1. Carson.
This week we are introduced to the behavioral and situational approaches to leadership and both have value and are interesting to learn about. Northouse (2018) first explains that the behavioral approach emphasizes the behavior of the leader, and focuses exclusively on what leaders do and how they act, and is specifically broken down into task behaviors and relationship behaviors, which leaders use in combination to influence followers and reach goals. The behavioral approach can be very effective, as long as the leader is self-aware and nimble enough to identify and implement the correct ratio of task to relationship. At my company we teach that leaders must tailor their message appropriately to the audience. I have also always been taught that if the message is poorly received the fault is with the deliverer, not the recipient and things never go well when a follower is so upset with the way the message is delivered that they cannot even hear or begin to focus on the content. Most leaders I have met are either drivers or people persons so to understand how the behavioral approach will work in action will completely depend on the task relationship dynamic and finding the correct balance.
There have been several studies on the behavioral approach that conclude there is no specific formula, rather a broad understanding for leaders to be aware of how being task-focused can collide with relationships and that leaders must strike the right balance of the two in order to be successful. Northouse (2018) states that the strengths of this approach as broadening the scope of leadership to include behaviors of leaders and what they do in certain situations, a wide range of studies validate the approach, thirdly the approach stresses the importance of the task and relationship dynamic, and fourth, the behavioral approach is heuristic which means leaders can learn about themselves. Northouse (2018) reminds the weaknesses of the approach are that the research has been contradictory and inconclusive and has not shown how behaviors are associated with performance outcomes, the approach has not found a style that could be effective in almost every situation, and lastly that the approach implies high task and high relationship are the most effective but in reality many styles could be effective and more research is needed.
What I like most about this approach is that leaders can learn about themselves, and if it was me, I would be soliciting feedback from my team on well I am balancing task but still keeping work fun and taking time to connect with my crew. I have learned painfully over the years that if I switch to task right from the get-go, and forget the critical “good mornings, how are you, and how was your weekend” type chit-chat it can throw the whole day. I would add that much of this can be mitigated by investing heavily up front on the relationship component, and once it has been conclusively established that you care about your people, you may find that it is possible to flex to task more quickly and often.
Next, Chapter five covers the situational approach, which Northouse (2018) explains the premise of the theory being that different situations require different kinds of leadership, and an effective leader must be able to adapt their style to the situation. Northouse (2018) continues that the situational approach stresses that leadership is composed of both a directive and supportive dimension and leaders must evaluate their followers to assess how competent and committed they are to perform a given goal, and the leader must adapt their style to what their followers need. Northouse (2018) states the strengths as usefulness in the marketplace (well-known training for leaders), secondly the approach is very practical, easy to understand, and thirdly it has prescriptive value meaning it tells you what you should do in certain situations, and lastly it is flexible and reminds the leader to treat each follower differently. Criticism of the approach range from lack of research, to problems with the followers and their own abilities.
The situational approach is very cool and I use this often as an example when training new Store Directors. I think it is true, straight up, that different situations require different leadership. If it’s Black Friday and 5,000 customers are expected and there is a ton of freight to process and merchandise out to the sales floor that will require a different type of leadership than a normal Tuesday in May. A leader would not drive the team super hard every single day like they would on a Black Friday level event. I think a more important component to consider however, is the mention about how leaders must understand how competent and committed their followers are. This is a key learning for all leaders- if you know your followers have no ambition to do more than their current assignment, you will most likely find they deliver a certain level of performance. This is in sharp contrast to the follower that wants to get promoted. Figuring out who wants what, and how you can support them to achieve their dreams can be very powerful. I was able to run one of the top stores last year because I developed a crew of hard chargers and got 4/5 of them promoted- they were committed and competent and we moved fast and wanted to be #1 regardless of the situation, metric, or season and we ran at a sprint almost all year long. After they all promoted and I started over with a fresh, new crew I slowed things way down, because that was our new situation.
References:
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership theory and practice (8th ed.). SAGE.
2. Jennifer.
Leaders can be viewed through the lens of many types of approaches, with one of these lenses being the behavioral approach. According to Northouse (2018), the behavioral approach hones in on what the leader does and how the leader acts, especially towards their followers. This approach seeks to explain how leaders combine the two main behaviors of task behaviors and relationship behaviors to motivate their followers. Task behaviors are related to accomplishing a set goal, while relationship behaviors examine how followers work towards feeling comfortable with themselves, others, and the situation at hand.
Another lens for leadership exploration is the situational approach, which examines leadership in the context of situations (Northouse, 2018). This approach states that as situational contexts change, so should leadership styles. If leaders are expected to be successful in the wide array of situations in the corporate world, an effective leader will employ a level of chameleon-like adaptability and switch between leadership styles as it becomes appropriate for a given situation (Palmer, Dunford, & Buchanan, 2017). As such, leaders will exhibit the ability to show varying levels of directiveness and supportiveness depending on the needs of a given situation.
There are inherent similarities and differences with these two approaches. Both approaches have an end goal of influencing and motivating followers, as well as discuss the leader’s relationship with their followers. Differences come when considering underlying executions. Where the behavioral approach focuses on how leadership acts and interacts with their followers, the situational approach is more concerned with situational contexts and why one leadership style is chosen over another (Northouse, 2018). An example of when the behavioral approach would be effective is an environment in which leadership duties are rather consistent and ongoing, such as a manufacturing plant. Daily activities are not likely to vary too widely, so having a more set manner of leadership actions and interactions would likely work rather well. Situational leadership, on the other hand, would lend itself well to a job setting where daily workflows may not be as predictable, such as a hospital emergency room. While the same duty of seeing that overall patient care needs are met, the leader will likely be facing different scenarios each day with one day looking completely different than the last. Being able to vary leadership styles with followers while still ensuring tasks at hand are accomplished would be crucial to an ever-changing work environment, which would allow the situational leadership approach to shine.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership theory and practice (8th ed.). SAGE.
Behavioral and Situational Approaches [WLO: 1] [CLOs: 1, 3, 4]
Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Chapters 4 and 5 in the Leadership: Theory and Practice course textbook.
In your discussion post, distinguish between the behavioral and situational approaches. Begin with a brief explanation of each, and then discuss how they compare and contrast. Include examples of when each may be effective.
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 Ashford University’s 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.
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Could you please respond to 2 classmates’s discussions.
1. Carson and 2. Jennifer .
You may start : “ Hi Carson, I agree with you because ….”. ( for example). 1 page should be enough for 2 replies:
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