Modern Management: concepts and skills, 14/e

More Recent Approaches to Leadership

Leadership studies have shifted emphasis from the trait approach to the situational approach, which suggests that leadership style must be appropriately matched to the situation the leader faces. The more modern situational approach to leadership is based on the assumption that each instance of leadership is different and therefore requires a unique combination of leaders, followers, and leadership situations.²⁰

This interaction is commonly expressed in formula form: SL = f (L, F, S), where SL is successful leadership; f stands for function of; and L, F, and S are, respectively, the leader, the follower, and the situation.²¹ Translated, this formula says that successful leadership is a function of a leader, ...