The Situational Leadership Theory, is a leadership theory developed by Paul Hersey, professor and author of the book Situational Leader, and Ken Blanchard, leadership guru. The theory was first introduced as "Life Cycle Theory of Leadership".
In the late 1970s/early 1980s, the authors both developed their own models using the situational leadership theory; Hersey - Situational Leadership Model and Blanchard et al. Situational Leadership II Model.
The fundamental underpinning of the situational leadership theory is there is no single "best" style of leadership. Effective leadership is task-relevant and that the most successful leaders are those that adapt their leadership style to the maturity ("the capacity to set high but attainable goals, willingness and ability to take responsibility for the task, and relevant education and/or experience of an individual or a group for the task) of the individual or group they are attempting to lead/influence. That effective leadership varies, not only with the person or group that is being influenced, but it will also depend on the task, job or function that needs to be accomplished.
A good leader develops “the competence and commitment of their people so they’re self-motivated rather than dependent on others for direction and guidance.†According to Ken Blanchard, "Four combinations of competence and commitment make up what we call 'development level.'"
- D1 - Low competence and high commitment
- D2 - Low competence and low commitment
- D3 - High competence and low/variable commitment
- D4 - High competence and high commitment