What are the situational approaches to leadership? Briefly describe each and compare and contrast their findings. (make it in a paragraph form) provide a citation

Situational approaches to leadership focus on the idea that a leader's effectiveness is heavily determined by the context or situation they are in. Two prominent situational leadership models are Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory and Fiedler's Contingency Model.

Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory suggests that successful leaders adjust their leadership styles based on the maturity and competence of their followers. They propose four leadership styles: telling, selling, participating, and delegating, which should be applied depending on the readiness of the followers.

On the other hand, Fiedler's Contingency Model posits that a leader's effectiveness is contingent on how well the leader's style fits the context. Fiedler identified two leadership styles: task-oriented and relationship-oriented, and he argued that task-oriented leaders perform best in extreme situations where the leader is either highly in control or has very little control, while relationship-oriented leaders perform best in situations with moderate control.

In comparison, both models agree that there is no one best way to lead, and that effective leadership is dependent on the situation. However, they differ in their focus, with Hersey and Blanchard focusing on the followers' readiness and the leader's flexibility in style, while Fiedler focuses on the match between the leader's style and the degree of control in the situation.

Reference: Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice. 8th Edition. SAGE Publications, Inc.