BUSI 345 Week 4 Discussion Board Forum 2 Replies Example

Discussion Board Forum 2 Replies: Behavioral and Situational Approaches

BUSI 345 Leadership Theory and Practices, Discussion Board Forum 2 Replies

Thread by [Student Name]

The forum prompt, the two classmates and their threads are composites; the textbooks, research and Scripture cited are real.

Reply to Olivia

Olivia, your thread recommended situational leadership for a newly promoted retail manager, and I agree the model has strong practical appeal. Northouse (2016) notes that it is easy to understand and widely used in training, and your example of a manager who directs a new cashier closely and gradually steps back as the cashier gains confidence shows exactly how it is meant to work.

I want to add some caution from the research, though. Thompson and Vecchio (2009) tested three versions of situational leadership theory with employees and their supervisors and found limited support for the model's prescriptions overall. The clearest support was for providing more structure to employees who were newer and less experienced, but the detailed matches between follower development levels and leader styles did not hold up consistently. Northouse himself lists the lack of strong research support among the model's criticisms.

That does not make the model useless for a new manager who needs a starting point. It suggests that its core intuition, more direction for people who are new to a task, is sound, while its four-box precision may be more than the evidence can carry.

Jesus seems to have followed something like that core intuition. He taught and showed the disciples for a long time, then sent them out two by two with specific instructions about what to take and how to respond to rejection (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Mark 6:7-13), and only at the end of his ministry left the whole work in their hands. The pattern moved from close direction toward trust as the disciples grew.

For your retail manager, then, perhaps the best advice is to use the model as a reminder to adjust, rather than a formula. How would you advise the manager to judge when a cashier is ready for less direction, since the model's categories may not be precise?

Reply to Marcus

Marcus, your thread argued that the most important thing a leader does is care for people, and that task behaviors like scheduling and setting goals matter less. Your story about the coach who knew every player's family was moving, and Northouse (2016) does describe relationship behaviors as essential to helping followers feel comfortable with themselves, one another and the situation.

The research suggests, though, that leaders need both. Judge et al. (2004) combined studies of the two behaviors identified in the Ohio State research and found that both were meaningfully related to leadership outcomes. Consideration, the relationship side, had the stronger link with how satisfied followers were with their leader and how motivated they felt. Initiating structure, the task side, was somewhat more strongly related to leader job performance and group performance. A leader who only cares may have satisfied followers who are unsure what to do, and a leader who only organizes may have a productive team that leaves at the first chance. The study's title, The Forgotten Ones, was a reminder that these two simple behaviors had been dismissed too early in favor of newer theories.

Nehemiah models both sides. When enemies threatened the wall, he stationed the people by their families with swords and spears, an act of careful organization, and then he looked and rose up and encouraged them not to be afraid but to remember the Lord (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Nehemiah 4:13-14). Structure and care came together in the same moment, and the work on the wall continued because the people were both protected and encouraged.

Your coach probably did both too: knowing families is consideration, but running organized practices is initiating structure, and a team needs each. Northouse suggests leaders read what a situation calls for and adjust the mix rather than choosing one style for good. Looking back, which of the coach's organizing habits do you think made the caring more effective?

References

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Judge, T. A., Piccolo, R. F., & Ilies, R. (2004). The forgotten ones? The validity of consideration and initiating structure in leadership research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(1), 36-51. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.1.36

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Thompson, G., & Vecchio, R. P. (2009). Situational leadership theory: A test of three versions. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(5), 837-848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.06.014