Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization

Abstract

Leadership style is a highly discussed and studied topic in the field of management due to its contribution in influencing employee's productivity. From this perspective, this study will discuss the impact of situational leadership style on employee's motivation. At this point, this paper is made to clarify how situational leadership affects the productivity of employees inside an organizations. A quantitative data collection approaches was used in order to study the relationship between both of these variables, were 150 participants employed at hospitals in North Lebanon filled a well-designed questionnaire to cover different aspects of situational leadership, demographic being the first part of the questionnaire, followed by situational leadership behavior of the managers, and ending with the last part of the questionnaire, employee behavior. Data collected is analyzed using SPSS, through factor reduction technique in order to unveil the relationship between situational leadership and employee productivity. As a second step analysis in this research paper, regression equation is generated to find how change in one or more factor affects the other one(s). As a final conclusion for this study, a positive relationship was found between situational leadership and employee productivity, therefore the studied hypotheses were accepted.

Full text

Human Resource Management Research 2017, 7(3): 102-110
DOI: 10.5923/j.hrmr.20170703.02
Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising
Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon
Organization
Khalil Ghazzawi1,*, Radwan El Shoughari2, Bernard El Osta3
1Lebanese University, Lebanon
2Jinan University, Lebanon
3Lebanese International University, Lebanon
Abstract Leadership style is a highly discussed and studied topic in the field of management due to its contribution in
influencing employee’s productivity. From this perspective, this study will discuss the impact of situational leadership style
on employee’s motivation. At this point, this paper is made to clarify how situational leadership affects the productivity of
employees inside an organizations. A quantitative data collection approaches was used in order to study the relationship
between both of these variables, were 150 participants employed at hospitals in North Lebanon filled a well-designed
questionnaire to cover different aspects of situational leadership, demographic being the first part of the questionnaire,
followed by situational leadership behavior of the managers, and ending with the last part of the questionnaire, employee
behavior. Data collected is analyzed using SPSS, through factor reduction technique in order to unveil the relationship
between situational leadership and employee productivity. As a second step analysis in this research paper, regression
equation is generated to find how change in one or more factor affects the other one(s). As a final conclusion for this study, a
positive relationship was found between situational leadership and employee productivity, therefore the studied hypotheses
were accepted.
Keywords Situational Leadership, Employee performance, Employee Productivity
1. Introduction
Leadership is an interesting topic that is directly affecting
the behaviors of communities, groups and followers. Many
theories evolved, giving birth to different styles of leadership,
and each one of these styles leads into a distinct behavior
inside the organization. These studies showed that many
personal characteristics are related to leadership, such as:
Charisma, personal traits and behavior, and situational
interaction. (Chemer, 1997) (Chin, 2015) (Marshall, 2016)
Many factors could impact employees’ productivity, there
can be little doubt that leadership style and behavior are
considered a principle factor here. Leadership was studied
for years, and proven to be responsible in affecting different
organizational aspects. On the other hand, firms are tying to
get the maximum possible of employees’ productivity and
performance, focusing only on financial rewards, and
ignoring the importance of a leader in motivating and
increasing subordinates’ performance. (Sorrentino & Field,
* Corresponding author:
khalilghazzawi@gmail.com (Khalil Ghazzawi)
Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/hrmr
Copyright © 2017 Scientific & Academic Publishing. All Rights Reserved
2013)
Therefore, many theories evolved in leadership, all
insisted on the importance of leadership in managing
employees properly. Situational leadership states that for the
leader to be successful, he/she has to be task oriented and
relationship oriented. Therefore this paper will focus on both
work needs and employee needs and wants. (Blanchard K.,
2010)
This research paper investigates the effect of situational
leadership style on the productivity and performance of
workers at the health sector in Lebanon, covering the gap
made by many previous literature reviews and empirical
studies that didn’t pay attention to the importance of
situational leadership style in the business world. (Shiver &
Goldsmith, 2014)
Research Problem
This topic was chosen due to the importance of leadership
and its impact on the performance of individuals inside their
organizations, as for many firms lack the effective leadership
style that will lead them into the desired level of productivity.
More precisely, organizations are missing the necessary
situational leadership practices that could affect employee
productivity. This research paper is to address and lighten
the spot on the importance of situational leadership to avoid

Human Resource Management Research 2017, 7(3): 102-110 103
serious productivity and performance problems faced by
organizations in North Lebanon.
Thereafter, this paper is to detect and unveil the role of
situational leadership from a critical view, and typically the
effect of situational leadership on productivity.
From this perspective, the following problem question
arises:
“Does leadership style really affect the productivity of
an employee, and thus the productivity of an
organization?”
“How can Situational Leadership help improving
employees’ productivity? And what are the main
situational leadership variable that affects employee
productivity?”
Therefore, is there a proven relationship between
situation leadership and productivity of employees?”
1.1. Research Objectives
The main research objectives are:
• RO1: To investigate the need of situational leadership
inside the health sector in North Lebanon
• RO2: To identify the relationship between leadership
style and productivity of firms
• RO3: To inspect the impact of situational leadership
style on the productivity of employees inside their
organizations
1.2. Research Hypothesis
The following research hypotheses are to be expected in
this research:
• H1a: Situational leadership Behavior will influence
employee productivity
H10: Situational leadership behavior will not influence
employee productivity
This research paper is made to test how situational
leadership style is influencing employee productivity. This
investigation will allow us to estimate the main situational
leadership factors that heavily affect employee productivity.
• H2a: Situational Leader Behavior will influence
Employee’s task Behavior
H20: Situational Leadership behavior will not influence
Employee’s task Behavior
The second hypothesis is going to test one of the most
important factors that characterize situational leadership
which is employee’s task behavior.
2. Literature Review
2.1. The Need of Leadership in an Organization
Throughout the course of History, leadership is considered
a major factor that helps in reaching goals. Researchers like
Hughes, Curphy and Ginnett (2008) said that leadership is a
necessity for every action in an organization.
Hersey and Blanchard (2001) said that a good leadership
is going to influence employees positively and will let them
work hard to achieve organizational goals.
Beach (1985) said that leadership is helpful in making
employees act in a direction that serves organizational goals.
2.2. Situational Leadership
After the emergence of the trait-based leadership,
situational leadership appeared as a reaction to it. Back then,
social scientists believed that any person or leader is made by
the result of time intervention, in other words, Karl Marx,
Hebert Spencer (1884) and Carly le, said that time is the key
to produce a leader. Psychologists assumed that no optimal
profile for a leader exists, and no leader got the same
characteristics as others. Therefore, different situations
should be handled in different manner since every situation
has its own characteristic. Academics built upon the search
of Lewin (1935) and identified 3 types of leadership styles
based upon descriptive model of leadership climate.
(Milternberger, 2011).
Situational leadership is a leadership theory that merges
both directive and supportive dimensions, and each of these
dimensions is to be applied correctly in a given situation.
Leaders operating under the Situational Leadership theory
have to assess their employees through evaluating their
commitment to accomplish a certain task. Situational
leadership means that leaders have to change the degree of
supportiveness and directness to their employee according to
the given situation of subordinates and their level of
motivation. This type of Leadership demand that leaders
vary their behavior and leadership style according to their
subordinate’s commitment. (Kindle, 2009) Situational
leadership is the mixture task behavior, worker commitment
and relation behavior. Studies show that the success of
situational leadership style isrelated to the combination of
these three components must happen; it allows openness
between leaders and members in addition to ensure an
independence and competence in employee’s decision. A
situational leader tries to discover the characteristics of
his/her follower in order to know which leadership style to
use with him/her. (Farmer, 2012)
Moreover, situational leaders are known for giving
appropriate guidance and task support for their subordinates
in order to accomplish the desired goals successfully. This
type of leader must also handle problems innovatively and
quickly in order to overcome them. This, according to
studies, is highly correlated with the improvement of
employee’s productivity. (Cnaff & Wright, 2013)
2.3. Situational Leadership Models
- Situational Contingency Model of Fielder
According to Fielder, there’s no ‘ideal’ type of leading,
and therefore it would be very effective for the leader to
behave according to the need created with every situation.
When leaders and members are in good communication, and
when harmony exists between team members, the situation is
considered promising. Fielder divided leaders into two kinds:

104 Khalil Ghazzawi et al.: Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising
Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization
task oriented and relationship oriented. (Fielder, 2007)
- Vroom & Yetton leader-situation model
This model is known as the situational contingency model.
The illustration bellow represents the situational contingency
model, which shows how leaders switch behaviors and
leadership styles according to situations.
- The path goal theory
Developed by Robert house (1971), Path-goal leadership
theory is based on “expectancy theory” established by Victor
Vroom. This theory states that leaders’ effectiveness is
related to the degree of complementation between leaders
and followers when it comes to employee’s environment to
encourage good performance levels. There are 4 behaviors
that complement leaders: a leader should be goal oriented,
directive, supportive and participative; he/she should be as
well dependent on subordinates’ characteristic and
environmental factors.
- Ohio State University
The study of Stogdill and Coons assessed the leadership
behavior instead of its own characteristics as a factor for
successful leadership. These Academics defined leadership
as the behaviors took by leaders to direct followers towards
reaching the desired goals. The study discovered that the
major factors that affect positively the relation between
leaders and their followersas well as their productivity are:
the nature of the relation between the leader and his follower,
they named it “consideration”; his behavior is the second
factor which, they named it “initial structure”, such as
friendship, trust, mutual respect and the strength of the
relationship. The studies were conducted in the US Navy, US
air force and other important American Institutes. (Stogdill,
Melvin, & Coons., 1975)
They added that implementing these two kinds of
perspectives in leadership will positively affect their
subordinates’ productivity and performance as it encourages
and motivates them towards attaining the desired goals.
(Daft, Richard, & Steers, 1990)
These two newly discovered leadership standpoints have
influenced the upcoming leadership theories in changing
their perspective and directing their studies into studying the
behaviors of leaders instead of their personal characteristics.
As stated by Hersey and Blanchard (2001), Situational
Leadership model concludes that no unique leadership style
is suitable for all situations. This is due to the fact that,
leaders must meet employee’s needs and wants to ensure
their satisfaction, as increased satisfaction in work, and
leaders’ interest in fulfilling his follower’s interests and
wants, are proven to affect employee’s productivity
positively. The second reason is the leader’s need to keep
up-to-date with his/her employee’s development, as his
knowledge in his work increases in time, commitment to get
tasks done gets stronger, and ability to perform tasks gets
better. As a conclusion, the Situational Leadership Model
suggests that leaders should adapt their style according to
employee’s readiness and development level. (Hersey &
Blanchard, 2001) Hersey added that situational leaders
should be flexible, change according to situations, know how
to direct and coach, and to encourage teams to participate in
decision making when their readiness is high.
3. Methodology
This research studies the impact of situational leadership
on employee’s productivity. Validity measurements are
insured by primary data collection using a questionnaire,
whereas secondary data is used to complete the literature part
by using journals and articles.
The sampling technique used is the simple random
technique, considering that the geographical framework of
the study is North Lebanon Governorate. The questionnaire
was distributed over 150 targeted respondents at 6 hospitals
in North Lebanon.
The questionnaire was based on Hersey and Blanchard
model, which was developed mainly on the basis of older
models already discussed in the literature review (such as
Ohio State University Model, Contingency model, etc…) A
5-point Likert Scaling technique is used in order to ensure
consistency of the results (where 1 is “highly disagree” and 5
is “highly agree”). Based on that, the questionnaire is
divided into 3 parts:
A. Demographic part: this part is going to cover
demographic variables such as age, gender, marital
status and educational status as well.
B. Situational Leadership: the second part of the
questionnaire emphasizes the learning and deductions
from the literature review, especially from Hersey and
Blanchard’s situational leadership theory.
C. Productivity and employee’s performance: the third
and final part is intended to measure employee’s
productivity and performance, according to previous
study found in the literature part.
4. Results and Findings
4.1. Reliability of the Study
Table 2. Cronbach Alpha Reliability Test
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha N of Items
.965 21
Cronbach Alpha measures internal consistency of
measures. This type of reliability test is used commonly on
Likert-scaling questions. Table (2) shows that Cronbach
alpha test scored 0.965 which >0.7, which indicates that a
high level of consistency is obtained in all of the questions of
this survey. This indicates that this study is highly reliable.

Human Resource Management Research 2017, 7(3): 102-110 105
4.2. Factor Analysis
A factor reduction analysis was conducted using SPSS and
gave us the following results:
- For the Part B of the questionnaire discussing the
Situational Leadership Behavior Characteristics, factor
analysis indicated the existence of 3 factors.
- Whereas Part C of the questionnaire discussing
Employee’s Productivity gave us 2 factors.
4.2.1. Factor Analysis of Situational Behavior (Part B)
To analyze the obtained data, a factor analysis is
conducted using dimension reduction in order to identify the
regression; here we should note that this factor analysis was
performed while forcing the results to produce 3 dimensional
factors. The results obtained are displayed in table (3) below:
Table 3. Communalities
Initial Extraction
B1. Behave According to Situations 1.000 .862
B2. Quick Respond to Situations 1.000 .739
B3. Innovative Ideas in Bad Situations 1.000 .808
B4. Assistance 1.000 .916
B5. Provide Instructions 1.000 .839
B6. Flexible According to Group
Requirements 1.000 .684
B7. Instruction about Goals What and How 1.000 .886
B8. Focus on Communication with
Subordinates 1.000 .897
B9. Reduce Supersivion over Time 1.000 .635
B10. Different Perspectives when Solving
Problems 1.000 .892
B11. Talk Optimistically about Future 1.000 .818
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Table (3) represents the variables that have acceptable
extraction values. The results show that all values are
acceptable since all extraction values are greater than 0.05.
Table (4) represents all total variance (explained) which is
another important tool in factor checking. The total variance
below shows a cumulative of 81.608%.
Table (5) shows that the 11 variables are grouped into 3
main components (variables). The three stated factors are
summed up in the paragraphs below:
The first variable group sums up the main characteristics
of situational leadership stated in the literature review, based
on Hersey and Blanchard studies:
- Behaves according to situations
- Quick respond to situations
- Innovative ideas when faced with bad situations
- Provides instructions
- Flexible according to group requirements
- Gives instructions about the goals
- Communication oriented
- Reduces supervision overtime
- Talks optimistically about the future
The second variable/component group contains the
flexibility characteristics of a situational leader:
- Flexible according to group requirements
- Different perspectives when solving problems
- Talks optimistically about the future
The third component measures task orientation and
instructions of situational leadership:
- Provides clear task Instructions
- Instruction about goals (what to do and how to do)
Table 4. Total Variance Explained
Component
Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings
Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative %
1 6.180 56.184 56.184 6.180 56.184 56.184
2 1.692 15.380 71.563 1.692 15.380 71.563
3 1.105 10.044 81.608 1.105 10.044 81.608
4 .650 5.911 87.519
5 .471 4.286 91.804
6 .446 4.052 95.856
7 .204 1.854 97.710
8 .122 1.114 98.824
9 .074 .668 99.492
10 .039 .356 99.848
11 .017 .152 100.000
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

106 Khalil Ghazzawi et al.: Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising
Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization
Table 5. Component Matrixa
Component
1 2 3
B1. Behave According to Situations .915
B2. Quick Respond to Situations .824
B3. Innovative Ideas in Bad Situations .808
B4. Assistance .919
B5. Provide Instructions .591 .687
B6. Flexible According to Group Requirements .519 .644
B7. Instruction about Goals What and How .707 .615
B8. Focus on Communication with Subordinates .924
B9. Reduce Supersivion over Time .671
B10. Different Perspectives when Solving Problems .834
B11. Talk Optimistically about Future .751 .500
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
a. 3 components extracted.
4.2.2. Factor Analysis of Employee’s Productivity and
Performance
To analyze the obtained data, a factor analysis is
conducted using dimension reduction in order to identify the
regression, here we should note that this factor analysis was
performed while forcing the results to produce 2 dimensional
factors. The results obtained are displayed in table (3) below:
Table (6) represents the variables that have acceptable
extraction values. The results show that all values are
acceptable since all extraction values are greater than 0.05.
Table (4) represents all total variance (explained) which is
another important tool in factor checking. The total variance
below shows a cumulative of 77.565%.
As for the employee productivity and performance (PP), 2
components are generated:
Table 6. Communalities
Initial Extraction
PP12. Work Improvement 1.000 .741
PP13. Manager Behavior and Task 1.000 .512
PP14. Confidence and Ability 1.000 .898
PP15. Prepared to Perform My Job 1.000 .872
PP16. Autonomy to Do My Job 1.000 .700
PP17. Future Independence Intask 1.000 .809
PP18. My Personal Contributions
Are Valued 1.000 .864
PP19. I feel Motivated 1.000 .784
PP20. Success in Job 1.000 .769
P21. Loyalty 1.000 .806
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
Table 7. Total Variance Explained
Component
Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings
Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative %
1 6.558 65.583 65.583 6.558 65.583 65.583
2 1.198 11.982 77.565 1.198 11.982 77.565
3 .661 6.612 84.177
4 .498 4.982 89.158
5 .358 3.576 92.735
6 .245 2.451 95.186
7 .180 1.796 96.982
8 .115 1.150 98.131
9 .110 1.105 99.236
10 .076 .764 100.000
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Human Resource Management Research 2017, 7(3): 102-110 107
Table 8. Component Matrixa
Component
1 2
PP12. Work Improvement .840
PP13. Manager Behavior and Task .667
PP14. Confidence and Ability .765 .560
PP15. Prepared to Perform My Job .932
PP16. Autonomy to Do My Job .739
PP17. Future Independence Intask .773
PP18. My Personal Contributions Are Valued .816
PP19. I feel Motivated .827
PP20. Success in Job .818
P21. Loyalty .890
Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.
a. 2 components extracted.
The first variable is related to employee’s productivity
characteristics such as, work improvement, manager’s
behavior and its effect on task behavior, confidence and
ability, preparation to perform a job/task, ability and
confidence to perform a task etc.
Whereas the second factor/variable represents the ability
of an employee to perform his/her task (thus task behavior
improvement).
4.3. Regression Analysis
- Regression 1
In order to complete the analysis of this study, two
regression analysis will be performed. The first regression
analysis will include the 3 factors from manager’s situational
leadership behavior and the 1st factor in employee’s
productivity and performance section, while the second
regression will also include the 3 factors of employee’s
productivity in relation to the 2nd factor in employee’s
productivity.
The first regression analysis will be conducted between
the first factor (Situational Leadership) and the second factor
(Leader Flexibility); while considering factor 3 as the
dependent variable and factor 1 as the independent.
The results of this regression are shown below:
Table 9. Model Summary
Model R R
Square
Adjusted R
Square
Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .972a .944 .943 .23938571
a. Predictors: (Constant), REGR factor score 3 for analysis 2, REGR
factor score 2 for analysis 2, REGR factor score 1 for analysis 2
It is shown in table 6 that R is equal to 0.972 (97.2%). This
value shows the correlation between the included factors and
their variables, indicating in this case a good level of
correlation. Another important result is the “R square”
showing the level of determination between the two
variables, indicating the degree to which the dependent
variable (the 1st factors in productivity and performance) can
be determined and explained by the independent variable
(the 3 factors of situational leadership). In this case R square
is equal to 0.944 (94.4%).
After identifying the correlation between the variables, it
is important to check the significance of the analysis by
checking the ANOVA table which is presented below:
Table 10. ANOVAb
Model Sum of
Squares df Mean
Square F Sig.
1
Regression 140.633 3 46.878 818.033 .000a
Residual 8.367 146 .057
Total 149.000 149
a. Predictors: (Constant), REGR factor score 3 for analysis 2, REGR
factor score 2 for analysis 2, REGR factor score 1 for analysis 2
b. Dependent Variable: REGR factor score 1 for analysis 1
Table (10) shows that the outcome variable is significantly
predicted by the regression model. In addition, it is shown
that the model is highly significant since the significance
value in the regression row and the last column of the table
(Sig.) is 0.000, which is less than 0.05. Another important
result is F, which is equal to 818.033 indicating the strength
of the relation between variables.
Finally it is important to check the coefficients’ table in
order to write the regression equation, which is presented
below:
Table 11. Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients t Sig.
B Std.
Error Beta
1
(Constant) 2.431 .020 .000 1.000
REGR factor
score 1 for
analysis 2
.968 .020 .968 49.348 .000
REGR factor
score 2 for
analysis 2
.077 .020 .077 3.910 .000
REGR factor
score 3 for
analysis 2
-.037 .020 -.037 -1.905 .059
a. Dependent Variable: REGR factor score
1 for analysis 1
The information provided in table 11allow us to create the
regression equation, which will help calculating the change
in the 3 factors of situational leadership behavior while
changing the value of the 1st factor in employee’s
productivity and performance.
As a result the regression formula is:
Y=b0+b1x1Y= 2.431+0.968 factor 1 +0.77factor 2

108 Khalil Ghazzawi et al.: Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising
Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization
- Regression 2
Table 12. Model Summary
Model R R Square Adjusted R
Square
Std. Error of
the Estimate
1 .427a .182 .165 .91351453
a. Predictors: (Constant), REGR factor score 3 for analysis 2, REGR
factor score 2 for analysis 2, REGR factor score 1 for analysis 2
It is shown in table (12) that R is equal to 0.427 (42.7%).
This value shows the correlation between the included
factors and their variables, indicating in this case a good
level of correlation. Another important result is the “R square”
showing the level of determination between the two
variables, indicating the degree to which the dependent
variable (the 2nd factors in productivity and performance) can
be determined and explained by the independent variable
(the 3rd factors of situational leadership). In this case R
square is equal to 0.182 (18.2%).
Table 13. ANOVAb
Model Sum of
Squares df Mean
Square F Sig.
1
Regression 27.162 3 9.054 10.849 .000a
Residual 121.838 146 .835
Total 149.000 149
a. Predictors: (Constant), REGR factor score 3 for analysis 2, REGR
factor score 2 for analysis 2, REGR factor score 1 for analysis 2
b. Dependent Variable: REGR factor score 2 for analysis 1
Table (13) shows that the outcome variable is significantly
predicted by the regression model. In addition, it is shown
that the model is highly significant since the significance
value in the regression row and the last column of the table
(Sig.) is 0.000, which is less than 0.05. Another important
result is F, which is equal to 10.849 indicating the strength of
the relation between variables.
Finally it is important to check the coefficients’ table in
order to write the regression equation, which is presented
below:
Table 14. Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients t Sig.
B Std.
Error Beta
1
(Constant) -3.172E .075 .000 1.000
REGR factor
score 1 for
analysis 2
.129 .075 .129 1.720 .088
REGR factor
score 2 for
analysis 2
.092 .075 .092 1.233 .219
REGR factor
score 3 for
analysis 2
.396 .075 .396 5.298 .000
a. Dependent Variable: REGR factor score 2 for analysis 1
The information provided in table 11 allow us to create the
regression equation, which will help calculating the change
in the 3 factors of situational leadership behavior while
changing the value of the 1st factor in employee’s
productivity and performance.
As a result the regression formula is:
Y=b0+b1x1 Y= -3.172+0.396factor 3
5. Conclusions
It was always considered that leadership style has a very
influential effect on employee’s productivity, directly
impacting organizational performance. Effective leadership
style motivates employees to reach desired organizational
goals, promoting good leadership that leads to an increase in
employee’s productivity.
A detailed literature review was given, including many
theories discussing situational leadership theories and
previous studies conducted in this topic. It’s very critical for
a firm to understand the relation between leadership style
and employee’s productivity, thereafter in this research
paper a thorough statistical analysis was conducted to figure
out the impact of situational leadership on employee’s
productivity. As a conclusion of the results, we can clearly
conclude that employees working in the hospitals of North
Lebanon are influenced by situational leadership behaviors
of their managers, as hypotheses H1 and H2 state. This study
helped in proving the hypotheses and answered the research
questions, as well as helped in drawing many additional
conclusions, such as the fact that situational leadership is
based on the understanding of the manager to his
subordinate’s needs, making them more productive.
6. Recommendations
Situational leadership was proven to be a very effective
leadership style to motivate employees in different kinds of
sectors. This research paper demonstrated the relationship
between employee’s productivity and situational leadership
style according to the different models presented by many
theorists who conducted thorough studies on this topic,
especially the Situational Leadership Model of Hershey and
Blanchard. Therefore, and according to the results of this
research paper, we can draw the following conclusions:
- According to the results obtained by this study
Situational Leadership task behavior theory of Hersey
and Blanchard is directly related to the improvement of
employee’s task productivity. Therefore, it’s highly
recommended for leaders at the studied organizations in
North Lebanon to consider applying situational
leadership theory, when they find that their employees’
task productivity is decreasing.
- The same positive and strong correlation was given
between leader’s relationship behavior, introduced by
Hersey and Blanchard, from a side, and employee’s

Human Resource Management Research 2017, 7(3): 102-110 109
productivity in a firm from another side. Thus, leaders
inside the organizations are recommended to improve
their relationship behavior in order to increase
employees productivity.
- Leadership style, and as this study demonstrated, is a
very important motivator of employees. According to
the test conducted on H1, motivational level of
employees and situational leadership are positively
associated in Lebanese hospitals. From this perspective,
a continuous adoption of situational leadership style is
very important to productivity improvement of
employees.
- Every employee has its own characterized need,
therefore, it’s highly recommended for managers and
leaders in the health sector in n North Lebanon to adopt
a strategy that emphasizes each individual’s need.
REFERENCES
[1] Afshinpour, S., Germain, M.-L., Tomlin, M., & Anderson, T.
(2013). The Role of Situational Leadership Style in Employee
Satisfaction in an Iranian Oil Company. Journal of
Organizational Resources and Management Research.
[2] Ames, D. R., & Flynn, F. J. (2006). "Authentic leadership and
eudaemonic well-being: Understanding leader–follower
outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly. 30-56.
[3] Arvidsson, Johansson, & Akselsson. (2007). The impact of
Situational Laedership on Employee's performance in the air
traffic control sector. Journal of management studies.
[4] Bass, B., Avolio, B., & L., A. (1996). The transformational
and transactional leadership of men and women. Applied
Psychology: an International Review.
[5] Blake, & Mouton, J. S. (1985). The Managerial GridÆ III.
Huston: Gulf Publishing Company.
[6] Blanchard, K. (2010). Recogniton and Rewards. In B. K.,
Executive excellence (p. 5; 19; 25).
[7] Blanchard, Kenneth, H., & Hersey, P. (2008). Great Ideas
Revisited. Journal of Training and Development.
[8] BlomInvest. (2015). Overview of the health sector in Lebanon.
(p.20-50)
[9] Chemer, M. (1997). An integrative theory of leadership.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
[10] Chin, R. (2015). Examining teamwork and leadership in the
fields of public administration, leadership, and management.
Team Performance Management.
[11] Cnaff, A., & Wright, W. (2013). Anexiety: Counseling the job
insecure client. Journal of Employment Counseling.
[12] Daft, Richard, L., & Steers, R. M. (1990). Organizations,
A Micro/Macro Approach. Illinois: Scott, Foreman and
Company.
[13] Dansereau, F., Graen, G., & Haga, W. J. (1975). A vertical
dyad linkage approach to leadership within formal
organizations: A longitudinal investigation of the role making
process. Journal of Organization Behavior & Human
Resources.
[14] Djati, S. G. (2014). The Effect of Situational LEadership
behavior onn Organizational Culture and Human Resources
Management Strategy on Education and Training Institution
Productivity . Journal of Management.
[15] Farmer, L. (2012). Situational Leadership: A model for
leading telecommuters. Journal of Nursing Management.
[16] Fiedler, F.E., Gibson, F.W. and Barrett, K.M. (1993) ‘Stress,
Babble, and the Utilization of the Leader’s Intellectual
Abilities’, Leadership Quarterly 4(2): 189–208.
[17] Griffin, R. J. (2010). Business Essential. The Business world,
P45-60, new jersey: prentice hall .
[18] Hoyt, C. L., & Blascovich, J. (2016). "Leadership Efficacy
and Women Leaders' Responses to Stereotype Activation.
Women as Leaders. (p.36-90)
[19] Inventis. (2014, december 16). Lebanon SME strategy.
Retrieved from Lebanese Ministry of Economy:
http://www.economy.gov.lb/public/uploads/files/5910_8788
_2242.pdf.
[20] Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. (2006).
Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative
review. Journal of Applied Psychology.
[21] Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. W. (2013).
Personality and leadership. Journal of Applied psychology.
[22] Judge, T., Illies, J. B., & Gerhardt, M. (2003). Personality and
leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. Journal of
Applied Psychology.
[23] Kickul, J., & Neuman, G. (1999). Leadership emergence in
autonomous work teams: Antecedents and outcomes.
Personnel Psychology.
[24] Kindle. (2009). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Kindle
Edition.
[25] Kostis, P. (2012). The role of Knowledge and Trust in SMEs.
Jornal of the Knowledge Economy. 45-67.
[26] Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., & White, R. K. (1990). Patterns of
aggresssive behaviors in experimentally created social
climates . Journal of applied psychology.
[27] Long, S., & Superlock, D. (2013). Motivation and stakeholder
acceptance in technology-driven change management:
Implications for the engeneering manager. Engineering
Management Journal.
[28] Lord, R. G., Vader, C. L., & Alliger, G. M. (2002). "A
meta-analysis of the relation between personality traits and
leadership perceptions: An application of validity
generalization procedures. Journal of Applied Psychology.
[29] Lord, R., Vader, D., & Alliger, G. (1986). A meta-analysis of
the relation between personality traits and leader perceptions:
An application of validity generalization procedures. Journal
of Applied psychology.
[30] Magnusson, D. (1995). Holistic interactionism: A perspective
for research on personality development. New York:
Handbook of Personality: Theory and Research. (p 77-104)

110 Khalil Ghazzawi et al.: Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising
Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization
[31] Marshall, G. (2016). Leaders Make Values Visible.
[32] Milternberger, R. (2004). Behavior Modification Principles
and Procedures. Behavior Modification. (p 74-150)
[33] Osabiya, B. (2015). The Impact of Leadership Style on
Employee's Performance and Productivity in an Organization.
Journal of Public Administration. 54-91.
[34] R.Norris, W., & Vecchio, R. P. (1992). Situational
Leadership Theory: A Replication. SItuational Leadership
Replications. SAGE Journals.
[35] Salazar, P.-J. (2009). L'Hyperpolitique. Technologies
politiques De La Domination. Paris.
[36] Shiver, S., & Goldsmith, M. (2014). Constructing a
monument. Journal for Leadership studies.
[37] Slamet, Toyib, A., Djumilah, & Troena, E. (2013). the
influence of situational leadership on job satisfaction and
job performance. Global Advanced Reseach Journal of
Management and Business Studies .
[38] Smith, J. A., & Foti, R. J. (1998). A pattern approach to the
study of leader emergence. The Leadership Quarterly. 10-27.
[39] Sorrentino, R. M., & Field, N. (2013). "Emergent leadership
over time: The functional value of positive motivation.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
[40] Stogdill, Melvin, R., & Coons., A. E. (1975). Leader
Behavior: Its Description. Ohio: Ohio State University.
[41] UNDP. (2015). Lebanon SME strategy: A roadmapr to 2020.
UNDP.
[42] Valley, B. (2015). Jahre National. Leadership in Health
Sectors. Journal of public health. 32-40.
[43] Vinberg, & Larson. (2010). A study on Situational Leadership.
Journal of Managerial Sciences.
[44] Werner Erhard, M. C., & Scott Snook, N. N. (2010). the
handbook for teaching leadership. New York.
[45] Yoshioka, R. (2009). An Empirical Test of the Situational
Leaderhip in Japan. Texas: Journal of Management.