The Functional Approach To Leadership

John Adair outlined eight functions of a manager or team leader that make up the functional approach or model of leadership. They are: Defining the task, Planning, Briefing the team, Controlling what happens, Evaluating results, Motivating individuals, Organising people, and Setting an example. These functions can overall be broken down again into three components: The individual tasks that need to be carried out, the maintenance of the team and its structure and the needs of each individual. Once the session is complete, you will be able to differentiate between the three components, explain what would happen if any of them aren’t developed to the appropriate level and decide what to focus on to get the right result.

Learning Objectives:
• Differentiate between the three functions developed by Adair.
• Describe what the differences mean in real leadership situations.
• Show what the repercussions could be if these components aren’t focused upon at the leadership level.