Critical Leadership Studies and Personal Leadership Approach

This essay delves into the realm of situational leadership, exploring its core principles and practical applications within organizational contexts. It critically examines the concept of leadership, contrasting traditional approaches with critical leadership studies, which emphasize the complexities of power dynamics, follower agency, and the social construction of leadership. The essay investigates the situational leadership model, highlighting its adaptability and the importance of tailoring leadership styles to the developmental levels of followers. It further explores the practical implications of situational leadership, encompassing various leadership styles such as directing, coaching, and delegating, while also acknowledging potential limitations. Ultimately, the essay reflects on how critical leadership studies inform the author's personal approach to leadership and how they intend to practice leadership, emphasizing the importance of flexibility, adaptability, and a nuanced understanding of leadership dynamics.

Running head: SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Situational Leadership
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction- Common leadership studies can be defined as a blanket term for a wide
range of perspectives and it critiques the leadership dynamics that are common and specifically
identify the constructions and power relations. The three main aspects of the critical leadership
studies are the dualism, romanticism, and essentialism (Carroll & Kempster, 2016). The common
leadership studies are the complex dynamics that exist between the managers and the leaders as
well as between the followers, mangers, and leaders. The common leadership studies are aimed
towards the recognizing the power and leadership that are often associated with those in power
and in formal authority. The common leadership studies also focus on the dispersed and
subordinated leadership, as well as on the oppositional form of organizations like the
revolutionary movements and trade unions. The common leadership studies focus vitality of the
power asymmetric, highlighting the follower agency's importance and their potential for the
resistance and dissent. It is vital to state that the critical leadership studies challenge the
hegemonic perspectives that are existent in the literature that are main stream (Shamir & Eilam-
Shamir, 2018). This study will be based on the certain aspects like the reflective writing that will
engage with the critical leadership studies so that the leadership approach can be informed. An
explanation of the approach to the leadership can be seen as a result of completing the subject.
Both the term follower and leader are the increasingly replacing the terms like the
manager and the employee. I have found that presently what was called the managerial
development is actually called as the leadership management or the development of the senior
management teams. The terms like the senior management teams are often morphed into the
terms like the senior leadership teams. It is vital to state that the idea of the leadership alone does
not include a significant change in the level of practice. This merely indicates that the managerial
work is actually a leadership and this term sounds more impressive and fashionable. Critical

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leadership studies can be described as a form of balancing act between the leadership that can
emphasize on both the destructive and productive source of power (Oc & Bashshur, 2013). It is
vital to state that the Critical leadership studies support the usage of the critical judgements
within the workplaces when assessing the leadership and the other modes of organizing the work
relations. Concentrating basically on the individual leaders and their mainstream studies,
qualities and the individual leaders has been criticized from a leader centric approach (Western,
2019). There are many critical theorists that have highlighted that the mainstream studies have
highlighted the followers and the proactive agents that passively respond to the various leader
centric activities. The various leader centric perspectives are highlighted and found in trait
theory. It is important to include the address the leader centric attributes that highly emphasize
on the resurgence of the interest. Situational theory highlights that the effective leaders must be
communicate with his subordinates by having a mix of supportive and directive behaviours they
are entirely compatible with the developmental levels of the followers (Lee et al., 2014). The
path goal theory highlights that the leaders must a form of style that chooses and the suites the
parameters of the experiences of the followers that requires the skills and needs (Tyssen, Wald &
Spieth, 2013). The theory of leader and manager highly tends towards how the leaders tend to
trust and the open at the in group followers but distant with the out group members. The latest
interest in emotional interest highlights that in context with the emotional intelligence, it
indicates that the effective leaders need to develop greater form of awareness and the leadership
dynamics for the leadership process. Therefore, it can be said that the perspectives that they tend
to define the leadership basically is a top done process through which the leaders change the way
and follows envision. Thus, it can be said that the follows of the leaders are actually susceptible
to the certain leadership style and behaviours (Thompson & Glasø, 2015). In order to render the

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leadership as a predictable practice the leadership practice takes into account the mainstream
approaches, prescriptive endeavour and it tends to portray empty vessel waiting to transformed
the leader and led by the leader. Like the situational leadership and it is viewed the followers
through a objectified and static categories of the reluctant contributors, peak performers,
enthusiastic beginners, and disillusioned learners, path goal theory highlight the leadership in a
way that affect the subordinates (McCleskey, 2014). The leader member exchange theory
emphasize that the followers can influence the leader member relationship between the
organizational dimension and the group dimensions. It can also be included that the
transformational studies have typically emphasized on the heroic images of great man that are
highly gendered. It views the leaders the agents of change and along with it the followers of the
complaint and passive. It is important to highlights that the recurrent tendency is to neglect the
followers and the privilege leaders and it frequently points towards the three main weaknesses
like the dualism, romanticism, essentialism (Van Wart, 2014). Therefore, there is a need to
rethink the leadership as the leadership which is discursively and socially constructed actually
rejects the essentialism. Leadership is described as the community, collective and dynamic based
achievement. It argues that the leadership is actually rooted in the context and the intrinsically
rational or place. it is important to mention that the if leadership is viewed through a
constructivist lens then it will provide an opportunity that reveals multiple sources of leadership
and the multiple forms of leadership and places where is can be found. The multiple of the
followers and the leaders with the varied form of the culture, values and the identities continents
and the societies are likely to have a significant impact on the limits and the possibilities of the
leadership practices (Bedford & Gehlert, 2013).

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Situational leadership can also be described as an adaptive form of leadership style. It is
important to note that this approach emboldens the leaders to consider the members of the team.
The situational leadership is an optional model so that the leadership will be helping in the
development of the workgroups and groups establish of rapport so that it is best to bring the best
out of the people. The situational leadership is actually flexible leadership and it actually adjusts
to a prevailing work atmosphere. It is vital to state that situational leadership is actually not
founded on specific skills of a leader. Thus, I will be capable to manage and suit the
requirements of the organization. I have seen that the key to the situational leadership is the
adaptability and the leader must be able to move between one forms of leadership into another so
that it can meet the needs of the situation (Hawkinson, 2016). It is important to mention that the
situational leadership is a one type of leadership that highlights no single leadership style is
perfect. It is most important when the situation at hand demands the kind of strategy as well as
the leadership that are specifically suited for the task. This particular theory suggests that it is
one of the most effective forms of leadership that the helps the leaders to adapt their leadership
style as per the given situation. At the same time, it is vital to state that the considering the types
of task, nature group are the many factors that contribute to getting the job done. The situational
leadership therefore take in account of the different attributes which highly depends on the
situation. It is important to mention that the flexibility is one of the important aspects of the
situational leadership. Most basic awareness of the situational leadership can be stated that there
is no fixed or single form of the leadership style that can make up the fixed form of leadership.
Thus, it is important to highlight that the leadership changes are the various types of the
requirements that are able to adapt and be flexible as per the leadership level of the maturity and
the group is trying to lead (Kibbe, 2015).

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Changes as per the situation means that my leadership style will be changing so as to
bring the play into the dependent situation and the level individuals that are involved. It is
important to mention that if the level of development is short then the situational leader converts
the situation and it became a task oriented. However, if the ipersons that are sufficiently
advanced that the leader will be understanding. Directing since the situational leadership will
have a high level of directive aspects and there is a constant supervision that the sufficiently
developed (Xu, 2017). Therefore, it is important to mention that the leader actually gives a
specific type of instruction that the goals are actually the ones that are needed to be achieved.
The type of supervision hat is required here is actually similar to the supervising actions of a
toddler. Coaching can be described as a situation that demands the leader to coach or mentor his
team. It can be said that coaching is actually an addition of the directive method and the leader
here offers a thorough account of the work. The leader here encourages and the subordinates
regarding the certain types of decisions. Delegating the work includes the dealing with a high
capable and matured team and that reduces the involvement and the supervision into the daily
activity of the team members. It is important to mention that the leaders are actually involved
with the discussion of the goals and asking about how the tasks will be handled (Staats, 2016).
Therefore, it is important to mention that the team members must have a complete freedom to
accomplish their goals.
The Situational leadership is cantered mostly on fulfilling a precise requirement now than
on a strategy that addresses a team's long-term requirements. Situational leaders can always fall
into a pit where they evaluate or respond to the instant circumstances instead of remaining
focused on the general goals. This enables fires to be extinguished and moral standards to be
rescued, but it also generates problems where individual growth can stop (Rubin, 2013).

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Executives who are in a situation to complete duties in particular will consider the flexibility to
be situational in many conditions disadvantageous. This is because they are asked to obey a
certain set of uncompromising guidelines, policies, or regulations. If the situational leader cannot
be adaptive, his strengths are removed. They have to try to be efficient even when they are stuck
in a key leadership style (Rubin, 2013).
In Summary, it can be stated that the Common leadership research can be described as a
global term for a broad spectrum of views, criticizing prevalent leadership dynamics, and
identifying the structures and energy relations in particular. Dualism, romanticism, and
essentialism are the three primary elements of critical leadership studies. Common leadership
studies are the complicated dynamics between the executives and the managers as well as the
leaders. Critical studies of management can be defined as a type of balance between
management, which can stress the damaging and productive energy source. Situational theory
shows that effective leaders need to communicate with their subordinates through a mixture of
supporting and guiding behaviour that is totally compatible with the level of development of
their followers. The theory of path-goal points out that leader must choose a form of style and
adapt the parameters of their followers’ experiences that demand the skills and needs. Leader and
manager's theory tends strongly towards the trust and openness of leaders in the groups, but far
away from the members of their groups. Situational leadership can also be described as an
adaptive form of leadership style. This approach promotes leaders to take note of the team
members. It is vital to state that. Leadership in the situation is a model of choice so that
leadership can contribute to the development of working groups and groups, in order to make the
best use of people. In fact, situational leadership is flexible and adjusts to an existing workplace.

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