Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and the Managerial Grid (ISC Class 12)
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
The leadership continuum shows styles ranging from boss-centred to subordinate-centred leadership. Situational leadership says the best style depends on the readiness of followers and the situation. The Blake and Mouton managerial grid rates concern for production and concern for people from 1 to 9: 1,1 impoverished, 9,1 task, 1,9 country club, 5,5 middle-of-the-road and 9,9 team management.
Understand Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid
The three ideas below go beyond the three basic styles. The syllabus asks for a *brief description* of the continuum and situational leadership and a *brief explanation* of the managerial grid.
1. Leadership continuum (Tannenbaum and Schmidt)
Leadership behaviour is a range, not a choice between two extremes.
- At one end is boss-centred leadership: the manager uses a great deal of authority and decides alone.
- At the other end is subordinate-centred leadership: the subordinates have a wide area of freedom and the manager uses little authority.
- In between, there are steps such as: the manager decides and announces; the manager 'sells' the decision; the manager invites questions; the manager offers a tentative decision open to change; the manager presents the problem, takes suggestions and then decides; the manager sets limits and the group decides; the manager lets the subordinates function within limits.
- Moving from the boss-centred end to the subordinate-centred end, the manager's use of authority falls and the subordinates' freedom rises.
- The right point depends on the manager's own values, the subordinates' skill and willingness, and the situation (time, importance of the matter).
2. Situational leadership (Hersey and Blanchard)
There is no single best style. An effective leader adapts the style to the readiness (maturity) of the followers, which means their ability and willingness to do the task.
| Follower readiness | Style | What the leader does |
|---|---|---|
| Low (unable, unwilling) | Telling | Gives clear instructions and close supervision |
| Moderate | Selling | Explains decisions and persuades |
| Moderate to high | Participating | Shares decisions, supports the group |
| High (able and willing) | Delegating | Hands over responsibility with little supervision |
The leader needs to diagnose the situation before choosing the style. A leader is not simply appointed when a situation arises; the style is adjusted to match the followers and the circumstances.
3. Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid
The grid describes a manager's style on two scales, each running from 1 (low) to 9 (high): concern for production (horizontal) and concern for people (vertical). A position is written as (production, people).
| Position | Name | Concern for production | Concern for people | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,1 | Impoverished management | Low | Low | Minimum effort just to keep one's job |
| 9,1 | Task management (authority-compliance) | High | Low | Output through control; people are treated as tools |
| 1,9 | Country club management | Low | High | Friendly atmosphere, weak output |
| 5,5 | Middle-of-the-road management | Medium | Medium | Balances output and morale; satisfactory but not best |
| 9,9 | Team management | High | High | Committed people, trust and high output: the ideal |
*How to read the grid*: the first number is always production, the second always people. A manager at 9,1 is strong on targets and weak on people; at 1,9 the reverse. The grid helps a manager to see his own style and to move towards 9,9.
4. Linking the three ideas
| Idea | Main question |
|---|---|
| Continuum | How much authority does the manager keep and how much freedom do subordinates get? |
| Situational leadership | Which style suits these followers at this time? |
| Managerial grid | How much does the manager care for production and for people? |
5. Case skill. In a case, note two things: how the manager treats output (targets, deadlines) and how he treats people (concern, relationships). Then place him on the grid. To place a manager on the continuum, look at who decides and how much consultation takes place.
6. Spelling and labels. Candidates have lost marks for naming the 5,5 style wrongly (for example, 'middle of the roof' or 'country club') or for drawing the grid without naming the style. Write the full name next to each number pair.
Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid: key facts
- Managerial grid positions
- 1,1 Impoverished
- 9,1 Task
- 1,9 Country club
- 5,5 Middle-of-the-road
- 9,9 Team
- Production first, people second.
- Continuum ends
- Boss-centred | Subordinate-centred
- Authority falls and freedom rises from left to right.
- Situational styles
- Telling
- Selling
- Participating
- Delegating
- Matched to follower readiness.
How to answer Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid questions
Questions ask for the name of a grid position from a situation, a brief description of the continuum or situational leadership, or an application to a manager.
- 1For the grid, first rate the manager's concern for production, then for people (high, medium or low).
- 2Convert to the number pair and give the full name; add the key feature in a sentence.
- 3For situational leadership, assess the readiness of the followers, then name the matching style.
- 4For the continuum, say who decides and how much freedom subordinates have.
Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Country club management (1,9)
Suppose a sales manager is very friendly, organises parties and never raises the issue of missed targets, so the team is happy but sales are poor.
Which position on the managerial grid is this?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- High concern for people.
- Low concern for production.
Answer: 1,9 country club management.
Memory hook: Club: lots of friends, little work.
Situational leadership: telling
Imagine a team leader whose new recruits have never used the company's billing software. He sits with them, gives step-by-step instructions and checks their work often.
Which style of situational leadership is he using and why?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The followers are unable and need direction.
- Clear instructions and close supervision are telling.
Answer: Telling, because the followers' readiness is low.
Memory hook: Low readiness, high direction.
Tricks to remember Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Production first
In (a,b) the first number is production (the horizontal axis) and the second is people (the vertical axis): 'across first, then up'.
Use it when: Reading the grid.
Names by number
1,1 Nothing; 9,1 Task; 1,9 Club; 5,5 Middle; 9,9 Team.
Use it when: Grid labels.
TSPD
Telling, Selling, Participating, Delegating: low readiness to high.
Use it when: Situational styles.
Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: Name the position · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
A manager sets very high targets, monitors every hour of work and shows little concern for the feelings or needs of the staff. Name his position on the managerial grid.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- High concern for production and low concern for people is 9,1, task management.
Answer: 9,1 task management.
Example 2: Which is ideal? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
A plant head is deeply committed to both output and to the welfare of workers, and his team shows high trust and high output. On the Blake and Mouton grid he is at:
(a) 1,9
(b) 9,1
(c) 5,5
(d) 9,9
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- High concern for both production and people is team management, 9,9.
Answer: (d)
Example 3: Describe the continuum · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
A manager asks whether she must choose between being strict or being democratic. Using the leadership continuum, explain in about five sentences why this is not the only choice.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The continuum shows a range of behaviour between two ends.
- One end is boss-centred (the manager decides alone); the other is subordinate-centred (subordinates have wide freedom).
- In between, the manager may announce, sell, consult or let the group decide within limits.
- As we move towards the subordinate-centred end, the manager's authority falls and the subordinates' freedom rises.
- The point chosen depends on the manager, the followers and the situation.
Answer: Leadership is a continuum, not a two-way choice: the manager may pick any point between boss-centred and subordinate-centred, depending on the situation.
Example 4: Situational leadership · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
A new supervisor has two groups: (A) apprentices who are new and unsure of the work, and (B) experienced technicians who are skilled and keen. Using situational leadership, state the style he should use for each group and why.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Group A has low readiness, so telling (clear instructions, close supervision) fits.
- Group B has high readiness, so delegating (handing over responsibility with little supervision) fits.
- Hence the same supervisor must use different styles for different groups.
Answer: Telling for apprentices; delegating for technicians; the style must match the readiness of the followers.
Example 5: Place and advise · 8 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose the head of a factory is described as follows. 'He keeps a minimum of contact with employees, rarely sets targets, signs papers and goes home. Work gets done only when the supervisors take the initiative.' The firm's owner wants to move him towards the ideal style. Identify his grid position, explain the features of the position, describe the ideal style and suggest three steps for the move.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Low concern for production and low concern for people: 1,1, impoverished management.
- Features: minimum effort only to keep the job, little leadership, low output and low morale.
- The ideal is 9,9 team management: high concern for both; committed people, mutual trust and high output.
- Step 1: set clear, shared targets and review progress.
- Step 2: meet employees regularly, listen to their problems and recognise good work.
- Step 3: train him in leadership and communication and involve staff in planning.
- The move is gradual, from 1,1 first to a balanced position and then to 9,9.
Answer: 1,1 impoverished management; move to 9,9 team management through targets, regular contact and training.
Where students lose marks in Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Misnaming 5,5
Students often confuse the names of the 5,5 and 1,9 styles, or misspell them, for example by calling 5,5 'country club'.
Wrong working
5,5: country club management.
Right working
5,5: middle-of-the-road management; 1,9 is country club.
Do this: Write number and name together.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Drawing the grid without naming the style
Marks are lost if the grid is drawn but the style is not named.
Wrong working
Grid drawn with the point (9,1) marked.
Right working
Grid drawn with the point (9,1) and labelled 'task management'.
Do this: Label axes and the point.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Reversing the number order
Students sometimes read the first number as concern for people, but it is always concern for production.
Wrong working
9,1 means high concern for people.
Right working
9,1 means high concern for production and low for people.
Do this: Production first, people second.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Mistake: Missing the idea of adapting
Marks are lost if the answer misses the idea that a leader's effectiveness depends on adapting the style to the followers and the situation.
Wrong working
Situational leadership: a leader is appointed when a situation arises.
Right working
Situational leadership: the leader adapts the style to the followers' readiness and the situation.
Do this: Use the words 'adapts' and 'readiness'.
Usually costs: 1-2 marks.
Exam tips
- Students often confuse the names of the 5,5 and 1,9 styles; write the number and the full name together, and learn the five names exactly.
- For situational leadership, do not write just one point or repeat it; write about adapting to followers and the situation in two or three separate sentences.
- Draw the grid with both axes labelled 1 to 9 and name the style next to the point.
- The syllabus asks for brief descriptions only, so concentrate on clear names and one-line meanings.
Practice questions on Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
A department head balances output and staff comfort at a middling level, satisfying neither fully. Name his grid position.
Hint
The middle of the grid.
Answer
5,5 middle-of-the-road management.
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
In the leadership continuum, what happens to the manager's authority as we move towards the subordinate-centred end?
Hint
Freedom rises.
Answer
The manager's use of authority falls and the subordinates' freedom rises.
Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
A principal works long hours to improve board results, ignores the stress of teachers and treats them as tools for results. Name the position on the managerial grid, and explain what concern for people she lacks and what may happen if this continues.
Hint
Task management.
Answer
9,1 task management: high concern for production, low for people. She lacks concern for the teachers' needs, stress and morale. If it continues, teachers may become demotivated, absenteeism and turnover may rise, and results may fall in the long run.
Q4 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Briefly describe situational leadership and explain why a single style cannot be effective in every case.
Hint
Readiness of followers.
Answer
Situational leadership holds that there is no one best style; the effective leader adapts the style to the situation, especially the ability and willingness (readiness) of the followers: telling, selling, participating or delegating. A single style would fail because followers differ in readiness and situations differ in urgency: a style that suits experienced experts would confuse beginners, and the reverse.
Q5 · 8 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Suppose a company has two managers: one at 9,9 and one at 5,5 on the grid. Compare the two on their likely effects on output, morale and trust, and explain why the owner should help the second manager to improve.
Hint
Balance versus commitment.
Answer
The 9,9 manager has high concern for both production and people, so his team is committed, trust is high, morale is good and output is high. The 5,5 manager balances the two at a moderate level; output and morale are adequate but not outstanding, and the team may not feel strongly committed. The balance is satisfactory, but it is a compromise rather than the best possible. The owner should help the second manager, through training, clear targets and participation, to raise his concern for both production and people so that the team gains higher output, better morale and greater trust.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What does 1,9 mean on the grid?Show answer
Low concern for production and high concern for people: country club management.
2.Which grid style is regarded as ideal?Show answer
9,9 team management.
3.What are the two ends of the leadership continuum?Show answer
Boss-centred and subordinate-centred.
4.Name the four situational styles.Show answer
Telling, selling, participating, delegating.
5.Which scale of the grid is on the horizontal axis?Show answer
Concern for production.
Leadership Continuum, Situational Leadership and Managerial Grid: frequently asked questions
Who gave the managerial grid?
Blake and Mouton.
Who gave the leadership continuum?
Tannenbaum and Schmidt.
Who developed situational leadership?
Hersey and Blanchard.