What leadership style is considered the most effective?

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Leadership

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- Leadership Style - Development Levels - References

The best leadership style is the one that the organisation, team or individual needs at any given time.

Adapting leadership style to organisational needs and challenges is crucial. Cost-saving projects require a diminutive approach, while breakthrough innovation requires an exploratory approach. Each employee is an individual with unique backgrounds, competences, strengths, and weaknesses. Therefore, adapting leadership style is necessary for their development and mastering current challenges.

A great model for this is the Situational Leadership Model(1).

The situational leadership model states that there is no one "best" leadership style. Successful leaders adapt their style to match the ability and willingness of the people they are leading. Effective leadership also depends on the specific task or job that needs to be done.

The Situational Leadership Model consists of two main concepts: leadership style and the readiness level of the individual or group, also known as development level.

Leadership Style:

Situational Leadership consists of both the Directive and Supportive Dimensions, which need to be applied appropriately in a given situation (2). Like many leadership models, this is based on two decisive factors: concern for people and concern for tasks/production.

Supportive behaviour: This is shown by caring for people or having a relationship focus. The behaviours aim to make group members feel comfortable about themselves and the situation. Two-way communication involves social and emotional interactions with each other. Examples include asking for input, problem-solving, praising, sharing personal information, and listening.

Directive behaviour: Directive behaviors assist in goal accomplishment by giving directions, establishing evaluation methods, setting timelines, defining roles, and clarifying the what, how, and who for each job (1, 2).

Within these two dimensions 4 distinct leadership styles can be described:

Directing: A high directive, low supportive leadership style focuses on goal achievement with minimal supportive behaviour. The leader gives specific instructions and closely supervises employee performance (2). The leader takes ownership of the process, skills and performance focus, identify gaps in competence (3)

Coaching: A high directive and high supportive style is characterized by a leader who focuses communication on both goal achievement and the maintenance of employees' socio-emotional needs(2). Supportive guidance and hands-on interaction, give advise and suggest options (3)

Supportive: In a high supportive, low directive style, the leader does not solely focus on goals but instead utilises supportive behaviours to encourage employee engagement and task accomplishment(2). Provide support for learning and structuring decisions, foster tacking ownership (3)

Delegating: In a low supportive and low directive style, the leader provides less task and social support. Empowerment helps to foster employees' confidence and motivation in relation to the task (2). Challenges and develops self-resourcefulness and identification of resources available to them (3)

Development Levels

Follower Readiness in the SL2 describe different development levels from D1 to D4 showing the degree to which subordinates have the competence and commitment necessary to accomplish a given task or activity (1, 2). At high development levels employees experience enjoyment and security in their work. at low development the lack skills and competence to complete the tasks but desire to learn. The development levels move from low to high competence. The different levels of commitment at the competence levels determines the correct style.

These steps of development are found throughout many different coaching models, for it is evident that you cannot coach or challenge someone if they have no experience in that particular task. A more directive approach is necessary to start with (4). What I love about Lean is that it provides a huge assortment of frames to develop both the leader and the follower in becoming more proficient in gaining the competencies and facilitates opportunities to practice different leader behaviours. Enabling both the leaders and the employees to master the current (and future) challenges faced by the organisation.

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