Critically Evaluate How the Situational Model of...

Introduction Saddam Hussein was the President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 and during his time in office was responsible for a tumultuous period in Iraqi history. For the purposes of analysis of his leadership style with respect to a Situational model, three areas of his career will be looked at separately; his rise to presidency from Vice-President, during the Iran-Iraq War and post invasion of Kuwait. Situational model of leadership A widely recognised situational model is the model developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1969) and the revised model by Blanchard et al. (1985) (Northhouse, 2007). The theory in outline states that ones leadership style should be dictated by the type of situation and the demands of the situation at†¦show more content†¦This leadership style needs to be used sparingly since workers can often burn out due to the demanding pace of the style. Democratic Leaders: The Democratic Leadership Style gives members of the work group a vote or a say in nearly every decision the team makes. When used effectively, the democratic leader builds flexibility and responsibility and can help identify new ways to do things with fresh ideas. Care should be taken due to the level of personal involvement required by this style and the decision making process itself can be very time consuming. Affiliative Leaders: The Affiliative Leadership Style is most effective in situations where morale is low or teambuilding is needed. This leader is easily recognized by their theme of employee first. Employees can expect much praise from this style; unfortunately, poor performance may also go without reprimand. #8195; Authoritative Leaders: If your business seems to be drifting aimlessly, the Authoritative Leadership Style can be very effective in this type of situation. The authoritative leader is an expert in dealing with the problems and challenges at hand and can clearly identify goals that will lead to success. This leader also allows the employees themselves to figure out the best way to achieve those goals. Coercive Leaders: The Coercive Leadership Style should be used with caution because it is based on the concept of command and