Hersey and Blanchard’s (1969, 1988) Situational Leadership Theory (SLT)
proposes that subordinate readiness (Blank et al. 1990) determines the optimal
degree of task and relations behaviour; accordingly, subordinate's task-related
confidence and skill are used to describe patterns of leaders’ task and relations
behaviour. Yukl (1989: 264) notes, however, that while this theory has been
popular within management workshops, its use amongst social science
researchers has been limited and only partial support of the theory has been
found by the few studies which have tested its validity. More recently, Cairns et
al. (1988) used SLT in an empirical study of senior executives within a large
company’s service and manufacturing operations and found “little support for
SLT” (p. 116).
By the mid-1970s, researchers had identified a number of variables moderating
the relationships between leader behaviour, predictors, and measures of
satisfaction and performance. Kerr et al. (1974) undertook a comprehensive
review of the Consideration-Initiating Structure literature review; this review
revealed a number of significant moderator variables. Kerr and Schriesheim
(1974) subsequently grouped these significant moderator variables as follows:
- Subordinate considerations. Expertise, experience, competence, job
knowledge, hierarchical level of occupied position, expectations
concerning leader behaviour, perceived organizational independence,
and various psychological aspects. - Supervisor considerations. Similarity of attitudes and behaviour to
those of higher management, and upward influence. - Task considerations. Degree of time urgency, amount of physical
danger, permissible error rate, presence of external stress, degree of
autonomy, importance and meaningfulness of work, and degree of
ambiguity.
(Kerr and Schriesheim 1974: 558)
Considering these situational moderator variables in the catering service context,
it can be seen how that several of these may be significant in influencing catering
service performance. Table 2 - 6 presents a selection of these potentially
significant variables.