Situational Leadership Theory: Dr. Paul Hersey

Situational Leadership Theory (SLT), is a leadership model developed by Dr. Paul Hersey. The fundamental basis of the theory is there is no one style of leadership that is best for all situations. Rather the effective leader is able to adapt their style to meet the needs of the audience. According to the theory effective leadership varies not only based on the audience but also so they task trying to be accomplished. It is assumed the leader’s behavior depends on a variety of circumstances in the specific situation. One situational variable is based on two distinct needs of a group: getting the task completed and developing strong relationships among the team members. If the team leader spends all his time getting the task done without any …show more content…
Of utmost importance is enhancing the effectiveness of these mental health treatment teams. A team is defined as a number of individual staff members, each of whom possess particular knowledge and skills, who come together to share their expertise with one another for a common purpose (Vinokus-Kaplan, 1995). Within a team interdependence is required to allow the group to work effectively. The objective of the integration of the theories, CBT and Situational Leadership is to increase positive interactions within these teams. In order for the teams to perform effectively, collaboration is necessary. The aim is to explore the value added through the use of the CBT and SLT theoretical model by the use of cognition and shared leadership. CBT was selected because the cognitive model enables us to formulate the processes maintaining distress, and work with people to effect change (Taylor & Sambrook, 2012). Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) was selected as it states there is no single best style of leadership. According to SLT there are four interactions of task and relationship with four related leadership behaviors, telling, selling, participating and delegating (Brown, 2011). Of these behaviors no one style is considered best for all group leaders to use all the time. Effective leaders need to be flexible and be able to adapt to the situation. By integrating the two theories, …show more content…
The nature and importance of the information distributed will help prevent misunderstandings and foster trust, immediacy, and faith in feedback. The more positive the interactions between the team members the more effective the group is deemed to be. When using the model, a team should be able to determine the team’s maturity level and adjust the leadership style accordingly. Teams tend to have a shared purpose, pooling of resources, collaboration and coordination, differing communication styles and leadership. Strengthening any and all of these contributes to the team’s