DUE IN 24 HOURS
ATTACHED
Behavioral and Situational Approaches [WLO: 1] [CLOs: 1, 3, 4]
Guided Response: Respond to at least two other peers’ posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. Remember to include active scholarship in these two replies to substantiate your points and to properly cite your sources. Please refer to
APA: Citing Within Your Paper
(Links to an external site.)
by the Writing Center for information on citing sources. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon in your classroom for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
KELLIE’S POST:
The behavioral approach focuses on a leader’s actions instead of who they are. It is comprised of two behaviors which are task and relationship behaviors. The main emphasis of this method is how leaders use these two behaviors to inspire others. A few strengths associated with the approach are that it has expanded the scope of leadership behaviors past traits, it is consistent and backed by many studies, it emphasizes two core elements of leadership behaviors which are task and relationship. A large opportunity with the approach is that it has not proven to connect behaviors with outcomes such as culture, satisfaction, and performance. (Northouse, 2022). Task behaviors are focused on what actions a leader must take to accomplish an objective. The leader assigns the work and expects it to get completed on time. Relationship behaviors do rely on task completion, however, the leader focuses on the employee’s strengths and opportunities before assigning a specific task. Leaders should balance the two. If too much focus is put on only driving tasks, this can lead to low morale in my experience. If too much emphasis is put on relationships, the work might not be completed.
The SLII structure states that there are four leadership styles, representing various amounts of supportive and directive behavior. The theory describes the four styles as Directing (S1; high directive and low supportive behavior); Coaching (S2; high directive and high supportive behavior); Supporting (S3; low directive and high supportive behavior); and Delegating (S4; low directive and low supportive behavior). Employee development levels vary from Developing (D1; low competence and high commitment) to Developed (D4; high competence and high commitment). Successful leader behaviors are specific to the situation and contingent on the development stage of the employee on a task. The structure suggests that when the leader matches their leadership style with the needs of the scenario it leads to increased efficiency and better results (Zigarmi & Roberts, 2017). A major strength of this approach is that it is widely used and recognized as an industry standard among organizations. An opportunity is that it does not have a lot of research to back up the foundational theories it is comprised of (Northouse, 2022). I have been through a few SLII workshops. I find this method valuable and the more I can adapt to support my team in different situations, the more successful we have been overall.
An example of the behavioral approach is evaluating a task leader and a people-oriented leader. If an issue with the team arises, the task-focused leader will evaluate the process to determine if something should be modified to improve it. A leader focused on people will look at the employees and ask them directly about the issues. Whether task or people-oriented behaviors, the behavioral approach assists leaders as they concentrate on their actions and make effective decisions to be good leaders. An example of the situational approach would be how a leader supports a new employee versus a tenured high-performing employee on a project. The new employee is probably highly committed but may have low competence whereas the tenured employee could have high competence and high commitment due to their experience and time in the role. In this case, the leader would manage the employees differently based on the situation. The leader would most likely let the high performer take charge of their project and provide little to no direction, whereas, they would be more directive and supportive with the new employee. The leader must be able to flex to the situation to provide the support needed to be effective.
Reference
s
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE
Zigarmi, D., & Roberts, T. P. (2017). A test of three basic assumptions of Situational Leadership® II Model and their implications for HRD practitioners. European Journal of Training & Development, 41(3), 241–260. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-05-2016-0035
ANSAR’S POST:
Behavioral versus Situational Approach Many theories evolved, giving birth to different styles of leadership, and each one of these styles leads to a distinct behavior inside the organization, (Ghazzawi, Shoughari, & Osta, 2017). The situational approach is the view that leadership must change contingent upon the situation in which leadership is taking place. It is viewed that different situations cause different kinds of leadership. It is essential that leaders determine where the follows are the developmental continuum and adapt their leadership style to fit their needs,” (Northouse, 2020). The behavioral approach and situational approach are very different approaches to leadership. The behavioral approach focuses on what leaders do and how they react, (Northouse, 2020). It suggests that leaders operate in two types of behaviors: task behaviors and relationship behaviors. The way in which leaders combine these two types of behaviors to influence others is the focus of the behavioral approach. The behavioral approach of leadership includes two main types of behaviors: task behaviors and relationship behaviors. The behavioral approach does not tell leaders how to lead but instead looks at the major components of their behavior, (Northouse, 2020).
Contingency and Situational approaches are the same yet opposite. They are the same because both of them stress the importance of situations; they are opposite because they hold different expectations of leaders. The situational approach believes a leader should adapt to the situation at hand. Contingency Theory believes the right leader should match the right situation. These theories were pretty close together in time periods, however, the behavioral which came first stated there is one best way to lead, whereas the situational theory said there was not. Situational theories believed that there were many ways to lead that are effective.
You can see how these theories when looked at side by side clash and conflict with each other and make different light of different leaders. Behavioral Leadership Example: Companies offer raises to employees who exhibit excellent performances. The hope of a raise can serve as motivation for employees to do their jobs well. Situational Leadership Example: A manager must oversee the completion of a project with his team. The manager’s team has ample experience completing all tasks required for the project and the team has shown confidence and the ability to take responsibility for their work. Knowing this, the manager uses a “delegating” style of leadership throughout the duration of the project and delegates tasks to each team member with minimal supervision.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2022).
Leadership theory and practice
(9th ed.). SAGE.
Ghazzawi, K., Shoughari, R. E., & Osta, B. E. (2017).
Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization. Retrieved from http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.hrmr.20170703.02.html
Effective Leadership for Followers Scenario [WLO: 2] [CLOs: 4, 5] |
Guided Response: Respond to at least two other peer posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. Remember to include active scholarship in these two replies to substantiate your points and to properly cite your sources. Please refer to
APA: Citing Within Your Paper
(Links to an external site.)
by the Writing Center for information on citing sources. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon in your classroom for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
CANDACE’S POST:
Hi Class,
Explain at least two steps that leadership should take to be effective for their followers, based on your readings from the text this week.
The business work environment looks very different today compared to 10, 15, 20 even 50 years ago. Today’s work environment has a continuously expanding and intertwining global approach that rigid leadership styles that focus on tasks, behaviors or work environments can no longer support. According to Marques (2008), “Overachievers tend to command and coerce, rather than coach and collaborate, thus stifling subordinates. They take frequent shortcuts and forget to communicate crucial information, and they may be oblivious to the concerns of others” (para. 3).
Awakened leadership (AL) is a five-step process and tool that can lead to better human performance. AL is a flexible meta-leadership style that integrates all leadership approaches into one all-encompassing way of living and leading (para. 1).
Assess in Awakened Leadership
An awakened leader will use the tool Assess early in relation to followers. Using the Assess tool allows leaders to interact with their surroundings, learn quickly which leadership style will work best under the given circumstances and with the available followers in the situation. Assess also allows leaders to interaction with others and knows that following is just as important as leading regardless of rank or parties (Marques, 2008). This takes a lot of humility by a leader.
Key in Awakened Leadership
Key in AL refers to determining the best way to lead with consideration of the circumstances which means the followers and all stakeholders. This ability of deciding upon the best style given the entire scope of the situation at hand. According to Marques (2008), “Great leaders engage with followers and create a connection that inspires people to raise their sights and elevates their values and goals, essentially by communicating through narrative” (para. 11). Using Key in AL the big picture is considered.
Exalt in Awakened Leadership
When an AL knows which leadership style works for his followers (who are also allowed to lead in their own way and discipline) are in alignment there is a rise to overall performance that benefits stakeholders and the company succeeds.
AL know why they do what they do and are more willing to bring sacrifices in difficult times because they know that their leader will sacrifice along with them and reestablish their value as soon as this is possible (Marques, 2008).
Apply these steps to a current situation in which you are a follower. What approaches would be most appropriate for leading you, according to the theories you have explored this week, and why?
If my leader used the assess tool in leading me, he might see “me” hiding behind all the reports and numbers he uses to measure my performance. Currently, I feel my manager only sees what I produce via monthly numbers and does not consider the work and effort it takes to generate the skills and demand it takes to make it happen. This is very discouraging.
If my leader used the key tool in leading me, he might have a better vision to see the big picture and not weekly and monthly numbers. He would see me as a hard-working individual contributor who cares a lot about what I do even if I did not meet set numbers. Numbers do not tell the whole story.
I don’t completely feel like my leader would sacrifice for the team. I think if my manager used the exalt tool in AL it would help build trust with me and my teammates.
Candace
Reference
Marques, J. F. (2008).
The five steps toward awakened leadership (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
. Performance Improvement, 47(7), 20-23. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.20013
DAVID’S POST:
An integral part of effective leadership is understanding and respecting the roles of the people who are following you. It is impossible to have leaders without anyone to follow them. The process of leading necessitates the process of following, and followership occurs when an individual or group accepts the influence of others in order to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2022). One simply cannot exist without the other.
To be an effective leader who instills trust and respect in their followers, communication is arguably the most important step. Effective leaders are aware of when to speak and, more importantly, when to listen. Leaders can demonstrate their concern for their employees by soliciting their thoughts, ideas, and feedback. When they do share, make an effort to participate in the dialogue by asking questions, inviting them to elaborate, and taking notes (Landry, 2019). Active listening is an important trait to learn, practice, an dmaster because it shows the people who are communicating to you that you are listening and processing instead of just waiting to talk. A leader needs to be purposeful and intentional with their communications, know how and when to communicate ideas to their followers, and select the appropriate way of communicating.
Another step a leader should concentrate on is being able to delegate when needed. Allowing employees an opportunity to take on new tasks while freeing up time in their schedules is a rare win-win-win scenario for a leader. There is benefit for the followers as now they have a new level of investment and benefit for the leader because now they can focus on other tasks.
In my role at Airgas, I am consistently in the roll of follower. I manage some projects, but do not have any employees or followers reporting to me. We are currently working with an outside company for some customer service training and the communication plan is all over the place. Ity is a classic case of “too many cooks in the kitchen” and would benefit greatly from a tighter communication plan instead of the constant scrambling we are doing.
References:
Landry, L. (2019, November 14). 8 essential leadership communication skills. Business Insights Blog. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/leadership-communication#:~:text=Effective
Northouse, P. G. (2022).
Leadership theory and practice
(9th ed.). SAGE4