Leadership Styles of Organizations Today

Leadership Styles of Organizations Today:
Situational Leadership
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Leadership Styles of Organizations Today:
Situational Leadership
Introduction
Leadership is perhaps another one of those things that most distinguish man from other forms of creations. Certainly, man`s ability to single himself out and then organize and manage others is one thing that can be observed in some animals, but is so much more complex for humans. This complexity of man`s leadership has allowed for the rise - and fall - of numerous civilizations that led to the modern mix of races and cultures seen by today`s contemporary society. Still, along with the changes in man`s civilizations, changes have also come around for man`s leadership and leadership styles CITATION Den081 \l 1033 (Childers, 2008).
In fact, more than a hundred leadership styles have been discussed and documented, with each one a derivative of another, or a form of protest against another leadership style. Certainly, numerous leadership styles have been devised throughout the ages, such as contingency leadership, transactional leadership, transformational leadership, and numerous others. One other significant leadership style is the situational leadership style. This form of leadership calls for a kind of leadership or leader response that depends on a range of situations or situational factors, or as the situation calls for CITATION Nor103 \l 1033 (Northouse, 2010).
In relation, this paper will then explore situational leadership, especially n the context of today`s organizations. An exploration of the overview and history of the said leadership style will first be conducted in the next section of this paper. Afterwards, the different benefits and advantages of the situational style of leadership will be provided, followed by the varied pitfalls and disadvantages of the said leadership style. Finally, an overall evaluation of the chosen leadership style will be provided in this paper. Most importantly, this paper will attempt to prove that despite the numerous styles of leadership available and despite the pitfalls and limitations of situational leadership, it is a valuable style of leadership that allows for greater effectiveness and efficiency, since it makes flexibility and effective adaptation to different settings and occurrences possible.
Situational Leadership History and Overview
Situational leadership involves the concept that managers and leaders must utilize different styles of leadership depending on the situation. The main proponents of situational leadership are the authors Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey, who developed a model for analyzing the leader and organization`s need based on the situation, and then using the most appropriate leadership style for the situation. Under the model provided by Blanchard and Hersey (1998), situations are assessed and decisions made depending on the employees` commitment to their tasks, as well as their level of competence in their task areas. Based on the idea that leadership is not that simple, this model of leadership works by not limiting a leader to a single preferred style (i.e. transformational or transactional methods), but rather allows for a wide range of flexible styles.
Also, in addition to the employees` competence and commitment, the leader can also look into the motivation of his/her workers, in trying to make choices or situational decisions. Still, it is important to note in here that the employees` motivation is affected by other factors, especially involving the relationship between the leader and the follower, as well as the leader`s and the followers` behaviors. Indeed, this type of leadership allows for the consideration and balancing of the leaders` perception of the follower, as well as of the situation and even of the leader`s perception of himself/herself. Thus, this form of leadership has advantages, which will be discussed in the next section of the paper.
Situational Leadership Benefits and Advantages
One of the greatest benefits or advantages of the situational style of leadership is that it is very flexible and it makes possible the adjustment of the leader to different circumstances. By providing a wide array of leader responses, the said style of leadership makes it possible for individuals to maximize their abilities and their competencies. In fact, situational leadership negates the rigid provisions of the trait and great man theory of leadership, since the situational type of leadership allows for individuals who were previously unrecognized as leaders to rise to the challenge of the situation and become a leader. Therefore, this style or method of leadership gives the leader the power to adjust accordingly to the deman...