Leader Characteristics, Follower Characteristics, and Situational Factors

 

Introduction

An effective leader must understand the interactions between leader characteristics, follower characteristics, and situational factors. Some of the well-known leader characteristics include effective communication, accountability, humility, vision, positivity, and confidence. Others are decisiveness, delegation, empathy, integrity, influence, and commitment. Certain situations may force a leader to apply some of the characteristics more than otherss. For instance, an organization with demotivated employees requires a leader to show greater empathy and positivity rather than delegation and accountability. Hence, leadership style is often influenced by leader’s qualities, follower’s characteristics, and situational factors.

Leader, Follower, and Situational Characteristics

The form of leadership that considers follower characteristics and environmental factors is known as situational leadership. Its models were created by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey in their theory of situation leadership (Meier, 2016). The theory does not consider any style of leadership to be better than the other. Instead, it suggests that leaders should be adaptive and flexible. Hence, leaders should adjust their style according to the competence and commitment of their subordinates (Northouse, 2019). A similar view was maintained by Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee (2013), who identified six distinct leadership styles. These include: Authoritative, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and coercive. These styles should be used interchangeably according to follower qualities and environmental factors.

The relationship between leader qualities, follower characteristics, and situational factors can be explained using the above scholarly works. In Blanchard and Hersey’s theory, a leader is confronted by four different situations, each having different follower characteristics. Telling is one of the situations. In this scenario, followers are incompetent but show commitment and enthusiasm (Northouse, 2019). Such a situation calls for a leader to be visionary, commanding, motivating, and self-confident. These are also characteristics of authoritative leadership. The second situation is where the followers have some level of competence but show unwillingness to deliver, and are demotivated. This is referred to as a selling situation, and calls for a coaching type of leadership style. In this scenario, the leader should possess qualities such as team-building, empathy, motivating, positivity, and listening skills. The third situation is referred to as participating or supporting. In this case, followers have high competence but lack self-confidence. This situation calls for a democratic leader with characteristics such as participation, effective communication, and innovation (Goleman et al., 2013). Finally, there is the situation where followers are highly competent and willing to perform their tasks. This calls for a delegating type of leadership.

Additionally, other situations may call for extreme leadership styles. For instance, a leader may be confronted with a situation where high-quality results are required quickly. If the followers are highly motivated and competent, the leader may employ a pacesetter type of leadership. Such a leader leads by example and lacks patience (Goleman et al. 2013). Every follower is held to high standards and great accountability. Such a leader may also work extra-hours to encourage followers to do the same. Another strict leadership style is coercive leadership. This is applied in a crisis where, for instance, a firm needs a complete turnaround in performance (Landa & Tyson 2017). The leader and the followers must perform well under stress in this case.

Challenges

The interaction between leadership, followership, and situations is not without challenges. One such challenge is attaining flexibility. An effective leader is expected to adapt to different situations. However, this can prove to be challenging especially in cases where a given type of leadership goes against his or her natural personality. For instance, it may be difficult for an empathic leader to adapt to a coercive style of leadership. Such a leader is better suited for affiliative style. A democratic leader may find it challenging to transition into authoritative one. The former requires participation and accommodation of different views while the latter calls for assertiveness.

Another challenge is the confusion that may arise among the followers.  If followers are used to their leader being democratic, they may not understand why they suddenly turn authoritative or coercive. A different scenario might see a leader with a lot of charisma switch from an affiliative to a pacesetter style of leadership. In such a case, the employee will not enjoy the empathic and rewarding atmosphere they’re accustomed to. Instead, the leader portrays an impatient demeanor that may throw followers into confusion.

Solutions

These challenges can certainly be overcome. The issue of flexibility in a leader requires gradual learning and is a skill-set that cannot be acquired in overnight. Leaders, who aim to be flexible, should embrace different situations even though they may be out of their comfort zone. A growth mindset is important as well as an eagerness to learn (Pant & Sinha, 2016). The problem of confused followers can also be addressed. Flexibility should be cultivated in them on the same lines as their leaders. Effective communication is a must for the followers to understand the factors behind the change in leadership style. For instance, workers in a non-performing organization should be informed of the need for a coercive type of leadership.

Conclusion

There is an interaction between leadership characteristics, follower characteristics, and situational factors. This relationship must be put into consideration if one is to become an effective leader. This calls for great flexibility which, at times, can throw an organization into confusion. However, with effective communication and a growth mindset, these challenges can be overcome.

 

References

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.

Landa, D., & Tyson, S. A. (2017). Coercive leadership. American Journal of Political Science, 61(3), 559-574.

Meier, D. (2016). Situational Leadership Theory as a Foundation for a Blended Learning Framework. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(10), 25-30.

Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Pant, G., & Sinha, S. (2016). Developing flexible leaders flexibly. Springer, 85-102.