situational approach-leadership assignment (2)

8/10/2019 Situational Approach-Leadership Assignment (2)

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To : The Logistics Unit Manager

From : Celestino Kuchena, Essential Medicines Logistics Officer

Date : 27 July 201

!u"#ect$ %e&ort on the situational leadershi& 'odel and the ad(antages of using it

in the Logistics Unit)

1)0 *ntroduction

Management is concerned with the efficient utilisation of resources through planning,

organising, controlling and leading. Of these four roles of management, this report will focus

on leadership, in particular the situational leadership model . This paper is going to give a

brief background of the evolving of leadership models. It will go on to e plain the situational

leadership model and its advantages in using it in our organisation. !eaders become fle ible

b" appl"ing different leadership st"les depending on the task, team and individual needs .

1)1 +ac groundMan" leadership theories e ist. Douglas Mc#regor $%&'() proposed that management and

leadership st"le is influenced b" the persons* assumptions about human nature. +e

summarised that Theor" managers have a negative view of human nature while Theor" -

managers believe that people naturall" accept and seek responsibilit". Organisations which

emplo" these traditional views are usuall" over managed and under led. /ccording to 0head

$1((2), the trait theor" suggests that people are born with certain character traits or 3ualities.

Trait theorists contend that all leaders have similar sets of behaviour inclinations which make

them leaders. In its support, the theor" is right that leaders have to be able. The trait theor",

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however, fails to e plain the different personalities to have emerged as great leaders of

"ester"ear. 4 amples of such different personalities include 5inston 6hurchill $alcoholic)

and /dolf +itler $who almost wiped out a whole race).

One other theor" being discussed among schools of thought is the behaviour theor" which

states that leaders are not born but are made. 6herr" $1(%() focuses on the leader*s actions

not the 3ualities of their mental faculties. The behaviour theor" counters the trait theor" b"

arguing that leaders are made rather than born. 4mplo"ees who have mastered the skills of

particular tasks can thus be leaders where those tasks are performed. 6ontingenc" theories are

a class of behaviour theories which propose that there is no one wa" to lead. 6hanging $1(%()

contends that a leadership st"le which can be effective in some situations does not bring

success in other circumstances. !eaders should therefore make plans for all situations.

Fieldler $%&'7, %&'2) proposed that there is no single best wa" to lead but the leader*s st"le

should be selected according to a situation. Material resources re3uire management while

people should be led. Organisational leadership involves influencing followers towards the

achievement of organisational goals. The primar" responsibilit" of the situational leader is to

adapt their own leadership st"le to meet the team member*s needs for varied amounts of taskdirection and personal encouragement. This is supported b" 8ohn /dair $%&29)*s three circle

diagram which suggests that the leader should take care of the needs of the team, individual

and the task. +e said that the relative si es of the circles would be dependent upon the

leader*s anal"sis of the situation.

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Figure 1: The Three Circle Diagram

+erse", ;lanchard and 8ohnson $%&&') agree that the leadership st"le is a function of the

leader, follower and situation. The" are the proponents of The 0ituational !eadership Model.

There is no one best wa" to influence and motivate people. The situational leadership model

is an ample and practical model for the effective management and development of staff and

resources. This model is based on the wa"s people respond to working and being led in

groups. The situational leadership model suggests that the appropriate leadership st"le is

determined b" the nature of the followers.

2)0 The situational leadershi& 'odel

2)1 %eadiness le(els

/t first the leader should diagnose the follower*s readiness with regards to the task at hand.


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abilit". 5illingness is the e tent to which a follower has the confidence, commitment and

motivation to accomplish a task. There are four readiness levels


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6onfidence will improve as technical skills of the individuals are honed. / leader should

emplo" the 0% st"le which re3uires ?Telling@, directing and guiding the emplo"ees. The

follower*s inabilit" to do the =ob re3uires that the leader provide specific instruction and close

supervision. 6oercive power should be used b" the leader with a bit of connection power. The

emplo"ees t"picall" seek to fulfil basic needs on the Maslow*s hierarch" of needs and re3uire

e trinsic motivation such as salar" and shelter. The" are at ?I am not ok, "ou are not ok@ life

position.

)2 -isillusioned learner /%2, -2, M2


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participator", and encouraging. Followers arrive at the D9 in either of two wa"s

development from D1 or regression from D7. Development will be e plained first. /s the

follower has achieved competence, confidence wanes. This is a parado . The development of

followers is usuall" accompanied b" a reduction in the directiveness of the leader. This

autonom" creates uncertaint" in the follower. The 09 st"le is re3uired of the leader. 0he

should use high relationship behaviour and low task behaviour to overcome insecurities. The

M9 worker is looking to satisf" social and esteem needs and is motivated b" teamwork and

affiliation to professional bodies. These are intrinsic factors. The approach to be used b" the

leader is mainl" Theor" - and a bit of Theor" . The followers respect legitimate and

referent power. The" are at ?I am ok, "ou are ok@ life position.

) The e &ert /% , - , M

Aroper support can produce an individual who demonstrates a high level of competence and

commitment on a specific goal the self reliant achiever. 6onfidence has accumulated from

working successfull" without close supervision and receiving positive feedback. The leader

should adopt the 07 st"le, low task and low relationship behaviour.


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)3 The four leadershi& styles

Development does not appl" to the person but rather to the person*s competence and

commitment to a specific goal or task. It does not mean that the individual is at an" one

development or readiness level overall. /s the follower improves in performance, this

prompts shifts in leadership st"le along the bell shaped curve from 0% to 01 up to 07, one

st"le at a time.

Figure 2: The leadership styles applied to the follower levels

2

Coaching

+igh task

+igh relationshipM2, %2, -2, !2

4artici&ating

!ow task

+igh relationshipM , % , - , !

-elegating

!ow task

!ow relationship

M , % , - , !

-irecting

+igh task

!ow relationship

M1, %1, -1, !1


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M1$worker performs and isrewarded, behaviour isreinforced andthe" rise to M1

M2$5orkerdevelopscompetence andis supported.


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M7 is promoted,develops outsideinterests or facesdomestic issues

E 07 should be changedto 09otherwiseheregresses toM9

M9 re3uires aconsultator"

approach

E


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Figure 5: The composition of the L

AharmacistsG %7

Aharmac" techniciansG 1%

Admininstation-related; 7%

!ogistics relatedG 1%

Jon specialisedG 2

Information technolog" relatedG 1&

!taff co'&osition &er &rofessional "ac ground

)0 -iscussion

The government ministries t"picall" emplo" traditional management practices with centrall"

made decisions and rules and regulations prescribing and proscribing the behaviour of their

human capital. This rigidit", together with the bureaucratic structures can, however, be

effective in a stable environment. 6ontemporar" theories of leadership influence current

practice, education and polic" and offer a useful framework for the selection and

development of leaders.

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)1 .&&lying the !ituational leadershi& 'odel at the LU

The public health arena is ever evolving due to the continuous updating of clinical care

guidelines, information technolog" development and advancement of patient management

techni3ues. The management of +IK>/ID0 is one area where guidelines are continuousl"

being updated as research on medicines and their effects is perpetual. The +IK>/ID0

pandemic has new patient care management challenges especiall" for resource limited

settings.

The pandemic has been associated with an increased incidence of cancers such as Jon

+odgkin*s l"mphoma re3uiring e pert management and availabilit" of costl" medicines. The

successful treatment of +IK>/ID0 infections has resulted in longevit" of lives for infected

people. This has brought new clinical care issues because of co morbidities such as

tuberculosis and pneumonia. 6onse3uentl", the medicine suppl" chain management has

become comple particularl" for countries such as Limbabwe with around ( of their

antiretrovirals being partner purchased. 0uch situations make effective leadership more vital

than ever before.

)1)1 The need for a situational leader

;ar ak $%&&') said that leaders are re3uired to maintain a strategic focus to support an

organisation*s vision, facilitate goal setting and evaluating achievements. 5hen leaders

delegate responsibilit" appropriatel", team members become more confident and autonomous

in their work as suggested b" 6apko $%&&'). In a 3uest to improve the performance of

individuals or a group, a leader can either take what e ists and make it work at full capacit"

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! means that the leader should not appl" a Cone si e fits all* leadership approach. For

instance, the followers such as the pharmacists are predominantl" M7 personnel but revert to

M9 when it comes to doing things for the first time. /n e ample would be a pharmacist being

e posed to 3uantification of health commodities for the first time.

The leader would have to invest more in relationship behaviour to allow the follower to

overcome an" insecurit" the" ma" have about their competence. Furthermore, the situational

leadership approach concedes that "ou do not have to be in a leadership position to be a

leader. /s such, managers should tr" to find the most appropriate leaders for the various tasks

within the ! . These leaders would make use of e pert and information power.

c! %eeting the needs of the team mem#ers

The situational approach is responsive and fle ible. The leader identifies the readiness of the

follower and uses the matching st"le of leadership. This implies that a manager should

identif" the needs of the individuals and fulfil them in a wa" which increases team

effectiveness. /s a result, the confident M9 and M7 followers $pharmacists, pharmac"

technicians) are encouraged to contribute their ideas while the M1 $some information

technolog" personnel) are well guided in their duties. This should "ield in a well motivatedteam

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3)0 Conclusion

The situational leadership model allows for each situation and individual to be approached

separatel" to determine the best leadership response. This helps address each of the

emplo"ees* issues in the most effective manner. Its merits stem from the fact that it is

directive and fle ible therefore adaptive to an ever changing business environment such as

found in the public health domain. Obviousl", successful organi ational change re3uires an

ad=ustment in the behaviour of emplo"ees.

The onl" 3uestion is how best to induce behavioural change since organi ational realit" is

that different emplo"ees respond in different wa"s. 0ome re3uire participation, others re3uire

directiveness. In all, to be effective and optimi e performance, leaders need to match their

st"le to that of the readiness level of the follower in a given situation using diagnostic skills.

!eaders can use personal power to initiate a consultative change c"cle b" increasing

emplo"ee knowledge through training, believing that the desired change in attitude and

behaviour will naturall" flow from understanding.

/lternativel", legitimate power can be used to engage a prescriptive change c"cle. To develop

followers, leaders should begin with highl" directive, task behaviour which is graduall"reduced until the follower is full" able to perform the =ob. 5hile this technical development

occurs, the leader should first increase relationship behaviour to build confidence, and then

reduce relationship behaviour to encourage autonom"

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5)0 %eco''endations

!eaders at ever" level of the ! need to be full" involved with their colleagues $who

might be co leaders and>or followers) in order to deliver effective and consistent

suppl" chain management solutions. This means that the leader should be aware of

whether the colleagues>followers are being supported to pla" to their strengths and

whether the" are being both recognised and supported in the roles the" are pla"ing

and the work the" are doing. This will increase morale and establish a culture of pride

in delivering good 3ualit" patient care. The bureaucratic structures in the public sector and the logistical challenges for

resource limited settings re3uire emotional and social intelligence and the abilit" to

work mechanicall" as core components of effective leadership practices in the ! as

these 3ualities underlie effective service deliver". It is important for leaders at all levels to acknowledge the emotional conte t of their

relationship with colleagues and particularl" those with whom the" need to engage as

followers or con=oint leaders in service deliver" practices. Distributed leadership should be supported further to enhance service deliver" across

the DA0 as it is transformational in cases where determined action occurs in teams

engaged in both management and direct deliver" of patient care. !eaders and followers need to understand and pa" attention to the s"stem in which

the" work and particularl" to be aware of the primar" task of their organisational unit

or role $e.g. information management, training of service deliver" staff). To increase socio emotionall" intelligent distributed leadership across the ! , there is

a need for ideas on how to implement and encourage effective leadership to be driven

up the political and senior management agendas as well as across the departments

within the Ministr" of +ealth and 6hild 5elfare.

7)0 +i"liogra&hy

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%. ;ar ak J!. $%&&') C+ow to lead effective teams*, Critical Care Nursing

Quarterly, vol %&, no %, pp29 9.1. 6apko 8. $%&&') Teamwork: Working Together in the Human Services, 8;

!ippincott, Ahiladelphia.9. Mc#regor D. $%&'() The Human Side of Enter rise! Jew -ork: Mc#raw +ill.7. Fiedler, F. 4. $%&'7) / contingenc" model of leadership effectiveness. In

/dvances in 4 perimental 0ocial As"cholog". ;erkowit $ed.) Jew -ork:

/cademic Aress.B. Fiedler, F. 4. $%&'2) / Theor" of !eadership 4ffectiveness. Jew -ork: Mc#raw

+ill.'. /dair, 8. $%&29) /ction 6entred !eadership. Jew -ork: Mc#raw +ill.2. +erse", Aaul, . ;lanchard, and D. 8ohnson. $%&&') Management of

Organi ational ;ehaviour. 2 th ed. pper 0addle disciplines>leadership>theories>behavioral theor".htmP%(. 6herr", . $1(%(). /bout.com: !eadership theoriesQ ma=or leadership theories.

$>www.leadershipB(%.com>leadership trait

theor">11>P%%. 0head, M. $1((2). !eadership B(%: !eadership trait theor". $8anuar" 9(, 1((2).

$>www.leadershipB(%.com>leadership trait

theor">11>

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situational approach-leadership assignment (2)

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