SL Theory

SL Theory is a theory saying that there are multiple types of leadership and the ideal type varies depending on how subordinates think about work and human relationship. Situational Leadership Theory.

Overview of SL Theory
SL Theory is a way of thought in which the ideal leadership of people in charge of management depends on the degree of maturity of subordinates. A style of leadership needs to be changed depending on a situation in order to achieve effective management.

SL Theory is developed from a situational component in F. E. Fiedler's Contingency Model and focuses on the degree of maturity of subordinates. This theory was proposed by P. Hersey and K. H. Blanchard in 1977.

Classification of Leadership
Styles of leadership are categorized into 4 quadrants defined by two axes below. Different actions are to be taken for each style.
 * Degree of task orientation
 * Degree of human-relationship orientation

As the maturity of subordinates increase, the ideal leadership type also shifts as shown below. digraph TMPG { graph [size="15,5", rankdir=LR]; node [shape=box, style=rounded]; edge [labelfloat=true]; A1 [label="1. Directing"]; A2 [label="2. Coaching"]; A3 [label="3. Supporting"]; A4 [label="4. Delegating"];

A1 -> A2 [weight=10]; A2 -> A3 [weight=10]; A3 -> A4 [weight=10]; }
 * 1) Directing
 * Leadership with high task orientation and low human-relationship orientation. Leader of this type make detailed directions for subordinates and supervise their work. They do not behave cooperatively at the equal level as subordinates. This is an effective style for new employees.
 * 1) Coaching
 * Leadership with high task orientation and human-relationship orientation. Leaders of this type explain their ideas and execute tasks while answering to questions that subordinates have. They require subordinates to think about something and state opinions. They take active, directive, and cooporative actions. This is an effective leadership style for employees that work for less than 5 years and understand the situation of their work to some extent.
 * 1) Supporting
 * Leadership with low task orientation and high human-relationship orientation. Leaders of this type encourage subordinates' autonomy and prepare the environment for that. They try to harmonize leaders' and subordinates' ideas to make decisions. They do not take directive actions so much but take cooperative actions in the equal level as subordinates. This is an effective style for mainstays of a company who understand the situation of business as much as leaders do.
 * 1) Delegating
 * Leadership with low task orientation and human-relationship orientation. Leaders of this type leave responsibilities of task execution to subordinates. They delegate privileges and responsibilities to subordinates and try to manage as little as possible. This is an effective style for expert employees that are more familiar with the situation of business than leaders.

Classification of Subordinates
By measuring the degree of subordinates' maturity based on the following criteria, subordinates can be classified into four levels.
 * Motivation to determine goals
 * Intention and ability to commit
 * Training for task execution and experience
 * 1) High maturity
 * 2) Medium-high maturity
 * 3) Medium-low maturity
 * 4) Low maturity

Matching of Leadership and Subordinates
SL Theory maps the four leadership styles to the four degrees of subordinates' maturity.

Flow Model Level
Flow Models of tasks should be changed based on the degree of participants' maturity.

Task Allocation


If participants' maturity is low, the process owner allocates tasks to participants to eliminate unallocated tasks and thereby to reduce retention risks.

If participants' maturity is high, the process owner offers a task to participants, and an available participant accepts the task.

Review of Outcome


If participants' maturity is low, the process owner reviews outcomes to prevent the quality of process outcomes from deteriorating.

If participants' maturity is high, outcomes are immediately passed to the next step for the sake of quick processing.

Contents of Project Processed and Processing Route


If participants' maturity is low, the process owner examines contents of a project to reduce task loads and retention risks

If participants' maturity is high, regardless of contents of a project, participants execute tasks.

Parallel Processing or Sequential Processing


If participants' maturity is low, the process owner makes participants execute tasks in parallel to speed up processing. The process owner intensively supervises the task taking the longest time.

If participants' maturity is high, participants execute tasks sequentially and execute multiple projects at the same time.

Data Level
We can change data to be created in process execution according to the degree of participants' maturity even in the same Flow Model.

Necessity of Completion Report
If participants' maturity is low, the data creation upon process completion reporting is set to be required so that the process owner can recognize it upon process completion.

If participants' maturity is high, the data creation upon process completion reporting can be done only in case of important projects, and the decision is left to participants' discretion otherwise.

Detailed Data
If participants' maturity is low, the number of data items to be created is increased so that the process owner can always be aware of the detail of the project.

If participants' maturity is high, the number of data items to be created is minimized for the sake of quick processing.

Data Visibility
If participants' maturity is low, information is set to be "Not Displayed" in phases which do not require it in order to prevent information leakage.

If participants' maturity is high, all information is set to be visible so that problems can be immediately detected.

Related Articles

 * Process Improvement
 * Process Owner
 * Participant