Situational Leadership Theory Essay

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In law enforcement, the Situational Leadership Theory [SLT] method adapts a police leader-supervisor style that is based on the follower’s personal understanding of their own skills, experiences, and motivations in association with the workings an agency’s service. This approach focuses on a person’s style based on their leadership perceptions from a task-oriented field. The field represents an extent that focuses on the function being performed in a relationship with the people they are supervising. Uniquely, to the different leadership theories, the Situational Leadership Theory makes note that all leaders do not make the same decision equally or in the same method, in fact, by way of subordinate details, there are a number of aspects that …show more content…

Sergeant #3—R4 & S4—Is a 15-year veteran in patrol, investigation, and narcotics, is highly rated as a supervisor and commands confidence in his abilities. According to the lieutenant observing her sergeants under close supervision, she is able to determine which style she has to assume in order to match her subordinates’ skills, experiences and motivations to the patrol department’s needs. While she realizes there is a minor lack of motivation, her team has done all the skills and experiences to perform the job functions to its fullest abilities. With this, she understands how important it is to keep in mind the definitions of task and relationship behaviors. As a result, she elects to use the delegating style in her situational leadership role with her new team. As such, in an attempt to improve leadership behaviors (S4), the delegating style involves letting the followers or subordinates run their team the best way needed to motivate when performing tasks. In other words, “any leader is able to delegate since the followers have the ability, and are willing to take the additional responsibility for directing behaviors” . Again, while each person is not unique to the readiness and specific leadership style, any leader has to increase socioemotional support when the situational style

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