Leadership: Does the Situation Matter?
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Co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory
In previous posts, we've explored two major approaches to leadership theory: those that emphasize a set of universal leadership traits and those that focus on different leadership styles. Both approaches have merit. After all, effective leaders often share certain characteristics, yet experience shows that leadership is not a "one-size-fits-all" proposition.
What Is Situational Leadership Theory?
There's a key element in leadership, however, that neither of these theories fully addresses: what role does the situation or context play in leadership? Put another way: in what ways is leadership dependent upon context? Situational theories attempt to avoid the pitfalls of both trait and style theories by taking an environmentally based rather than an individually based approach to leadership. As leadership researcher John K. Hemphill observed in Situational Factors in Leadership, leadership behavior depends substantially on the characteristics of the situation in which it occurs. This approach makes the assumption that leadership will look different depending on what the situation requires, and that no one approach will work effectively in all environments. Situational theories likewise hold that there is no one optimal profile of a leader.
Why Leadership Depends on the Situation
Intuitively, this makes sense. After all, the kind of leadership it takes to organize a fund drive for a seriously ill coworker isn’t the same type of leadership called for when a house is burning and people are trapped inside. Situational theory suggests that, in each circumstance, the leadership that emerges depends less on the individual's personal characteristics than on what the situation requires.
The Limitations of Situational Leadership Theory
Situational theory does have its limits, though. In a strict sense, the type of leader that emerges in specific situations can be analyzed and perhaps even classified, but as far as actually getting a handle on how people become leaders – and why some people become leaders in certain situations and others don’t – the theory doesn’t have much to offer.
Winston Churchill: Leadership During a Crisis
The situational theory of leadership is probably most useful as a means of looking back at history and gaining insight on the rise of certain leaders – e.g., why Winston Churchill emerged so effectively as a leader for Great Britain during the crisis of World War II. (Hint: a whole lot of experience and charisma didn’t hurt.) But what if the right leader hadn’t emerged?
However, because the leadership required in a particular situation cannot always be anticipated, situational theory alone would not necessarily have predicted the need for Churchill's style of leadership in Great Britain before he became prime minister. This presents serious practical shortcomings (except for historians, of course!).
How Does Context Influence Your Leadership?
Still, the situational theory of leadership raises some important questions worth thinking about.
To what degree is your ability to lead based on the context you’re operating in? For instance – are you more effective as a leader when you’re working with people in the midst of a crisis, or more so when things are fairly steady from day to day?
Do you work better in situations where the methods are clearly defined, or ones where you’re free to improvise? Can you think of others who work better in the opposite context?
Situational theory isn’t the final answer (in later posts I’ll share what is!), but it does serve to help us appreciate the complexity of leadership.
Please share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section below.
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About Dr. Gary M. Jordan, Ph.D.
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 35 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. He’s a partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents.
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