Situational Leadership, Theoretical Explanation of Managers Behavior - Coursework Example

Situational Leadership Name Course Institution Date Introduction Situational leadership is a theory that was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The underlying principle behind this leadership theory is that there cannot be a specific leadership style which can be used by managers to solve all problems in an organization (Hersey&Blanchard 1988, p. 76). That is to imply that leadership styles change depending on the situation within which the leader is operating in. Decisions are made depending on prevailing circumstances in the given organization. Some of the factors that may influence change in the leadership style are the characteristics of the group of people being led. Amongst the many characteristics of those being lead, Hersey and Blanchard seem to emphasize more on maturity level of those being led. This is because the level of maturity affects the ability of the follower to perform in the given task. Mature followers are in a position to handle challenges in their various positions. In my recent years in the corporate world, I have had a chance to work under different managers in different organizations. I have also interacted closely with friends in managerial positions in different organizations as well. This essay focuses on one of my former managers whom I had a chance to work under when I was working in a manufacturing company. For the three years that I worked under this manager, I learnt quite a lot of stuff. Much can be said about him especially his leadership style. How he used to coordinate various tasks being undertaken by junior employees in the organization speaks a lot about his personality and leadership style. He had a particular interest in trying to understand all the employees who were working under him. Often, he would inquire about our past employment history as well as overall background history with the main aim of trying to understand how to handle different employees. My Manager’s Behavior It is not easy to describe my former manager at the manufacturing company where I used to work few years ago. He was this kind of person who could juggle around an issue depending on what he was handling and the overall situation around. Nevertheless, I believe amongst all this, one leadership style that dominates is participative leadership. He later came to be known for this kind of leadership style. In overall, he wanted to be involved in the major activities being undertaken that fell under him. It became apparent that in everything that was being undertaken, he wanted it to be absolutely sure that it will be done accordingly. In my earlier days, I used to perceive him as a perfectionist. Later on, I came to realize this was simply his way of leading. Even in circumstances where he has been required to delegate some roles to the junior employees, he would often supervise closely in order to be definitely sure that whatever was supposed to be done was being done. Every time there was a problem, he would easily take responsibility. He distinguished himself as a manager who was committed to delivering optimum results in everything he was undertaking. Theoretical Explanation of Manager’s Behavior In a manufacturing firm, most of the tasks are quite demanding. Messing up a single aspect especially in the production related activities may bring the company to its knees. The technical aspects were supposed to be performed with high degree of diligence. In other words, there is no room for mistakes at any given point because it is likely to affect the entire company. Most of the tasks could not be fully transferred to junior employees because of their technicality. Most employees were not confident enough to handle the various challenges on their own. The best way to increase the confidence of employees in this kind of setting is when they are made to undertake their tasks together with the manager (Yukl 2006, p. 81). Seeing the manager handle various tasks together with the employees builds a lot of confidence in them. In addition to that, undertaking some tasks together with other junior employees is one way of ensuring that they grow in their jobs faster. Participative leadership allows managers to share ideas in the process of getting involved (Zigarmi, Blanchard, O’Connor& Edeburn 2005, p. 233). As they get involved in discharging various responsibilities, it is easy for other employees to learn what is expected on the job. Direct transfer of knowledge and practical skills takes place when leaders are taking part in what is supposed to be done in various activities. Similarly, since both the leader and the followers take part in decision making, they are all responsible for the outcome. The success or failure of the decisions undertaken is not attributed to an individual, but rather the entire team since they are allowed to take part (Kinni & Kinni 2005, p. 158). From this, it clearly explains the fact that my manager wanted to ensure that all his followers were involved. Besides, it is also probable that the manager preferred participative style because of the low degree of readiness exhibited by a majority of the followers. As earlier explained, most of the activitiesin the production department requires high degree of diligence and accuracy. In the past, many employees working in these departments lost their jobs because they missed on a single item that apparently messed up the entire output on that particular production line. When fresh employees used to hear of this, some kind of fear engulfed them and it used to affect their performance to some extent. Gauging this in relation to leadership theories, this probably has worked to reduce the level of readiness working in such department (Yukl 2006, p. 83). As a result, employees are better motivated when they are meant to discharge their responsibilities together with their managers. In essence, it increases the security for their jobs to a certain degree. Therefore, the theory is making it elaborate that the style that was adopted by my former manager was provoked by the prevailing working environment. While people may think of him as being a perfectionist whose determination is to ensure that all tasks are completed appropriately, from a theoretical perspective we learn that it was the situation that provoked this kind of style. The underlying factor is that a leader must adopt the leadership style that will guarantee optimum results (Graeff 1988, p. 290). At the end of it, flexible leaders are more effective than those who rigidly stick to one particular way of doing things. Situations keep changing and for an organization to maintain its competitive advantage over other players there is need to adjust depending on the prevailing situations. Effectiveness of the Manager The ability of a leader to perform in the given position can be influenced by a series of factors. Such factors may include organizational impediments like the structure and interference from other senior leaders. A successful manager is the one who cruises through all these impediments to attain the main goals. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate the effectiveness of a leader in relation to the position held at any given time. In the case of my former manager, it is evident that he was performing so well. From a theoretical perspective, this can be explained vividly because it applies in different other organizations. In the manufacturing company that I used to work, the company ensured that highly gifted and skilled individuals were hired especially in the production departments. Therefore, inasmuch as the leader used to get involved in the tasks being undertaken, he did minimal directing and coordination of the various tasks. He understood that most of the people who had been hired in this department were fully qualified. Little direction in what they were supposed to do did serve well as a sign that the followers were trusted in their various tasks. Basically, when working with baby boomers it is important to understand the various ways of motivating them (Yukl 2006, p. 79). One way of doing that is making them feel that they are trusted. In this case, tasks are given without necessary pointing out each detail of how to handle it. In most cases, providing details of every single step makes followers feel like they do not know anything. Therefore, the manager was very successful using this leadership style because most of the followers were very competent. In spite of the success that my manager attained during period of his tenure, challenges were never missing completely. Occasionally, issues used to arise which could affect the performance of the department. For instance, there used to be high levels of employee turnover. It came a time when this became a real concern for all the leaders in the organization. Theoretically, this was a sign of low commitment on the part of the employees in the various departments. The low level of commitment is attributed to the fact that these are mainly highly gifted employees. They have this euphoria that they are very good and therefore very many opportunities await them in different organizations. Therefore, inasmuch as they are very competent and they perform very well on their jobs, their level of commitment is quite worrying (Hersey, P &Blanchard, K 1988, p. 83). It is very hard for an organization to rely on such employees. This can be dangerous considering the fact that strategic plans of organizations are developed with specific individuals in mind. This is because the implementation of strategic plan requires capable individuals who understand well the culture of the organization. Strengths of Situational Leadership This theory has received a lot of accolades for its approach towards leadership. This theory appreciates that the current business environment is quite dynamic to be successful through a single approach to management (Hersey&Blanchard 1988, p. 91). Basically, this theory is easy to be understood and to be applied. It has been commended for its simplistic approach to leadership. This partly explains why the application of this theory ranges from small organizations to multinational corporations. Many of those who have applied situational leadership theory have expressed the ease of it being applied in varied settings in different organizations (Yukl 2006, p. 81). For this reason, many leaders are quite acquainted with situational leadership theory than any other leadership approach. The fact that this leadership approach emphasizes on leader flexibility has made it possible to be applied in the current business environment. It is quite interesting because studies have shown that many managers or leaders in general are applying situational leadership without even knowing that they are applying it. This indicates how dominant this theory has become ever since it was formulated. Weaknesses In spite of the strengths of situational leadership that have been pointed out above, critics have not been completely silenced. For a long time, empirical research has disputed the effectiveness of situational leadership. Many have argued that while flexibility may serve to meet the diverse needs of organizations, it portrays inconsistency on the part of the leader. Without accurate information being passed, followers my confuse flexibility with not being sure with the kind decisions to be made. With this in mind, it is likely to create a situation of uncertainty in the organization since the employees are unable to predict what to expect from their leader. In addition, critics have pointed out the fact that people are likely to term it as manipulative. Employees and other stakeholders are likely to view change in leadership approach as manipulative strategy. This can exert pressure on the part of leaders and it may affect discharge of responsibilities. Conclusion In summary, a lot can be learnt from the situational theory that has been discussed. From the discussed information, the conclusion can be driven about the use of this theory in organizations. Practically, this theory is quite effective and is applied in so many organizations either knowingly or unknowingly. The theory is easily applicable in different situation in different organizations and this makes this theory reliable in the current times. This is because it is imperative that different situations will be presented in an organization and therefore demanding different approaches to deal with. Leaders must take a considerable time in trying to understand the characteristics of their followers. This is very crucial in trying to understand the leadership approach to be used. This will work to improve the overall performance of the organization. References Graeff, CL 1988, “The Situational Leadership Theory: A Critical View,” Academy of Management Review, vol. 8, pp. 285-291. Hersey, P &Blanchard, K 1988, Management and Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 67-101. Kinni, T., & Kinni, D 2005,No Substitute for Victory: Lessons in Strategy and Leadershipfrom General Douglas MacArthur,Financial Times Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, pp. 155-176. Yukl, G 2006, Leadership in Organizations, Sixth Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, p. 78-83. Zigarmi, Z., Blanchard, K., O’Connor, M., & Edeburn, C 2005,The Leader Within: Learning Enough About Yourself to Lead Others, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, pp. 232-245. Read More