Report Author: Dr Gary Clifford Townsend based on the Situational Leadership model developed by Kenneth Blanchard
Purpose: To identify leadership style and the respective team’s development levels and to propose a leadership style that best fits the context.
Ages: 18 and older
Reading level: Grade 11 (NQF level 2)
Administration: Self-report
Administration Time: 20-30 minutes (120 items)
Qualification Level: Level B
Formats: Online (administration and scoring)
The Leadership Style Report (LSR®) is based on the concept of Contingency Leadership. Empirical studies support the fact that there is no one best style or theory of leadership. The LSR® allows one to fully diagnose the situation at hand and allow a Leader to choose a leadership style that best fits their current context. For example, a situation may call for a very task-oriented style with a great amount of leader support one day and in the very next instance, it may turn into a situation that is primarily people orientated but subordinated to high stake deliverables. This Leadership Style Report is based on the Situational Leadership model developed by Kenneth Blanchard that builds on Blanchard and Hersey’s original leadership style theory. This revised version of the theory, proposes that effective leaders must base their behaviours on the developmental level of group members for specific tasks. These developmental levels are determined by each individual’s level of competence and commitment.
The development of leadership is a continuous process as an individual gains experiences, assumes greater levels of responsibility, and faces a growing complexity of organisational problem-solving demands. The LSR®, like the T360® Leadership Assessment, assists in this development in two fundamental ways. On the individual level, the process provides unique data perspectives of the leader’s leadership style. These data are subsequently used to drive the design of a Personal Development Plan to address areas of opportunity that surface through this assessment. Secondly, to improve overall leadership efficacy. As an organisational leader, the development of a leader’s ability to work, manage, and lead is inextricably bound to the improvement of performance and attitudes of all the people impacted by this relationship.
The LSR® assessment has been specifically designed to measure the leader’s leadership styles:
Directing (S1): This leadership style deploys high levels of directing behaviours and lower levels of supporting behaviours. This involves more of telling people what to do and how to do it.
Coaching (S2): Coaching as a leadership style will involve high levels of both directing and supporting behaviours. This style involves a more collaborative approach between leaders and team members where leaders strategically position their ideas and messages to get team members to buy into the process.
Supporting (S3): This leadership style is low on directing behaviours and high on supporting behaviours. In this approach, the leader offers less direction and allows members of the group to take a more active role in coming up with ideas and making decisions.
Delegating (S4): Delegating as a leadership style is low on both directing and supporting behaviours. This style is a more hands-off approach to leadership. Group members tend to make most of the decisions and take most of the responsibility for what happens.)
as well as the team members developmental levels:
Enthusiastic beginner (D1): These employees typically display high levels of commitment but generally lack the knowledge, skills, and experience to complete tasks.
Disillusioned learner (D2): These employees tend to project low commitment levels but display adequate knowledge, skills, and experience to complete tasks.
Capable but cautious performer (D3): These employees display above average knowledge, skills, and experience to complete tasks while projecting varying levels of commitment.
Self-reliant achiever (D4): These employees typically display high levels of commitment as well as excellent knowledge, skills, and experience to complete tasks.
LSR® takes cognisance of the fact that often, with small groups, it is not necessarily the manager who emerges as the leader. In many cases it is a subordinate member with specific talents who leads the group in a certain direction. This report provides both the individual, as well as the group, clarity on the most effective role definitions within the team context when a natural leader emerges in a group containing a manager. It obviates any potential conflict that may arise when a manager sees the group looking towards someone else for leadership.
Because Organisations and social structures are now seeing the impact that contingency / situational leadership can have on their business or teamwork, the LSR® is designed to facilitate the matching of environments to leaders who will perform best in a specific situation. This is known as leader matching. Truly successful leaders have good leadership characteristics and can adapt their behaviours to the followers’ needs and the particular situation they are in.
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