Situational Consistency
Leadership Style Questionnaire
           
*Reference:      
*Name:      
*Organisation:      
*Telephone:      
*E-Mail:      
*Date:    
 
           
Instructions:        
The questionnaire consists of twelve work situations. For each situation there are four leadership styles described.
           
For each situation:
  Select 'Most appropriate' for the style which you feel is most appropriate to the situation.  
  For the other three styles select 'Less appropriate'.  
  Situation   Styles Score
1    A    Give explicit briefing for the new technique and manage its application closely, initially, while leaving him to manage the rest of his job as before
B    Give clear briefing, but seek to involve his views on how the new technique can be modified and improved
C    Encourage him to learn the technique for himself, with you providing advice when things go wrong
D    Demonstrate your trust in him by letting him take responsibility for applying the new technique
       
  Situation   Styles Score
2    A    Start to involve the new starter by drawing out his suggestions about how to complete the tasks
B    Leave him alone to get on with things, and focus all your attention on another new starter
C    Provide him with advice only, expecting him to ask for it when he needs it
D    Maintain the approach of setting all tasks very precisely and the way they are to be done
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  Situation   Styles Score
3    A    Lead a group problem solving exercise, involving their opinions and judgements, but also deciding the outcome
B    Leave the group entirely alone to work the problem out
C    Act quickly and decisively to correct and solve the problem yourself, then redirect the group
D    Encourage the group to find a quality answer, facilitating their efforts and providing advice
       
  Situation   Styles Score
4    A    Allow the team much involvement in deciding the direction of the changes and their implementation
B    Decide and announce the changes, and then implement them with close direction
C    Allow the team to agree the changes required and for them to implement them
D    Incorporate valid recommendations from the team, but decide the changes and manage the implementation yourself
       
  Situation   Styles Score
5    A    Try to encourage her to take more responsibility for her work by allowing her complete discretion in managing it herself
B    Incorporate her suggestions about how the work is done, but ensure that both quality and deadlines are met
C    Give explicit direction on how to perform the tasks and standards required, and monitor performance closely
D    Provide advice, but act to support and consolidate her own judgements
       
  Situation   Styles Score
6    A    Immediately involve the team in deciding how to do the work, supporting their judgement, and managing everyone in the same way
B    Continue to tightly control the situation, for the time being, to ensure that performance levels are maintained
C    Let the team simply get on with things, on the basis that they performed successfully in the past
D    Start involving team members in decision making, while ensuring that standards of performance are met
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  Situation   Styles Score
7    A    Tell her exactly what has to be done to complete the new project and supervise her closely
B    Encourage her to use her own judgement, but support her by providing advice when needed during some review meetings
C    Explain to her what she must do, but also seek her views on possible ways of going about the work
D    Let her determine the best way to go about the project and report back to you once it is completed
       
  Situation   Styles Score
8    A    Leave things as they are
B    Discuss the situation with the team and then initiate changes in ways of operating
C    Take steps to ensure that you re-secure your direct involvement in all decisions
D    Take the opportunity to provide more advice to team members
       
  Situation   Styles Score
9    A    See how he copes when left alone to decide what to do and how to do it
B    Let him know what you want him to do, but seek his opinions and judgements additionally
C    Brief him on exactly what to do and what is expected, and supervise closely, initially, giving regular feedback
D    Encourage him to use his best judgements and to do the best he can
       
  Situation   Styles Score
10     A    Support her suggestions and judgements, providing advice when needed, and allowing her to manage her job with a large degree of discretion
B    Continue to closely supervise her efforts and to direct her clearly
C    Let her take responsibility for her own work and standards of performance
D    Continue to direct and monitor her work, but also actively seek her opinions and ideas, and to incorporate these whenever reasonable
       
Page 3          
  Situation   Styles Score
11     A    Work out the solution yourself and brief her on how to implement it
B    Discuss the problem with her and support her efforts to find her own solution
C    Determine to answer the problem yourself, but work with her in problem solving
D    Continue to allow her to work at the problem independently until it is solved
       
  Situation   Styles Score
12     A    Seek the team’s ideas, incorporate appropriate ones, but design and implement the new rota yourself
B    Allow the team to design and implement the new rota on its own
C    Design the new rota yourself and direct its implementation
D    Encourage the team to produce ideas itself, and keep supporting this until they reach a good outcome, providing advice where necessary
       
Copyright © Dr Derek Biddle and Ali Stewart & Co                                                                                                                                            www.iconislearning.com
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Situational Consistency
SCORE SHEET
                           
Name:
Organisation:
                           
This questionnaire measures you on two scales: Style Flexibility (being able to use a range of styles), and Style Effectiveness (selecting the right style for the situation).
Your raw scores are shown below and are explained on the following page.
                           
    Situations Style Flexibility Style Effectiveness    
      D C M De a) b) c) d)    
    1       
    2       
    3       
    4       
    5       
    6       
    7       
    8       
    9       
    10        
    11        
    12        
    STYLE FLEXIBILITY TOTAL    
            Multiply by    
                   
                   
                STYLE EFFECTIVENESS TOTAL    
                (total of last 4 boxes added together)    
                   
                           
Copyright © Dr Derek Biddle and Ali Stewart & Co                                     www.iconislearning.com    
Page 5                          
Situational Consistency
LEADERSHIP STYLE RESPONSE ANALYSIS
Name: Organisation:
                     
Style Flexibility  
Below you will see the results of your Situational Consistency Questionnaire. Of the 12 situations posed, the most appropriate approach would have required each of the four styles being used on three occasions. If you preferred to use one style much more than others, then the results would tend to give you an indication of your Primary Preferred Style. Equally, if you used a style much less than the others, this would indicate that you may need to develop your ability to choose and use this style more, so that your style flexibility is more rounded.
                     
However, Style Flexibility is not the only factor - it is possible to have Style Flexibility but not to be situationally effective through choosing to use a less effective style for the particular situation.
Style Effectiveness  
In order to use styles effectively, you must not only show a high level of Style Flexibility, but you must also choose the leadership style which is most appropriate for each situation. Looking at responses on the Style Effectiveness matrix, the scale below will give an indication that your choices were either inappropriate, poor, moderately good, very good or excellent.
Scores of 0 and above are in the Effective arena, and a score close to +24 suggests high Style Effectiveness. A high score is obtained when you choose mostly Very Good or Excellent responses, as opposed to Inappropriate or Poor ones. A score above 18 is an excellent one, maybe just needing the odd tweak; 12-17 is very good with a degree of fine-tuning still needed. A score of 6-11 is a moderately good one but with some retuning still to do, commonly because of an under-use of some styles. 0-6 is poor and for this and any scores in the negative territory, there is more need for greater revision and rethinking about your style.
To understand more how you might improve your effectiveness score, based on the situations described, use the following information to compare your responses on the Style Effectiveness matrix. Pay particular attention to the situations where your choice was Inappropriate, Poor or Moderately Good. In doing so it may be useful, additionally, to consider whether:
  You fully take into account the development level of the person or team with whom you are working
  You have developed a strong preference for, or are more comfortable with, some styles more than others, and thus tend to use those styles even when less appropriate
  The culture in which you operate tends to predispose you to use some styles more, and that you run the risk of getting out of the practice of choosing to use the whole range appropriately
Summary  
Situational Consistency is a key skill in managing high performance. It requires both Style Flexibility and Style Effectiveness carried out in a consistent way by the leader/developer. 
For team members it will help them to understand what their manager stands for and that s/he will react and manage appropriate to the situation and how they perform.
Style Flexibility:
Mentoring
Coaching
Delegating
Directing
Style Effectiveness Score:
Mark your Style Effectiveness Score on the scale below
-24 -18 -12 -6 0 6 12 18 24
 
 
                     
  Ineffective             Effective    
  Inappropriate, greater need for revision Poor Moderately Good Very Good Excellent  
Copyright © Dr Derek Biddle and Ali Stewart & Co   www.iconislearning.com
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Situational Consistency
LEADERSHIP STYLE RESPONSE ANALYSIS
Name: Organisation:      
Flexibility
Question Situation Directing Coaching Mentoring Delegating
1 A
Give explicit briefing for the new technique and manage its application closely, initially, while leaving him to manage the rest of his job as before 		C
Encourage him to learn the technique for himself, with you providing advice when things go wrong 		B
Give clear briefing, but seek to involve his views on how the new technique can be modified and improved 		D
Demonstrate your trust in him by letting him take responsibility for applying the new technique
Effectiveness: MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective Moderately Ineffective Least Effective
Your choice:
2 D
Maintain the approach of setting all tasks very precisely and the way they are to be done 		A
Start to involve the new starter by drawing out his suggestions about how to complete the tasks 		C
Provide him with advice only, expecting him to ask for it when he needs it 		B
Leave him alone to get on with things, and focus all your attention on another new starter
Effectiveness: Moderately Ineffective MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective Least Effective
Your choice:
3 C
Act quickly and decisively to correct and solve the problem yourself, then redirect the group 		A
Lead a group problem solving exercise, involving their opinions and judgements, but also deciding the outcome 		D
Encourage the group to find a quality answer, facilitating their efforts and providing advice 		B
Leave the group entirely alone to work the problem out
Effectiveness: Least Effective Moderately Effective MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Ineffective
Your choice:
4 B
Decide and announce the changes, and then implement them with close direction 		D
Incorporate valid recommendations from the team, but decide the changes and manage the implementation yourself 		A
Allow the team much involvement in deciding the direction of the changes and their implementation 		C
Allow the team to agree the changes required and for them to implement them
Effectiveness: Least Effective Moderately Ineffective Moderately Effective MOST EFFECTIVE
Your choice:
5 C
Give explicit direction on how to perform the tasks and standards required, and monitor performance closely 		B
Incorporate her suggestions about how the work is done, but ensure that both quality and deadlines are met 		D
Provide advice, but act to support and consolidate her own judgements 		A
Try to encourage her to take more responsibility for her work by allowing her complete discretion in managing it herself
Effectiveness: MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective Moderately Ineffective Least Effective
Your choice:
6 B
Continue to tightly control the situation, for the time being, to ensure that performance levels are maintained 		D
Start involving team members in decision making, while ensuring that standards of performance are met 		A
Immediately involve the team in deciding how to do the work, supporting their judgement, and managing everyone in the same way 		C
Let the team simply get on with things, on the basis that they performed successfully in the past
Effectiveness: Moderately Effective MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Ineffective Least Effective
Your choice:
Page 7                    
7 A
Tell her exactly what has to be done to complete the new project and supervise her closely 		C
Explain to her what she must do, but also seek her views on possible ways of going about the work 		B
Encourage her to use her own judgement, but support her by providing advice when needed during some review meetings 		D
Let her determine the best way to go about the project and report back to you once it is completed
Effectiveness: Least Effective Moderately Ineffective MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective
Your choice:
8 C
Take steps to ensure that you re-secure your direct involvement in all decisions 		B
Discuss the situation with the team and then initiate changes in ways of operating 		D
Take the opportunity to provide more advice to team members 		A
Leave things as they are
Effectiveness: Least Effective Moderately Ineffective Moderately Effective MOST EFFECTIVE
Your choice:
9 C
Brief him on exactly what to do and what is expected, and supervise closely, initially, giving regular feedback 		B
Let him know what you want him to do, but seek his opinions and judgements additionally 		D
Encourage him to use his best judgements and to do the best he can 		A
See how he copes when left alone to decide what to do and how to do it
Effectiveness: MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective Moderately Ineffective Least Effective
Your choice:
10 B
Continue to closely supervise her efforts and to direct her clearly 		D
Continue to direct and monitor her work, but also actively seek her opinions and ideas, and to incorporate these whenever reasonable 		A
Support her suggestions and judgements, providing advice when needed, and allowing her to manage her job with a large degree of discretion 		C
Let her take responsibility for her own work and standards of performance
Effectiveness: Least Effective MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective Moderately Ineffective
Your choice:
11 A
Work out the solution yourself and brief her on how to implement it 		C
Determine to answer the problem yourself, but work with her in problem solving 		B
Discuss the problem with her and support her efforts to find her own solution 		D
Continue to allow her to work at the problem independently until it is solved
Effectiveness: Least Effective Moderately Ineffective MOST EFFECTIVE Moderately Effective
Your choice:
12 C
Design the new rota yourself and direct its implementation 		A
Seek the team’s ideas, incorporate appropriate ones, but design and implement the new rota yourself 		D
Encourage the team to produce ideas itself, and keep supporting this until they reach a good outcome, providing advice where necessary 		B
Allow the team to design and implement the new rota on its own
Effectiveness: Least Effective Moderately Ineffective Moderately Effective MOST EFFECTIVE
Your choice:
 
Copyright © Dr Derek Biddle and Ali Stewart & Co
www.iconislearning.com
Page 8