For the Module 2 SLP you will continue to apply the concepts from the background materials to your own personal experiences in the workplace. Think carefully about Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership model and the four leadership styles of Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating. Then consider the styles of one or more of the supervisors you have worked with, and reflect upon whether or not their style changed depending on the situation.
After doing some reflecting on your own experience and reviewing the background materials, write a three-page paper addressing the following issues:
- In general, would you describe your supervisor's style as Directing, Coaching, Supporting, or Delegating?
- Did you ever notice any of your supervisors changing their leadership style depending on the situation? If so, explain what you observed and discuss whether or not you think your supervisor followed the Situational Leadership model. If not, discuss a situation when you think your supervisor should have changed their style but did not.
- Would you recommend that your supervisor take a training seminar on the Situational Leadership model, Fiedler's Contingency model, or the Path-Goal model? Explain your reasoning.
Reference:
The following tutorials will introduce you to two of the leadership models covered in this module - the Fiedler Contingency Model and the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model:
Contingency theories. (2014). Pearson Learning Solutions, Pearson, New York.
Reed. J. (2015). Situational leadership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om2Hq8sZqDI
Now read the Luthans' perspective on contingency theories:
Luthans, F., Luthans, K. W., & Luthans, B. C. (2015). Chapter 13: Effective leadership processes. Organizational Behavior: An Evidence-based Approach. Charlotte, North Carolina: Information Age Publishing, pp. 385-389 [eBook Academic Collection. Note: you don't have to read the whole chapter, just the pages on contingency theories and Path Goal theory]