Running head: SITUATIONAL APPROACH CASE STUDY

Situational Approach Case Study

Rogelio Nava Jr.
Concordia University Texas

SITUATIONAL APPROACH CASE STUDY

Situational Approach Case Study

I chose Peter Northouses case 5.1 because it acts as the perfect scenario in which to
practice a situational approach to leadership. What Style Do I Use, presents Bruce Cannon
with the opportunity to provide prescriptive leadership to his subordinates depending on their
specific needs.
In case 5.1 Bruce Cannon, the owner of a plastics company, is wondering how to best
approach his managers with the goal of improving their departments, which would in turn result
in overall company success. Each of the managers has different strengths, competencies, styles,
and skills, which is forcing Cannon to reevaluate how he manages each individual. Cannon is
cognizant of the level of experience and commitment to the company that each department
manager has and in fact has already begun to adjust his leadership style to match the needs of his
subordinates as evidenced in his interactions with Steve Lynch manager of production.
This case exemplifies the age-old interpersonal communication practice of adjusting ones
communication style to meet the needs of whomever you enter an exchange with. I was
interested in this case because it reminded me of how we adjust our style or approach to
communication with different people. Humans have long had to adapt to meet the needs of the
person they are communicating with in order to get their needs met or relay pertinent
information. The situational approach to leadership is similar in that way. In this case Cannon is
aware that he must adjust his approach to leadership depending on the situation i.e. how to lead
each manager to success. This scenario emphasized the need to adjust ones style of leadership
depending on the person you are attempting to lead in order to impact them in the most
substantial and successful way.

SITUATIONAL APPROACH CASE STUDY

As a principal I would use this information to remind myself to remain mindful that
people react differently to various approaches and that one must provide a prescriptive approach
to leadership in order to get them to follow. A leadership approach that is successful with one
person or even a group of people may not work at all with another group and therefore remaining
flexible is key.

SITUATIONAL APPROACH CASE STUDY

Works Cited
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.