Response to discussion post minimum 150 words

I’m studying for my Social Science class and need an explanation.

Read the posts of your peers and post a scholarly response to the initial posts of two. Discuss similarities or differences in your reflections on behavioral and situational leadership. Include text concepts, relevant research, and professional or practical experiences to support your responses.

Student post down below:

The behavioral approach to leadership involves attempts to measure the categories of behavior that are characteristic of effective leaders. According to this theory, it is not inherent characteristics that make a good leader. Rather, a leader makes themselves effective via the way they act and what they do. The behavioral approach to leadership emphasizes the notion that leaders may demonstrate task-oriented or people-oriented behaviors. Task-oriented leaders focus their behaviors on the organizational structure, the operating procedures, and the need to keep control. Task-oriented leaders are still concerned with their staff motivation; however, it is not their main concern. They will encourage behaviors that are in line with: initiating, organizing, clarifying, and information gathering. People oriented leaders focus their behaviors on ensuring that the inner needs of the people are satisfied. Thus, they will seek to motivate their staff through emphasizing the human relation. People-oriented leaders still focus on the task and the results; they just achieve them through different means. Leaders with a people focus will have behaviors that are in line with: encouraging, observing, listening, coaching, and mentoring. Both of these behavioral approaches to leadership seem to be related to important outcomes, with task-oriented behaviors more strongly relating to leader effectiveness and people-oriented behaviors leading to employee satisfaction.

The situational approach to leadership emphasizes the notion that there is no one best way to lead others and stresses that a leader’s style and behavior should depend on the characteristics of his or her subordinates. Situational Leadership is flexible. It adapts to the existing work environment and the needs of the organization. Situational Leadership is not based on a specific skill of the leader; instead, he or she modifies the style of management to suit the requirements of the organization. One of the keys to situational leadership is adaptability. Leaders must be able to move from one leadership style to another to meet the changing needs of an organization and its employees. These leaders must have the insight to understand when to change their management style and what leadership strategy fits each new paradigm.

When comparing both of these leadership styles they both offer great definitions of what leaders should be and the traits and characteristics they should exhibit. However, they are both quite different and their key attributes actually conflict. The behavioral approach to leadership suggests that there is one best way to lead, whereas the situational theory says there is not. In fact, situational leadership theorists believe that there are many ways to lead that are effective.