You will recall from an earlier blog, “Being a good manager isn’t good enough!” that Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard developed the well known Situational Leadership model which is widely referred to in management training. They described two types of behaviour, task and relationship, and four styles relating to different situations in which a leader/manager might find themselves. In the previous blog, the four styles which Hersey & Blanchard labelled S1-S4 were described and in this blog we want to focus on S1, the “Telling” style and how this might link to someone’s management training needs. Firstly let’s remind ourselves of the S1 style.
S1: Telling Style
With this style the behaviour is very task focused, based on one-way communication in which the leader/manger instructs the individual (or group) in the why, what, how, when, and where relating to the task that needs to be completed and the process that needs to followed. Typically there is little or no room for debate; consultation or discussion do not usually take place.
Those “Y” thinkers (according to Douglas McGregor’s X/Y theory (see A starting point for management training blog) will I am sure, question the value of using this style at all; preferring to concentrate on S3 (Participation) & S4 (delegation) styles to achieve their aims. The style is much more easily appreciated by “X” thinkers who favour the direct, instructional approach. It also perhaps sits more comfortably with taller structured organisations (see Management training in a flat world blog), where power is centralized and command and control are dominant factors.
When this style might be most appropriate
- In times of emergency or when urgency dictates that decisions need to be made quickly. Consultation at these times would not be appropriate and could have serious impact or even dangerous consequence.
E.g. it would not be appropriate to debate the pros and cons of evacuating the building if it were on fire! Far better to give the instruction to “Get Out” and debate the merits of the decision afterwards. - When the task is dictated in some way by policy or procedure, i.e. must be done in a specific way, follow a particular process, or to a specific standard. Under these conditions there is little value in opening a debate on why the procedure is there if it has to be followed anyway (of course it may be appropriate to question the procedure or process through suitable channels at a later date).
E.g. there is no point in debating how to lift something heavy when H & S & lifting training clearly spell out the safest way to do it. - When you are the only person who has done this particular task before and know how to do it (the instructor/teacher/trainer role perhaps). Depending on the topic and exact situation, it may be that S2 is a more appropriate style to adopt in this situation.
- In the case of an inexperienced person where they are doing this task or role for the first time and where their current knowledge is zero or very low (at induction for example).
- Where someone is experienced but is moving to a new and unfamiliar role or task.
Key skills/behaviours required
When considering your management development needs, the skills for this style might include: Communication, assertiveness, self confidence, influence, presentation, objective setting, performance monitoring/management
Remember – there is no wrong or right style, just a style best suited to each of the associated four types of situation.
In subsequent blogs we will explore the situations associated with each of the other three styles and how and when these may be most applicable.
Edited By Jon Davies| Righttrack’s Digital Marketing Manager