Situational Approach

Situational Leadership II (SLII) is the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and practical method of effectively managing and developing people, time, and resources in the world. SLII provides leaders with a model and the tools for creating open communication and developing self-reliance in those they manage. It is designed to increase the frequency and quality of conversations about performance and development. As a result, competence is developed, commitment is gained, and talented individuals are retained. SLII is recognized as both a business language and a framework for employee development because it works across cultural, linguistic, and geographical barriers. The foundation lies in teaching leaders to diagnose the needs of an individual or a team and then use the appropriate leadership style to respond to the needs of the person and the situation.

For this forum, review the figure 5.2 in the Dugan text. There are four specific leader styles aligned on the chart. They are directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. These are leader styles. There are also the follower’s developmental levels described as D1 – D4. There is a direct relationship between the followers level of competence and the leader’s style. For each developmental level there is an appropriate style of leadership that should be adopted (i.e. a style that depends on the situation).

Select one of the four leadership styles. Choose a specific follower development level (D1 – D4) and give an example of how this leadership style and developmental level would work in real life. In other words, create a “situation” that needs to be led and explain this concept in your forum.