Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory (Scenario)
Eric is trying to find the right leadership approach to use on his diverse group of employees. The workers vary widely in age, experience, and enthusiasm. Some employees need a lot of direction, while others do not. Yesterday, Eric accidentally upset one of the older and more experienced workers, Hazel, by trying to offer too much help. Hazel is a very capable and willing employee, and after 20 years with the company, she probably knew the job a lot better than Eric did. But he was only trying to be helpful, and he was also trying to compensate for the day before when he had not offered enough help to another worker, Joe. As a new employee, Joe had very little experience and needed a lot of specific information about his work duties. Other employees were more like Hank, who was able to do his job and liked to share in decision making. In his interactions with Hank, Eric focused more on communication and facilitation. After some consideration, Eric has chosen to apply Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theory.
-Where leading Hazel is concerned,Eric will probably ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory, employees with high levels of competence and experience require less direction and support, and more delegation and empowerment. Therefore, with Hazel, Eric will need to do very little, as she is a very capable and willing employee with 20 years of experience in the company. Eric should mainly focus on communication and building a positive relationship with her.