Situational Leadership

LDP1 Case 1: Situational Leadership
The concept of Follower Readiness as it relates to the Situational Leadership Model is one of intuition and active investment in the potential of the workforce. It is the responsibility of those in authority to assess the readiness of the follower and adapt their leadership style accordingly.
Follower readiness is indexed as a combination of ability and willingness. Ability being defined as “the knowledge, experience, and skill than an individual or group brings to a particular task or activity” and Willingness being defined as “the extent to which an individual or group has the confidence, commitment, and motivation to accomplish a specific task” (Hersey, 2001, p. 176).
Follower readiness is categorized into four groups according to the levels of willingness and ability.
The first group, designated R1, are followers who are unable and either unwilling or insecure in regards to the task. These followers are newcomers to a task and possess neither experience nor confidence in this subject. Due to this fact, they will often express frustration and only produce the bare minimum results.
The next group is R2; these are followers who are unable but still willing or confident. Though they may be anxious or excited, they will be receptive to input and seek clarity in regards to the task.
The R3 group is comprised of those who are able but unwilling or insecure. These people may have had bad experiences or might feel resistant to change. They have demonstrated knowledge and ability, but might question it.
Finally, R4 group are both able and willing or confident. They will work autonomously, keeping management informed of both good and bad news. They are knowledgeable, responsible, and willing to help others.
Leadership Styles are indexed as a combination of task behavior and relationship behavior. Task behavior is defined as “the extent to which the leader engages in spelling out the duties and responsibilities of an individual... [continues]

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