Report: Situational Leadership and Experiential Learning Theories

This report provides a detailed analysis of Situational Leadership Theory, developed by Hersey and Blanchard, and Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory. It explores how the Situational Leadership model adapts leadership styles to meet employee needs, including directive, selling, supporting, and delegating approaches. The report also examines Kolb's four-stage learning cycle (concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation) and its application in the workplace. Furthermore, it discusses different learning styles (activist, reflector, theorist, and pragmatist) and the importance of training and development, including induction programs, to enhance employee skills and business performance. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of adapting leadership and learning approaches to foster effective employee development.

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Introduction
This report seeks to explain the learning and skills development theories and how to apply these
theories at the place of work and the existing alternatives to businesses in respect to training and
development of groups of workers and individuals. Also, this report will look at the Situational
leadership theory by Kenneth Blanchard and Hersey Paul, along with Kolb's theory of learning
and its applications at the place of work.
Situational leadership
Leadership consists of both leaders and followers paying attention to a mutual goal. Situational
leadership is a leadership technique developed by Paul Hersey and Blanchard Kenneth. This
leadership style proposes that there is no universal answer for one to be a leader. The leaders
may have to change their leadership style to allow them to meet the wants of their employees.
This leadership style requires managers to change their technique of leadership to suit workers
since it is not an obligation of the workers to adjust to the manager's style (Meier, 2016)
Blanchard Kenneth and Paul Hersey say that leaders need to emphasize on directive (behavior
task) and supportive (relationship) task. Behavior task is the detail level that a leader goes into
concerning telling a worker what to do, where to do it, and how to perform it. While the
supportive (relationship) behavior, includes how far a leader is prepared to go where he or she
participates in one way or two-way communication with the workers (Thompson & Glasø 2015).
The task behavior and the supportive behavior also include facilitating, listening and supporting
the workers as illustrated in the table below

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The x-axis shows the directive behavior that the manager must show-single- way
communication from the manager to the worker. Y-axis shows the supportive behavior level, it is
the multi-way communication from the manager to the worker. The bar beneath the chart shows
the willingness of the worker in being more capable at work. Whereas the lowest level of
competence starts from the right, and increases as you move towards the left (McCleskey, 2014).
The colors of the matrixes match with each development level, as seen above.
Leadership behavior techniques
Situational Leadership Theory mentions four leadership techniques that managers use when they
are training their staff, these are:
Directive style
The Directive style is where the leader provides clear instructions on what is required. It needs
keen supervision from the leader as workers have no or little information on how to finish the job

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correctly. As workers are not fully capable of finishing the task, the leader takes a despotic
method and workers will do as per what the leader says.
Selling
Selling also refers to as coaching. It is where the leader gives less direction since employees in
this stage need little supervision. Workers are starting to understand the ideas of what they have
learned and ask questions; they also develop their skills gradually with the help of coaching of
the leader. Leaders praise employees when they grasp a task as a way of boosting their self-
esteem and confidence.
Supporting
This style is the participating style; it is where employees are allowed to take more responsibility
in carrying out tasks. The leaders use a free method where their focus lies on building a
relationship and not how to finish a job. The managers offer less supervision, but they are still
present for direction if required by the worker.
Delegating
Delegating is the last stage where the worker is fully equipped, and the manager can take a step
back leaving the worker to finish the task. In other words, workers can perform tasks without
supervision. This style allows workers to make their decisions while performing tasks (Zigarmi,
Zigarmi & Blanchard 1987). Employees at this stage are capable and knowledgeable thus
managers can send them to workshops or seminars in order to rejuvenate their skills in future.

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Kolb's Theory
David Kolb developed the Experiential Learning Theory, a learning style model that proposes
that persons learn through experiences, and this art of learning through experiences enables them
to increase their knowledge professionally. This theory provides a framework for understanding
how we make sense of our experiences through reflection. Kolb's theory of Experiential Learning
takes place outside the classroom, and it is a way of obtaining information through experience
(Poore, Cullen & Schaar, 2014). Kolb's theory of Experiential Learning is characterized by a
four-stage learning cycle as illustrated below
The first level is the concrete experience, and it is where workers are going through a new skill,
and the second level is the reflective observations; workers in these level analyses the unique
experience. Abstract Conceptualization is the third level, and it involves a reflection that enables
a worker to change previous ideas. Level four is Active Experimentation. In level four, workers
apply what they learned through the new experience in place of work (Kolb 2014).
The Experiential Learning Theory proposes that workers have four unique learning styles.
Mumford and Honey adapted the Kolb's model and pointed out the learning styles of individuals
below

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Activist is the style that employees learn by participating. Employers apply this style by allowing
employees to role play and solve problems (the Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning (2012).
Reflector-workers who adopt this style learn by seeing others work and reflect on their
experiences.
Theorist – this is where employees learn by grasping the theory and do not require a lot of
interaction. Employers can support workers by allowing them to think about concepts of solving
problems.
Pragmatist- involves employees learning by practically performing tasks and acquiring advice
from an expert. Managers will thus group individuals for consultations and give them training
from expert staff (Smith, 2016).
Training and development
Training is crucial to businesses in ensuring that their staff is competent to perform the task
thoroughly and accurately, therefore, managers can use methods such as induction in training
their employees. Induction is one of the best ways of training new workers because it enables
them to understand the business goals. From the case study involving the Argos induction
program, providing Induction promotes teamwork and employees retention. In this case study,
Argos purposed to create a positive job environment that nurtured teamwork.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Experiential Learning Theory and the Situational Leadership Theory proposes
that managers should adjust their learning styles to suit the needs of their employees so that the

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training offered will be useful and employees will be able to develop their skills in the place of
work.

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Reference
Kolb, D.A, (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development.
FT press.
Kolb, Alice, Y., and David, A. (2012) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning: Experiential
learning theory.
Meier, D. (2016) Situational Leadership Theory as a Foundation for a Blended
Journal of Education and Practice, Learning Framework, vol. 7, no.10, pp. 25-30.
McCleskey, J.A 2014. ‘On Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and
leadership development’, Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, p.117.
Poore, J.A., Cullen, D.L. and Schaar, G.L., 2014 ‘On Simulation-based interprofessional
education guided by Kolb's experiential learning theory’, Clinical Simulation in Nursing,
pp.e241-e247.
Smith, A. (2016) Edward Elgar Publishing Limited: Experiential learning.
Thompson, G. and Glasø, L., 2015. Situational leadership theory: a test from three perspectives.
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(5), pp.527-544.
Zigarmi, P., Zigarmi, D. and Blanchard, K. (1987). Leadership and the one minute manager.
Fontana/Collins.