees who are not tasked oriented (Hersey and Blanchard, 1969). Conclusion To make a summary of the above, the essay has made an evaluation and some criticism of the model have been cited. Through this, the behavior of leaders has been attributed to the attitudes that employees posses and through different contingency factors mentioned, managers have a scale that they can choose for their employees. The leadership style is seen to be the kind that focuses on maturing as there is a relationship between maturity and the level of competency in an individual. Through the scales given, managers are in a position to classify their employees and this makes it easier to deal with them. Though there are limitations on the theory, managers and supervisors can benefit from the model in assessing employees by knowing how competent they can be. References Blanchard, K.H. & Johnson, S. (1982), "The One Minute Manager". Berkley Books. Hersey, P. & Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Management of Organizational Behavior – Utilizing Human Resources. New Jersey/Prentice Hall. Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K. H. (1969). Life cycle theory of leadership. Training and Development Journal, 23 (5), 26–34. Hersey, P., Blanchard, K.H. & Johnson, D.E. (2007) 9th Ed., "Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human Resources". Prentice Hall. Northouse, P. G. (2004). Leadership: theory and practice (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage. Read More