Change is happening faster and more frequently than ever before. According to Accenture’s 2024 Pulse of Change Index, the last four years has seen the rate of change affecting businesses rise by 183%. In the last year alone, it’s risen by 33%.
To manage this onslaught of change effectively, modern leaders need to develop a solid approach to smoothly navigate the nuances of any situation, including situations of uncertainty.
But which leadership style is the best for managing change?
The Four Leadership Styles
Within the Situational Leadership® Model, there are four primary leadership styles, including:
1. Style 1 (S1) – “Telling” Leadership Style
The ”Telling” leadership style sees leaders make a majority of the decisions and closely supervise the follower as they perform a task. This style shows leaders directing or guiding their followers through the task at hand.
2. Style 2 (S2) – “Selling” Leadership Style
The “Selling” leadership style has leaders still largely in charge of decision-making. However, they add in some additional context to reinforce follower buy-in. This style shows leaders explaining or coaching their followers on the task.
3. Style 3 (S3) – “Participating” Leadership Style
The ”Participating” leadership style sees followers start to make more of the decisions, though they receive support from their leader. This style shows leaders facilitating the task execution, helping followers problem-solve along the way.
4. Style 4 (S4) – “Delegating” Leadership Style
The ”Delegating” leadership style has followers make task-related decisions with little to no oversight from their leader. This style shows leaders empowering their followers as they work autonomously, monitoring from a distance.
The Best Leadership Style for Managing Change
So, of the four leadership styles listed above, which one is best for managing change? Well, it depends.
Generally speaking, the best leadership style is the one that matches the follower’s Performance Readiness® level for a task. For example:
· S1 + R1
The S1 or “Telling” leadership style is often an ideal match for a follower who’s at an R1 Performance Readiness® Level. They require more direction and support from their leader.
· S2 + R2
The S2 or “Selling” leadership style is often an ideal match for a follower who’s at an R2 Performance Readiness® Level. They benefit from understanding in the larger context of a task or project.
· S3 + R3
The S3 or “Participating” leadership style is an ideal match for a follower who’s at an R3 Performance Readiness® Level. The follower feels better equipped to make decisions with some advice from their leader.
· S4 + R4
The S4 or “Delegating” leadership style is often an ideal match for a follower who’s at an R4 Performance Readiness® Level. The follower can perform the task well with their leader standing by to offer support as needed.
Keep in mind that with tasks that are change-related, followers will always start out on the right side of the model as either R1 or R2. This is because they haven’t yet demonstrated their ability to perform this task, as it’s inherently new to them.
Knowing that, we can assume that the best leadership style for managing change will be a leader-driven style. This can be either S1 or S2, otherwise known as the “Telling” or “Selling” leadership styles. These styles will allow leaders to provide the exact amount of support and direction followers need to start a new, change-related task.
That being said, change is often unpredictable. It can affect your team’s readiness levels in unprecedented ways, even for tasks they previously demonstrated mastery for. Here at The Center for Leadership Studies (CLS), we often say that when change hits, readiness shifts.
It’s critical that leaders remain aware of their followers’ Performance Readiness® for each new, change-related task as well as their ongoing tasks. Doing so allows them to better understand how the change is impacting their team and what’s needed from them as a leader. From there, the right leadership style becomes clear.
Identifying the Best Leadership Style for Your Unique Situation
When it comes to finding the best leadership style for managing the changes you’re dealing with, the key is to think situationally.
Remember, the leadership style that worked well in managing one change task might not work as well in managing another.
For instance, say your company onboarded a new hire. The new hire does not have experience in this role at your company and is insecure for their new tasks. They need to know what’s expected of them and how to get started. Knowing this, you employed an S1 or “Telling” leadership style to provide guidance and get the new hire headed in the right direction.
Then, say your company wants to implement a new communication platform. Your team members might not understand why they’re being asked to switch platforms or how they should go about doing so but trust the organization and your leadership enough to be willing to try it. In this scenario, you might consider using an S2 or “Selling” leadership style to give your team a better understanding of the “why” behind this move so you can reinforce buy-in.
In both situations, a change occurred. But the leadership style did not stay the same. That’s because the right leadership style is not one-size-fits-all. No one leadership style is going to be effective at managing all types of change.
Instead, the best leadership style for managing change is going to be the one that best suits the situation and best accommodates your team’s unique challenges and needs.