Behavioral & Situational Theories of Leadership (Blog 4)

Caleb Lund

Section 4

Behavioral & Situational Theories

     Last week in my class (HED 201), Foundations of Leadership, we covered the Behavioral and Situational Theories of leadership. These two theories bare many similarities, along with their differences. In my opinion, either approach could be used together in a situation, or alone in an instance for which they are best suited. For example, depending on the group or project you are trying to lead may help you determine which approach you would receive more success from using, or open the door to using both approaches. Lets talk a walk through each approach to leadership.

     Starting with the Behavioral approach to leadership, we learn that someone implementing this style of leadership is gearing their abilities around the concept of, “leadership can be learned.” This theory outlines the use of learned behaviors that are not predisposed qualities or traits associated with good leadership. Two examples following the behavioral theory of leadership are indicators and inventories. This is in cooperation with self-scoring and validating reliable assessments; using difficult open-ended questions can do this. Three types of skills are associated with this theory of leadership when you take a traditional school of thought view. These skills are Technical Skills, Human Skills and Conceptual Skills. This thought process expresses that some behaviors or skills are more appealing for effective leadership, reveling the differences between leaders and non-leaders. Based on the school of thought there is not just one set of skills or behaviors for effective leadership, a variety can produce positive outcomes as well.

     As someone is using the Situational Theory approach to leadership they first should consider the following steps:

     -Determining the nature of the given situation.

     -Determining the competency level of their subordinates.

     -Selecting a style that will match your need.

This theory sheds light on the input of different situations and how they may demand different forms of leadership. Another side to this theory is the concept of how an effective leader can adapt their styles due to the demands made from different situations. There are two dimensions that are playing a role in this approach to leadership. They are the directive concept of Tasks and the supportive side of Relationships. These dimensions play a viable set-up for the four different categories associated in the Situation Theory approach. These categories include:

1)  Directing- With this category you are defining the roles of the members as you delegate their tasks, closely supervising them while you make the decisions and solve the problems.

2)  Coaching- As your provide a great portion of direction drawn from your own ides, you engage by listening and considering each members feelings, ideas or suggestions.

3)  Supporting- You facilitate problem solving and decision-making along with recognizing and actively listening to your members.

4)  Delegating- This is the time you sit back and watch. You delegate the tasks amongst your member with minimal input as they carry out their duties.

In conclusion, two ways that these theories are implemented in my everyday life are in instances for school and amongst friends. In-group projects we use the situational approach and decide how we want to delegate or coach our way through. Around my friends I may use my behavioral side to leadership in my Human and Conceptual skills, communicating.