Situational Leadership Theory

Today’s business environment is global, generationally diverse, collaborative, cross-functional, and constantly changing. Leaders who believe that they can achieve organizational goals using just one leadership style will not succeed. The most effective leaders learn how to flexibly adapt multiple leadership styles to guide their employees, achieve their goals, and build strong teams. A popular management theory called Situational Leadership, first developed in 1969 by Dr. Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, remains especially relevant in today’s business environment. This theory is based on the premise that because organizations are not made up of workers who are equally skilled and motivated, leaders should manage team members according to their individual abilities and developmental readiness. We’ll review their method, and then suggest some ways you can use it to manage today’s business challenges.