Week 10 Theories Of Motivational Leadership
One Week 10 Theories Of Motivational Leadership situation that comes to mind is a project team working on a complex task with a tight deadline. In this scenario, the leader’s role is crucial in coordinating the team members, motivating them, and ensuring effective communication to achieve the desired outcome.
The theory that best fits this interaction is the Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) developed by Hersey and Blanchard. This theory suggests that the most effective leadership style depends on the readiness level of the followers. The followers’ competence and commitment to perform a specific task or objective determine the readiness level.
According to SLT, leaders should adapt their leadership style based on the followers’ readiness. The four leadership styles proposed by Hersey and Blanchard are:
- Directing: High task focus and low relationship focus. Leaders provide specific instructions and closely supervise the team when the followers lack competence and commitment.
- Coaching: High task focus and high relationship focus. Leaders provide guidance, support, and two-way communication to develop the followers’ competence and commitment.
- Supporting: High relationship focus and low task focus. Leaders facilitate decision-making, share responsibilities, and emotionally support followers with moderate to high competence but variable commitment.
- Delegating: Low task focus and low relationship focus. Leaders provide little direction or support and allow followers with high competence and high commitment to take responsibility and make decisions.
In the given situation, where the project team is working on a complex task with a tight deadline, the Situational Leadership Theory suggests that the leader should assess the readiness level of the team members. Some team members may have high competence and commitment, while others may have lower levels.
By identifying the readiness level of each team member, the leader can adjust their leadership style accordingly. For instance, if a team member is highly competent but lacks commitment, the leader can adopt a coaching style to provide support and motivation. Conversely, if a team member is competent and committed, the leader can adopt a delegation style to empower them to take ownership of their tasks.
Using the Situational Leadership Theory as a framework, the leader can predict and choose the most suitable leadership style to address the challenges and increase the likelihood of a successful outcome for the project team.