Technical note: a study of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory

doi:10.1108/01437739810208692

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Leadership & Organization Development Journal

ISSN: 0143-7739
Incorporates: Participation and Empowerment: An International Journal

Online from: 1980

Subject Area: Organization Studies

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Technical note: a study of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory

Document Information:
Title:	Technical note: a study of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory
Author(s):	Thomas D. Cairns, (NBC Television Station Division, Yardley, PA, USA), John Hollenback, (GE Corporate Human Resources, Fairfield, CT, USA), Robert C. Preziosi, (Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA), William A. Snow, (California School of Psychology, Marina Del Ray, CA, USA)
Citation:	Thomas D. Cairns, John Hollenback, Robert C. Preziosi, William A. Snow, (1998) "Technical note: a study of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 19 Iss: 2, pp.113 - 116
Keywords:	Individual behaviour, Manufacturing industry, Service industries, Situational analysis, Theory
Article type:	Conceptual Paper
DOI:	10.1108/01437739810208692 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	MCB UP Ltd
Abstract:	This study empirically tested Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory (SLT) among 151 senior executives within service and manufacturing businesses of a large Fortune 100 company. SLT focuses on the interaction of the leader’s behaviour and follower readiness to determine leader effectiveness. SLT suggests that the appropriate level of task and relationship behaviour is the one that “matches” the level of follower readiness. A variety of statistical techniques were used to test the central hypotheses of SLT and the matching concept. The study produced 18 matches and 126 mismatches. One statistical technique, the partitioned test, was found to provide the most insight about SLT and the concept of matching. The researchers recommend its utilization in future research of SLT. The researchers conclude that SLT remains intuitively appealing and empirically contradictory. The concepts of SLT and matching are engaging and further research is recommended.