Turnover can be one of the most difficult things to face when trying to operate a business. It can be a costly undertaking that doesn’t always give the desired outcome. Making sure a new member of the team can successfully contribute to an organizing takes a lot of effort. What happens when your organization is faced with the reality of having to turn over leadership? Do you form a hiring committee? Do you have a corporate office to handle the situation for you? Do you disperse the job responsibilities to those currently around the organization? To really answer this question you have to do some internal analysis of the organization. To do this I will be using the Situational approach discussed in Northouse (2016).
The first step in hiring new leadership is evaluating the current situation of the organization and establishing its current level of need. My organization is currently going through a lower level leadership turnover. While it is common courtesy to give an employer two weeks notice prior to vacating your position, it doesn’t leave much time to post the position, then hire and train a replacement. With this in mind, our program director decided to take the position being vacated and restructure our organization. She will be rearranging who reports to whom, then dividing up the job responsibilities being vacated among those willing to accept new responsibilities while being compensated for such new tasks. By using the Situational Leadership II (SLII) model developed by Blanchard (1985), she was able to determine that our organization was composed of individuals with moderate to high competence levels with variable to high commitment levels allowing her to be able to provide a more supporting role to those who desired more responsibility and compensation (Northouse, 2016). In some situations, this technique, or promoting up from within, can be a money saving opportunity for an organization while providing advancement opportunities to others within the organization.
If your organization decides to post the leadership position for hire, understanding that “leadership is composed of both a directive and a supportive dimension, and that each has to be applied appropriately” (Northouse, 2016, p.93) will help you in selecting a candidate for the new position. A directive leader is the person who will tell you what to do. They will create organizational objectives, set timelines, show you how to do the job, and make sure the job gets done (Northouse, 2016). A supportive leader is the person who will be more conversational about the desired organizational outcome. They will ask their subordinates for input on how to best accomplish the goals of the organization while being encouraging of the process and promoting relationships among coworkers (Northouse 2016). Your current organizational need should directly impact who you hire.
If your organization is a data-driven one, such as an accounting firm, you will most likely be leaning towards a highly directive leader. The process of accounting is one with several procedures in place. If someone doesn’t follow a procedure properly it could cost a client a significant amount of money. According to the SLII model discussed in Northouse (2016), the highly directive manager would fall into the coaching or directing style of leadership. If your employees require not only high directive but also highly supportive leadership, they will need a coaching style of leader. This individual will be open with communication and encouragement but will hold the ultimate decision for how to accomplish the organizational goals (Northouse, 2016). The directing style is typically needed for individuals who show lower levels of competence but high levels of commitment. This leader will typically tell you how to do something and then supervise you closely in the process (Northouse, 2016).
If your organization is more of a team environment, such as a university, you will most likely lean towards a highly supportive leader. Although the university has department heads who are ultimately responsible for the outcomes of the department, there are too many aspects of the department to oversee individually. As a leader you have to empower your faculty and staff to achieve the organizational goals on their own with minimal oversight. The SLII model describes two types of highly supportive behavior, coaching, as discussed above, and supporting. Supporting behavior is one where leaders give “followers control of day-to-day decisions but remains available to facilitate problem solving” (Northouse, 2016, p.95).
Now with a thorough understanding of the needs of your organization, and the types of leaders that will be applying, you can be on your way to achieving the best result for your organization. However, keep in mind that while a leader is going to be hired based on your current needs, it is important to hire someone who is able to “recognize what followers need and then adapt their own style to meet those needs” (Northouse, 2016, p.95).
Seeking a leader. Apply within.
Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California. Sage Publications.