Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Discussion Questions
Chapter 5: Situational Approach
2. Define development level. Identify, explain, and give examples of followers who would fit
each of the four proposed development levels.
3. Explain the two steps leaders must fulfill to be effective. Apply these steps to a current
situation in which you are a follower. What style would be most appropriate for leading you,
according to the theory, and why? Do you agree?
5. Complete the measure, Situational Leadership: A Brief Questionnaire. How well did you do?
What factors might make it harder for you to be more directive as a leader? More supportive?
6. Does a leader’s motivation for adapting his or her leadership style have any effect on
followers? In other words, would a leader with a high concern for task differ from a leader with a
high concern for relationships?
7. Do you think the prescribed leadership behaviors in the SLII model apply to all cultures? Why
or why not?
8. Would the prescribed leadership behaviors in the SLII model work as well with a virtual
team?
9. How well defined is the developmental level of followers in the SLII model? What outside
influences might affect followers’ commitment or competence?
10. What would follower competence and commitment look like in your line of work (i.e., how
are these qualities conceptualized)?
11. Are seasoned workers permanently at the D4 level? How well does the SLII model fit the
12. If a leader uses a different style of leadership with each of his followers, how might that lead
to perceptions of favoritism? What could a leader do to avoid such impressions while still being
adaptable to follower needs?
13. How might the situational approach be affected by the number of followers that a leader has?
14. How easy is it for you to vary your leadership style?
15. If a leader matches his or her style to the overall developmental level of the group he or she
16. How can leaders simultaneously adapt their leadership styles to the development levels of
individual group members and to the group as a whole?
Northouse, Leadership 9e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
17. How can a leader be sure his or her perceptions of followers’ competence and commitment
are accurate?
18. Why wouldn’t the coaching style be effective in every situation?
20. Compare the findings of various studies by Vecchio and colleagues of the validity of the