BLUF

This model is designed to help leaders determine the most suitable leadership style based on a product’s level of uncertainty and complexity—military leaders could use the model to assess the uncertainty and complexity of their operations and determine the most appropriate leadership style to use in those situations.

Summary

CONTEXTUAL LEADERSHIP MODEL

  • The contextual leadership model suggests that a leader's effectiveness depends on the fit between their leadership style and the situational context.
  • The model considers both the leader's style and the situational context, which includes factors like leader-member relations, task structure, and position power.
  • The model proposes that different leadership styles may be more effective in different situations.
  • The model uses the Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) scale to measure a leader's style and assess their degree of task or relationship orientation.
  • The contextual leadership model has contributed to the understanding of the importance of considering the situational context in leadership effectiveness.
See also:  FULL-RANGE LEADERSHIP MODEL: USEFUL ARTICLES | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
Contextual Leadership Model was originally designed to be applied to the management of a particular product. Whereas the Full-Range Model is designed to be more applicable to a military organisation where a transactional style of leadership might not be appropriate see: The Full-Range Leadership Primer
 

CONTEXTUAL LEADERSHIP MODEL—ARTICLES

When it comes to leadership styles, context is king 
  • Leadership styles have benefits and challenges.
  • Many leaders tend to focus on one leadership style that suits them.
  • This one-size-fits-all approach does not work as people have different characteristics.
  • The context of leadership is more important than a particular leadership style.
  • There are seven classic leadership styles, including transactional, transformational, servant, democratic, autocratic, laissez-faire, and situational.
  • SOOT is a mnemonic used to identify leadership contexts.
  • SOOT stands for Self, One-to-One, Organizational, and Team contexts.
  • Leaders must master self-leadership, which involves leading themselves and being a model for others to emulate.
  • To be an effective one-to-one leader, leaders must focus on developing strong relationships with individuals.
  • To lead teams effectively, leaders must be able to adapt their leadership styles to reflect the context of the situation and meet the needs of the team on an individual basis.

References