What it argues
Management of Organizational Behavior is the textbook that introduced Situational Leadership Theory, the model that argues there is no single best leadership style — only styles that are more or less appropriate to the development level of the person being led. First published in 1969 by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard, the book has gone through multiple editions and is among the most widely cited leadership frameworks in academic and corporate training programs worldwide.
The central model maps leadership style across two dimensions: task behavior (the degree to which a leader directs what, how, where, and when) and relationship behavior (the degree to which a leader engages in two-way communication and socio-emotional support). Four styles emerge from these two axes: Telling (high task, low relationship), Selling (high task, high relationship), Participating (low task, high relationship), and Delegating (low task, low relationship). The leader's job is to diagnose the follower's development level — a combination of competence and commitment on a specific task — and then match the appropriate style to that level.
What it gets right
- 1.
There is no single best leadership style. Effective leadership requires diagnosing the development level of the follower and matching the appropriate style.
- 2.
Development level combines competence (skill and knowledge) with commitment (motivation and confidence) on a specific task, not in general.
- 3.
The four styles — Telling, Selling, Participating, Delegating — match to four development levels. Moving through them is a developmental progression, not a hierarchy of value.
What it covers
Who wrote it
Paul Hersey was a professor, consultant, and co-developer of Situational Leadership Theory. He founded the Center for Leadership Studies and remained active in leadership training until his death in 2012. Kenneth Blanchard is a prolific management author and co-founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, a global leadership development firm. Their collaboration on Management of Organizational Behavior, first published in 1969, ran through multiple editions and became one of the most widely used leadership textbooks in business education. Blanchard later developed the framework further in books like Leadership and the One Minute Manager.
