There is no one leadership style that is best for all organizations, or even for the same organization at different times in its history. There are times that it is appropriate for organizations to have charismatic leaders who can inspire change and lead the organization in a new direction, and other times that organizations need a less charismatic leader who is able to build a strong management team capable of leading without being overly dependent on a single individual. Some organizations thrive with a command-and-control structure, while others are able to achieve their greatest performance with a flat organization. This research considers adaptive leadership, its relationship to followership, and the types of organizational cultures in which adaptive leadership is likely to thrive.
Adaptive leadership is a leadership style in which leaders are flexible in their leadership techniques recognizing the differences among their followers and the organizational culture in which they exist. National culture can influence the effectiveness of different leadership techniques, and while leadership literature focuses on Western practices, such practices are not suitable for use in non-Western settings such as among Arab or Japanese followers and organizations (McLaurin, 2006).
Adaptive leaders assume that their followers are effective arbiters of their own behavior and thus will seek to find the best way to lead those followers rather than assuming that the followers will adapt to the leadership style of the leader. As many of the world's workers become knowledge workers rather than industrial workers, there is increased emphasis on empowerment among followers, and on followers who themselves take on leadership roles. Adaptive leaders are comfortable with this shift, and are able to maximize their leadership style to a new type of worker and work e
...