Leadership Styles

What is it?

Leadership style is the way in which the functions of a leader are carried out and the way the leader typically behaves in relation to others.

There are many models of leadership style, most of which conform to a continuum of leadership behaviour with a leader-centred approach at one end and a follower-centred style at the other. The Ashridge model, for example, identifies four leadership styles: tells (autocratic), sells (persuasive), consults (participative), and joins (democratic). Similarly, Hersey & Blanchard promote the four styles of directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating.

Leaders tend to have their own preferred style. This is often influenced by the assumptions they make about other people. McGregor’s Theory X leaders assume that people have an inherent dislike of work, will avoid it if they can, and require close direction and control. The leader is therefore likely to adopt an autocratic style. Theory Y leaders, on the other hand, assume that people want to work, will gain satisfaction from it, and are capable of self-direction and self-control. These leaders are likely to adopt a democratic style.

More recently, the concept of situational leadership has become the prominent concept in this area. This dictates that leaders should adopt a style to suit the contingent circumstances. The style adopted will depend on the nature of the task, the urgency of the situation, the pressure on the leader to achieve the task, the nature of the organisation, and the effectiveness and motivation of the people involved.

The Hersey & Blanchard model places particular emphasis on this final situational aspect. All leaders have followers and leaders therefore need to adopt a style which is compatible with the effectiveness and motivation of their followers, known as their readiness.

When deciding on the style to adopt, leaders should assess the readiness of their followers and adopt a compatible leadership style. Followers who are at R1 readiness, being unable (lacking competence) and unwilling (lacking motivation or confidence) to carry out a task, require a matching S1 leadership style, comprising  a high level of direction. In contrast, followers who are at R4 readiness (able and willing) require a S4 style of leadership with a high level of delegation. This matching process between follower readiness and leadership style applies to all four situations in the table.

Using the wrong leadership style will be problematic. Adopting a S4 style for a R1 follower will result in the follower lacking direction and failing in the task. A S1 approach for a R4 follower, on the other hand, will be seen as over-bearing and lead to frustration. As followers develop in terms of competence, confidence and motivation, moving through the four stages of readiness, leaders will need to modify their style accordingly.

What does it look like?

How does it work in practice?

In a poll of procurement professionals in the UK, 60% opted for democratic as the best leadership style.[1] Natalie Henfrey at supply chain consultancy Crimson & Co, said: “I think it is predominantly democratic. Seeking opinions is the best way to engage stakeholders and create strong category teams.”

However, 35% of respondents said a mixture of styles was required, depending on the situation. Chris Graves, head of procurement services at public sector purchasing consortium YPO, said: “There are times when even a democratic leader must be autocratic to achieve results…..and to ensure conformance to statutory regulations. The challenge is recognising the situation and applying the correct style at that time. The most frustrating thing is, therefore, leaders who only have one style or who employ an inappropriate style for that situation.”

Another senior procurement respondent said that democratic leadership needed to be balanced with good direction and called for a little bit of the “autocratic to ensure that internal stakeholders comply with procurement policies”. Many buyers said leadership within procurement had moved from being autocratic to more democratic, which reflected the strategic role that procurement now plays in most organisations.

A study in Nigeria[2] found that the degree of contentment with supervision was substantially influenced by the combination of the participants’ readiness level and their leader's appropriate style of leadership, just as situational leadership theory would suggest. However, the followers' job satisfaction was linked only to their readiness levels. The leadership style did not impact on job satisfaction.

Another finding was that none of the respondents preferred a S1 (directing) style leader, even those at R1 readiness. Furthermore, most participants at a R3 level of readiness preferred having a leader with a S2 (coaching) style rather than S3 (supporting). Those with high readiness (R4) preferred having a S3 (supporting) leader rather than S4 (delegating). These variations from the theory could be due to the culture of the industry (oil & gas), the organisation, or country, all of which would be different to the USA-based research behind Hersey & Blanchard’s model.

A public-sector study in South Africa[3] further emphasises the need for pragmatism and cultural sensitivity in relation to situational leadership. Participants emphasised the importance of the daily ability of leaders to appreciate the situations which required their leadership and the ability to bring one’s authentic self to the role they fulfil as a leader. Managers had to operate with a pragmatic yet empowering understanding of the organisation in order to adopt a situational leadership style.

A study of multinational corporations in four sub-Saharan African countries by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University[4] found that, despite their significant differences, Western and African business leadership styles can be blended to form a hybrid approach. This combines Western pragmatism and African humanism, recognising the importance of fact, logic and the nature of reality, but also promoting human-focused and collectivist forms of leadership.

[1] What type of leadership style works best?; Supply Management; 15 December 2011

[2] Ebere, E & Fragouli, E; Exploration of suitability of situational leadership in the oil and gas sector; Journal of Social Economics Research; Vol2, No1, pp10-30; 2015

[3] Nkosimbini , A; Exploring situational leadership as a key competence in driving the implementation of the integrated development plan of a South African municipality; Rhodes Business School, Rhodes University; October 2019

[4] https://it-online.co.za/2017/03/24/new-leadership-style-for-african-success/