Situational leadership theory

Situational leadership theories presume that different leadership styles are better in different situations, and that leaders must be flexible enough to adapt their style to the situation they are in. Perhaps the most important example is Paul Hersey and Kenneth H. Blanchard's "life-cycle" theory, which posits that leadership style should depend on the "maturity" (i.e., self motivation and initiative) of subordinates. Relatively "immature" subordinates require autocratic leadership; subordinates intermediate in maturity do best with a more democratic approach, and very "mature" subordinates do not need any explicit leadership at all.