LIT REVIEW

44 MMS November 2016 mmsonline.com

COMPETING IDEAS Columnist

Great companies have great leaders, not just

at the top of the organization, but at all levels.

Whereas top-level leaders normally establish

the company’s vision and set strategic direction,

the rest of the leaders must drive the activities

that will allow the company to achieve that vision.

In my Fe br ua r y 2016 column (“Some Key

Principles of Effective Leadership”), I offered a

number of definitions of leadership. The one that

resonates with me the most is “guiding others to

a desired result.” The key word is “guide,” as it

describes an ability to act in a way that influences

the thinking, then the behavior, and finally the

performance of others. The desired results can

var y from company to company, or even from

department to department within the same com-

pany, but they will always be determined in advance,

supported by the leader and communicated to

the leader’s employees.

In that same column, I referenced Ken Blanchard

and Paul Hersey’s “Situational Leadership” model,

in which the researchers advocate the need to

var y leadership st yle based on the skills and

commitment of the employees. I believe this to

be such an important aspect of a leader’s ability

to guide others that I am making it the focus of

this month’s column.

To summarize, the Situational Leadership

mode l de scr ibe s four le ade r ship st y le s that

should be applied in given situations: “directing,”

“coaching,” “supporting” and “delegating.”

• Directing style of leadership is very hands-

on, with the leader describing in detail how to

complete each task and then monitoring perfor-

mance closely to assure de sired re sults are

achieved. Although some might consider this

micromanaging, there are certain situations in

which this is the best way to lead. For example,

say you have just hired an employee with little

or no experience. Using a directing leadership

style will help the employee understand what

needs to be done and how to do it. It will also

increase the likelihood that the employee will

complete tasks successfully early on, and it is a

preferred alternative to the often-used approach

of letting a new employee “sink or swim.”

• Coaching style is less hands-on and is the

next step in the leadership style progression. It

should be applied with employees who have

demonstrated an ability to per form under the

directing style of leadership. It is important that

a leader invests the time and effort needed to

allow an employee to be “coached,” because

leaders simply do not have the time to “direct”

all employees. Under the coaching st yle, the

leader continues to define the tasks to be done,

but seeks out ideas and suggestions from the

employee as communication starts to be more

open. A coaching style of leadership offers more

challenges to employees, with the expectation

that they will assume more ownership of their

tasks, and increase their skills and knowledge.

Employing the Right Leadership Style Leadership, in general, involves guiding others. It makes sense to adopt

different leadership styles in different situations, however, in order to be

effective and produce the desired results.

WAYNE S. CHANESKI

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CENTER FOR MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

46 MMS November 2016 mmsonline.com

COMPETING IDEAS Columnist

• Supporting style passes more control over

how to complete a task to the employee and

even allows more leeway in decision-making

once cer tain standards of per formance have

been achieved. Not every employee will achieve

this level of performance, and those may require

a coaching style of leadership for some time.

Still, a worker who requires “coaching” is much

preferred to an employee who requires ongoing

“directing.” The supporting style strives to increase

an employee’s skills further through the issuing

of even more challenges and soliciting of greater

input from that employee. Employees who are

being “supported” have gained significant skills

and have demonstrated sufficient commitment

to be considered for elevation to the final leader/

employee relationship level.

• Delegating style of leadership is one that

every leader finds ideal, because at this point,

employees have acquired the requisite skills to

take control of all tasks. The delegating style is

the opposite of the directing style, as it is almost

completely hands-off. It is an ideal way for lead-

ers to guide high-functioning employees who

need little hand-holding. In fact, it is not unusual

for leaders who are delegating to apply a call-

me-if-you-need-me approach to dealing with

these employees.

Of course, even employees to whom tasks

are delegated need to know that the leader is

interested in what they are doing, so leaders

must take the time to offer encouragement and

recognition to these employees in order to keep

them motivated. Adopting a delegating style of

leadership frees up a leader to concentrate on

more macro activities instead of micro activities,

thereby allowing that leader to be more effective

in the long run.

By adopting the right leadership style, one

that best suits the situation with your particular

employe e s, work gets done while employe e

knowledge and skills increase, making it that

much easier for you to guide employees to the

desired outcome.

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