Team Leadership Models There Are a Number

¶ … Team Leadership Models

There are a number of different models of team leadership that can provide leaders with an effective approach to the different challenges and scenarios that they are likely to face in their capacity as leaders. Different leadership models are appropriate in different scenarios, which is something critical for leaders to understand, because leadership can and must be situationally-dependent. There are two very simple leadership models that have been used in a number of scenarios to provide successful guidance for emerging leaders: Hill's Team Leadership Model and John Adair's Action-Centered Leadership Model.

With the wide variety of leadership models available for examination, the choice of leadership model to discuss is, in and of itself, a telling decision. These two models are interesting because of their simplicity. Hill's Team Leadership Model can be represented in a simple four-layer flow-chart, while John Adair's Action-Centered Leadership Model can be represented by a three-circle Venn diagram. The simplicity in these models is appealing to many, because some management theories seem to needlessly complicate the idea of management. What Hill and Adair make clear is that management can be complicated because of underlying issues, but that management theory is, in and of itself, a relatively simplistic model. Is the leader engaging in certain activities that are likely to promote best efforts by those in the team? If not, how does the leader change his or her behavior in a manner that will elicit best efforts by team members? Those two questions are at the heart of both of these models.

In Hill's Team Leadership Model, there are four layers that are arranged in a roadmap to help diagnose team problems. The top layer examines the leader interventions decisions. The second layer looks at internal team leadership functions and external team leadership functions. Internal team leadership functions leads to either tasks or relational functions. The external team leadership functions leads to environmental questions. Everything on the third level then relates to team effectiveness (Clark, 2011). The top layer reflects that one of the roles of a leader is to assess a scenario. "Effective team performance begins with [a] leader's mental model of the situation and then determining if the situation requires action or just monitoring" (Clark, 2011). The second layer requires an investigation of whether leadership needs to be directed internally or externally (Clark, 2011). The third layer examines those types of interventions that may be required. Are these interventions related to tasks, relations, or the environment (Clark, 2011). One the leader has determined what type of intervention is required, and then the leader can select the functional intervention to perform. Finally, at the fourth layer, correct performance of the above three levels will create high performance (Clark, 2011).

Understanding that there are two types of internal leadership action is important to understanding Hill's model of team leadership: task and relational functioning (Davis, 2008). Examining what types of tasks are necessary to complete the task leads one to help meet the stated goals. This to-do list mentality is very appealing because it demystifies so much of leadership theory and breaks it down into simple, discrete steps. After the leader addresses the question, "what needs to be done?" The model then directs the leader to find the steps needed to accomplish those activities.

Like Hill's model, John Adair's Action-Centered Leadership Model is also relatively simple, which means that it is almost universally accessible. "The three parts of Adair's Action-Centred Leadership model are commonly represented by three overlapping circles…Adair's famous 'three circles' model is one of the most recognizable and iconic symbols within management theory" (Chapman, 2012). The three circles diagram is a Venn diagram showing task, team, and individual, and how the three different aspects interact. Managers seeking to achieve the task need to: identify aims and visions for the group and define the task; identify the resources necessary to achieve the task; create the plan to achieve the task; establish responsibilities for each person; set standards; set reporting parameters; anticipate and resolve group conflict; assess and change the group as necessary (Chapman, 2012). The responsibilities as a manager for the group are to: establish performance and behavior standards; establish a group culture; maintain group ethic and discipline; assess and change group composition as necessary; develop team work and cooperation; progressively increase group freedom and authority; motivate the group; identify team and project leadership roles; facilitate communication; meet group training needs; and provide feedback (Chapman, 2012). The responsibilities for a manger of each individual include: understanding team members as individuals; assessing and supporting individuals; delegating individual responsibilities; recognizing and praising individuals; engaging in individual rewards; capitalize on individual strengths; train individuals; and develop individual freedom (Chapman, 2012). However, it is important to realize that these three different areas are not seen as wholly separate. Instead, leaders are encouraged to consider "how the importance of each circle alters depending up on the task in-hand" (Wadham, Unk.).