Situational Leadership Model (Ken Blanchard)

Summary

In this video, Jessica from Cultural Business explains the Situational Leadership Model (SLM), developed by Ken Blanchard. The SLM focuses on adjusting leadership styles based on an employee's readiness level, which encompasses their willingness and skill to perform tasks. The model outlines four leadership styles: directing (S1), coaching (S2), supporting (S3), and delegating (S4), each corresponding to different employee development levels. Jessica provides examples for each style and encourages viewers to consider which style might be best for various hypothetical situations, emphasizing the importance of adapting leadership approaches to meet the needs of employees at different competency and commitment levels.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Situational Leadership Model (SLM) is a framework that helps leaders adapt their style based on the needs of their team members.
• 🧩 Developed by Ken Blanchard, SLM emphasizes the importance of matching leadership style to the employee's readiness level, which includes their willingness and skill to perform a task.
• 🤝 Relationship Behavior refers to the supportiveness a manager should provide when assisting an employee, which is a key component of SLM.
• 🛠 Task Behavior pertains to the style a manager should use when managing employees, which is determined by the employee's readiness level.
• 🔍 The model identifies four leadership styles: supporting, coaching, delegating, and directing, each corresponding to different levels of employee readiness.
• 📈 The readiness level of an employee is gauged by their competence and commitment to perform the task at hand.
• 🔑 D1 represents employees who are new and enthusiastic but lack specific skills, requiring a directing leadership style (S1).
• 🛑 D2 employees have some skills but need guidance and support, aligning with a coaching leadership style (S2).
• 🔄 D3 employees are competent but may lack confidence or motivation, calling for a supporting leadership style (S3).
• 🏆 D4 employees are highly competent and committed, making them suitable for a delegating leadership style (S4).
• 🔄 SLM is not static; it requires leaders to be flexible and adaptive, adjusting their approach based on the evolving readiness levels of their employees.

Q & A

What is the Situational Leadership Model (SLM)?

The Situational Leadership Model (SLM) is a leadership theory developed by Ken Blanchard that explains how and when to use different management styles based on the readiness level of employees, which includes their willingness and skill to perform a task.

Who developed the Situational Leadership Model?

Ken Blanchard developed the Situational Leadership Model. He is also the author of the 'One Minute Manager' series of books.

What are the three areas that the SLM looks at?

The SLM looks at three areas: Relationship Behavior, Task Behavior of the manager, and the Readiness level of the employee, which includes the employee's willingness and skill to perform the task at hand.

What does Relationship Behavior in SLM refer to?

Relationship Behavior refers to how supportive the manager needs to be when helping the employee, indicating the level of interpersonal support required.

What is Task Behavior in the context of SLM?

Task Behavior in SLM refers to the style the manager should use when managing employees based on the employees' readiness level, which is determined by their competence and commitment.

What are the four leadership styles identified in SLM?

The four leadership styles identified in SLM are Supporting, Coaching, Delegating, and Directing.

What is the D1 situation in SLM?

In SLM, the D1 situation refers to employees who are developing but not yet developed, having low competence but high commitment. They lack specific skills but are enthusiastic and eager to tackle tasks.

Can you describe the D2 situation in SLM?

The D2 situation in SLM involves employees who have some competence but low commitment. They have relevant skills but may not be able to perform the job without help, often needing frequent updates and guidance from their manager.

What is the D3 situation according to SLM?

In the D3 situation, employees have high competence but their commitment may fluctuate. They are experienced and capable but may lack confidence or motivation, requiring support to bolster their self-belief and drive.

What does the D4 situation represent in SLM?

The D4 situation represents fully developed employees with high levels of competence and commitment. These employees are experienced, comfortable with their abilities, and can work effectively with minimal supervision.

How does a leader know which leadership style to use according to SLM?

According to SLM, a leader should determine the appropriate leadership style based on the employee's readiness level, which considers their competence and commitment. The model suggests different styles for different combinations of these factors.

What is the S1 style in SLM and when is it used?

The S1 style, or Directing, is used when employees lack confidence but are enthusiastic. It involves high task focus and low relationship focus, with the leader defining rules and supervising closely.

Describe the S2 style in SLM.

The S2 style, or Coaching, is used with employees who have some competence but fluctuating commitment. It involves high task and high people focus, with the leader seeking ideas and suggestions while still making most decisions.

What does the S3 style in SLM entail?

The S3 style, or Supporting, is used for employees with high competence but variable commitment. The leader facilitates and participates in decision-making, but the employee controls the process, requiring support to bolster confidence and motivation.

What is the S4 style in SLM and when is it appropriate?

The S4 style, or Delegating, is appropriate for employees with high competence and commitment. The leader is involved at the choice of the employee, who has control over decisions and tasks, requiring minimal support.

How does the Situational Leadership Model emphasize the importance of adaptability in leadership?

The SLM emphasizes adaptability by suggesting that leaders should adjust their behaviors based on the readiness level of their followers, which includes considering the followers' competence and commitment levels, as well as the situation at hand.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Situational Leadership Model

Jessica introduces the Situational Leadership Model (SLM), developed by Ken Blanchard, which is crucial for understanding when to apply different leadership styles. The SLM focuses on three areas: relationship behavior (how supportive a manager should be), task behavior (the style a manager uses based on the employee's readiness level), and the employee's readiness level (a combination of willingness, skill, commitment, and competency to perform the task). The video explains that leadership styles include supporting, coaching, delegating, and directing, and that these should be applied based on the employee's readiness level, which is categorized into four stages: D1 (low competence, high commitment), D2 (some competence, low commitment), D3 (high competence, variable commitment), and D4 (high competence, high commitment).

05:03

👩‍🏫 Leadership Styles and Employee Readiness

This section delves into the four leadership styles corresponding to the different readiness levels of employees. S1, or directing, is used with D1 employees who need clear rules and close supervision. S2, coaching or selling, is appropriate for D2 employees who have some skills but need support and praise to build self-esteem. S3, supporting or participating, is for D3 employees who are competent but may lack motivation, requiring facilitation and participation in decision-making. S4, delegating, is for D4 employees who are self-sufficient and need minimal support. The video uses a graphic to illustrate the mapping of leadership styles to employee development levels, emphasizing the importance of adaptive leadership to meet the needs of employees based on their competence and commitment.

10:04

🔍 Applying the Situational Leadership Model

The final paragraph summarizes the Situational Leadership Model by emphasizing its focus on adaptive leadership styles to suit the varying competence and commitment levels of followers. It highlights the importance of adjusting leader behaviors based on the situation and the environment. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to subscribe and engage with the content, suggesting an exercise for viewers to consider different hypothetical situations and determine the appropriate management style for each.

Keywords

💡Situational Leadership Model (SLM)

The Situational Leadership Model (SLM) is a leadership theory that suggests leaders should adjust their leadership style based on the readiness of their employees. In the video, SLM is central to the discussion, as it was developed by Ken Blanchard to explain the dynamics between leadership styles and the varying levels of employee readiness. The model is used to illustrate how different management approaches should be applied depending on the employee's skill and commitment levels.

💡Relationship Behavior

Relationship Behavior refers to the degree of supportiveness a manager should exhibit when working with employees. It is one of the three key areas the SLM focuses on. In the video, relationship behavior is discussed as a critical factor in determining the appropriate leadership style. For instance, a leader might need to be more supportive when an employee has high commitment but lacks competence.

💡Task Behavior

Task Behavior pertains to the style a manager uses to manage employees based on their readiness level. It is the second of the three areas the SLM examines. The video explains that task behavior involves the manager's approach to directing and controlling tasks, which should change with the employee's readiness to perform a task effectively.

💡Readiness Level

The Readiness Level of an employee encompasses their willingness and skill to perform a task. It is a key component of the SLM and is used to determine the suitable leadership style. The video script describes how readiness level, which includes both commitment and competency, guides a leader in choosing between supporting, coaching, delegating, or directing.

💡Leadership Styles

Leadership Styles are the different approaches a leader can take when managing employees. The video outlines four styles: supporting, coaching, delegating, and directing. Each style corresponds to a specific combination of task and relationship behaviors that are appropriate for employees at different readiness levels.

💡D1 (Development Level 1)

D1, or Development Level 1, represents employees who are new and have low competence but high commitment. The video uses D1 to illustrate a scenario where employees are eager but lack the necessary skills, requiring a leadership style that is directive and supportive to help them develop.

💡D2 (Development Level 2)

D2, or Development Level 2, is characterized by employees who have some competence but low commitment. The video explains that these employees might need more guidance and reassurance to maintain their motivation, suggesting a leadership style that balances task direction with relationship support.

💡D3 (Development Level 3)

D3, or Development Level 3, describes employees with high competence but variable commitment. The video script uses D3 to discuss how these experienced employees might need less direct supervision but still require encouragement to maintain their motivation, indicating a leadership style that is more participative and supportive.

💡D4 (Development Level 4)

D4, or Development Level 4, is the stage where employees are fully developed with both high competence and commitment. The video suggests that these employees are self-reliant and capable, requiring a leadership style that is more about delegation and less about direct supervision or support.

💡S1 (Supporting Style 1)

S1, or Supporting Style 1, is the directive style of leadership where the leader has a high task focus and a low relationship focus. The video explains that S1 is appropriate for D1 employees who need clear direction and close supervision to perform tasks effectively.

💡S2 (Supporting Style 2)

S2, or Supporting Style 2, is the coaching style where the leader balances high task focus with high relationship focus. The video describes how S2 is used for D2 employees who have some skills but need support and encouragement to maintain their commitment.

💡S3 (Supporting Style 3)

S3, or Supporting Style 3, is the supporting style where the leader has a lower task focus but a high relationship focus. The video script uses S3 to show how leaders can facilitate decisions and provide support to D3 employees who are competent but may need help with motivation.

💡S4 (Supporting Style 4)

S4, or Supporting Style 4, is the delegating style where the leader has low task and relationship focus. The video explains that S4 is suitable for D4 employees who are self-sufficient and require minimal guidance, allowing them to take control and make decisions independently.

Highlights

Introduction to Situational Leadership Model (SLM) by Ken Blanchard.

SLM's focus on when to use different management styles.

Explaining the three areas of SLM: Relationship Behavior, Task Behavior, and Employee Readiness.

Relationship Behavior defined as the supportiveness of a manager.

Task Behavior linked to the management style based on employee readiness.

Employee Readiness encompassing willingness, skill, commitment, and competency.

Leadership styles: Supporting, Coaching, Delegating, and Directing.

D1 situation for employees with low competence but high commitment.

D2 situation for employees with some competence but low commitment.

D3 situation for employees with high competence but variable commitment.

D4 situation for fully developed employees with high competence and commitment.

S1 style, Directing, for employees needing clear direction and supervision.

S2 style, Coaching, for employees with some competence needing support and praise.

S3 style, Supporting, for employees who are competent but may lack motivation.

S4 style, Delegating, for self-sufficient employees capable of working with minimal support.

Graphic representation of SLM showing the mapping of leadership styles to employee development levels.

Summary of SLM emphasizing adaptive leadership styles to meet followers' competence and commitment.

Invitation for viewers to apply SLM to hypothetical situations and share their thoughts.

Transcripts

hi good to have you here in this short

video today we are going to cover how to

be a leader part three the situational

Leadership Model I'm Jessica with the

cultural business where I share the

basics of OB

HR and management

and I do that to make sure that you are

set up well for personal health and your

work success

it's really great to talk about all of

the different management and leadership

styles as we have done over many videos

in this channel but application of that

style is perhaps the most important

thing more important than knowing the

styles

so for application we're going to go to

the situational Leadership Model slm

that was developed by Ken Blanchard the

man pictured here

Ken Blanchard is the author of the one

minute manager series of books that you

can check out I'm sure they're still

selling on Amazon

situational Leadership Model really does

a good job explaining how and when we

might use one management style over

another

foreign

this model looks at three different

areas

firstly you have the relationship

Behavior

the relationship Behavior means how

supportive the manager needs to be when

they're helping the employee

secondly you have the task behavior of

the manager

this refers to the type of style that

the manager should be using when they

are managing employees based on the

employees Readiness level

so 3 is then the Readiness level of the

employee

this includes the willingness and the

skill

to perform the task at hand right

so the Readiness level of the employee

are the commitment and the competency

level of the employee can you do the job

do you want to do the job

then we have the leadership styles which

are for supporting coaching delegating

and directing

foreign

let's take a look at the employee and

remember

the Readiness that we're looking at here

are

the competence and the commitment to

perform the task at hand

so depending on where the employees fall

in each of these areas you will use as a

leader a different style

don't be intimidated it's really not as

messy as it looks like so let's start at

the bottom

here we have what they call D1 the D1

situation

is when the employee is really starting

out they are developing but not yet

developed

they have low competence and they have

high commitment they're excited they

want to tackle the tasks

so in D1 the employee is generally

lacking the specific skills that are

required for the job but they have

confidence and they have motivation

as an example this would be when your

boss gives you a small task and you can

complete it with no problem and you feel

really good about it

D2 is when our employees have some

competence low commitment here the

employees have some relevant skills but

they're not really able to do the job

without help

the task or the situation might be new

to them

so as a quick example the boss here

might give you a task but there are

frequent updates needed you will consult

with their boss when there are any

issues that are preventing you from

completing the task there are solutions

and the boss will approve of the the

changes

D2 means we are a little bit further

ahead on the development

D3 now we have higher levels of

competence but our commitment might go

up and down

we are experienced and capable but we

may lack the confidence that the

motivation the belief in ourselves to go

at it alone

so we are not really that quick or doing

it that well so we have high competence

we know what we're doing our commitment

goes up and down

as a quick example the boss might give

us a task we make the plan as the

employee and we decide and then the boss

suggests but they're not there to

approve or disapprove

then finally in D4 when we are fully

developed if you will we have high

levels of competence we have high levels

of commitment here we are experienced in

our job we're very comfortable with our

abilities we know we can do it maybe

we're even better more skilled more

effective than our boss

so it's a quick example

the boss places us in a new role or in a

new job and we get to figure out what we

do

that's the employee and now let's take a

look at the leaders Behavior

as we mentioned there are four different

styles that the leader can

choose from this is just the overview

slide and then we will also Define in a

moment what they are more specifically

so we have S1 where we tell or we Direct

that is when we have high task focus and

a low relationship Focus think back to

the part one video and we talked about

the two main management styles

S2 is coaching or selling we have high

tasks and high people focus again from

the two main management styles

S3 is with support and we participate we

have a lower level of task focus and a

high focus on the person and our

relationship with them

S4 means we're delegating we have low

task focus and low relationship Focus

because we are giving the task to the

employee and they can figure it out on

their own

So based on the Readiness and the

commitment right the competency and the

commitment that Clues into the Readiness

level of the employee what leadership

style would be the best one

so again we are looking at

different one two threes and fours here

but we're gonna call them the s's like

we just looked at

so in the S1 style directing and telling

here are your Clues leader will Define

the rules in the task and supervise

closely

decisions are made by the leader

communication is mainly one way you

don't take a lot of feedback or input

from the employee

you use it with people who lack

confidence but they are enthusiastic

they need direction and supervision to

get started

S2 the coaching and the selling

are described here

the leader defines roles in tasks but

here we seek ideas and suggestions from

the followers so our communication is

more two-way even though the leader

mainly decides

we use it with the people who have some

competence but they're lacking in some

commitment or it Peaks sometimes and

they need direction and supervision

because they are still relatively

inexperienced

followers or employees here may need

support and praise to build their

self-esteem and involvement in decision

making so that they feel committed we

can restore their commitment

S3 is the supporting participating

participating

where leader passes the day-to-day

decisions to the follower to the

employee here as a leader we facilitate

we take part in the decision but really

it's the follower that is controlling it

we use it with those employees who have

the competence needed maybe they're

lacking a little bit in their motivation

these employees might need a little bit

more Direction because of their skill

level but support is required to bolster

confidence and motivation

finally in our delegating situation the

leader is involved but it's at the

uh the choice of the follower because

they have the control

followers or the employees decide when

and how the leader will be involved

I was going to say a single V there

instead of w because that's how I would

pronounce it in my native language

um so here in S4 we work with people who

have the confidence in commitment and

who are able and willing to work on a

project with little support

and if you want to look at a pretty

graphic it might look something like

this

so we have the directive Behavior didn't

mean to cross it out but rather meant to

underline it and then we have the

supportive Behavior

and you have the S1

and it's mapped here with the D1 and so

we start with directing we come through

coaching

down to supporting and delegating so on

the left side we have our supportive

behaviors on the right side we have our

directive behaviors and this is the

graphic that shows us which leadership

style is mapped on which development

level of the employee where the

development level includes their

competency and their commitment

so for a quick simple

um

overview this is your slide

this one is in a table format that gives

you the recommended leadership style if

you prefer that

so for an exercise you have four

different hypothetical situations here

look at them and think about which

combination of management style might

you use in each of these situations and

why if you enter your answers down below

I'll come back and review them

in summary the situational Leadership

Model focuses on the Adaptive styles of

leaders in different situations to meet

their followers where they are depending

on their competence and commitment

levels

the situational leadership approach

discusses how leaders should adjust

their behaviors depending on the

followers and the situation while also

recognizing the importance of leaders

followers and the environment

so with that if you like this video

please subscribe I'll see you at the

next one bye for now