ACCA Strategic Professional · Strategic Business Leader · Qualities of leadership
Tomas leads a software team. Team members are highly skilled but have recently lost confidence after a failed product launch and are reluctant to take decisions. Under Hersey and Blanchard's model, which leadership style best fits?
A supporting style fits best. The team is competent but its commitment and confidence have dropped, so the leader should use low direction and high relationship behaviour, encouraging them and involving them in decisions. Directing would be unnecessary, and delegating would offer no help in rebuilding confidence.
- ADirecting, giving detailed instructions
- BDelegating, leaving them to recover alone
- CSupporting, encouraging and sharing decisions while rebuilding commitmentCorrect
- DCoaching, with high direction and high support for novices
Explanation
Followers with high competence but variable commitment need a supporting (participating) style: low task direction and high relationship behaviour. Directing ignores their skill. Delegating withholds the encouragement they need. Coaching is for low-competence, low-to-some commitment followers.
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