Leadership

Situational leadership theory (SLT) focuses on the interaction of the leaderЎЇs behavior and follower readiness and then measures it to determine leader effectiveness. As defined in Answers.com, Situational leadership theories presume that different leadership styles are better in different situations, and that leaders must be flexible enough to adapt their style to the situation they are in. The most important example is Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard's "life-cycle" theory, which posits that leadership style should depend on the "maturity", i.e. self motivation and initiative of subordinates. Relatively "immature" subordinates require autocratic leadership; subordinates intermediate in maturity do best with a more democratic approach, and very "mature" subordinates do not need any explicit leadership at all. A leaderЎЇs effectiveness is a function of the interrelationship between leader, follower, and situation. An effective leader selects an appropriate leadership style, while a leader who does not