For this assignment, first review the background materials
with a focus on Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model. Make sure
you are familiar with the four leadership styles covered in the situational
approach including Directing, Coaching, Supporting, and Delegating and
situations where you are supposed to use these four styles.
Also, familiarize yourself with the more complex Path-Goal
model and Fiedler’s Contingency model. You don’t need to know these two models
in as much detail as the Situational model to complete this assignment, but
make sure you understand the main idea of these models as well as some of their
main advantages and disadvantages.
Case Assignment
1. For each of the
following situations, explain which of the four leadership styles covered in
the Situational model should be used and explain your reasoning with references
to Chapter 4 of Avery (2011) and at least one other required reading from the
background materials:
A. You are in charge
of a team of architects. They are highly skilled but have strong opinions and
do not necessarily follow instructions. These architects are independent
thinkers who are used to doing things their own way.
B. You are in charge
of a fast-food restaurant. The employees are all teenagers who have not yet
graduated from high school, and this is the first job for most of them.
C. You are the
supervisor of a team of software engineers. They are all highly skilled and
highly motivated, and are used to working independently. All of them believe in
the mission of the company.
2. Each of the three
models (Situational, Fielder Contingency, Path-Goal) covered in this module
involves both “inputs” and “outputs.” For example, Situational Leadership
involves taking employee commitment and competency as inputs and then—based on
the employee information—choosing Directing, Coaching, Supporting, or
Delegating as an output. Create a table comparing and contrasting the three
models in terms of inputs and outputs, and include a 1- or 2-paragraph
discussion of your table.
3. Based on your
table in Part 2 above and the readings, which of the three models do you think
is most useful? Take into consideration both its ability to adapt leadership
styles to realistic situations you may face, as well as ease of use of the
model.
Assignment Expectations
· Follow the
assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the
instructions.
· Stay focused
on the precise assignment questions; don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot
of space to summarizing general background materials
· List
supporting references and cite sources in proper format.
· Use
appropriate writing style in essay form (organization, grammar, and spelling).
· Include both
a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a
High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11-14 on in-text citations.
Another resource is the “Writing Style Guide,” which is found under “My
Resources” in the TLC portal.
