ALIGNMENT BETWEEN SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLES AND DEVELOPMENT LEVELS IN SALES TEAMS

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between leadership styles adopted by managers and the development levels of sales consultants in a Brazilian company in the healthy food sector. The theoretical framework adopted was Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model, according to which leadership effectiveness depends on the fit between the leader’s style and followers’ maturity level. This is an applied, exploratory-descriptive study with a qualitative-quantitative approach and a single case study design. The research universe comprised four regional managers and fifteen sales consultants from Empresa Alfa, distributed across the five regions of Brazil. Data were collected between September and October 2024 through structured interviews with managers and the application of the Leader Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD) questionnaire to consultants. Qualitative data were examined through content analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics supported by tables and graphs. The results indicated the predominance of E2 and E3 leadership styles among the evaluated managers, revealing a stronger emphasis on supportive, relational, and communicative behaviors. However, the findings also showed a heterogeneous distribution of consultants’ maturity levels, with followers classified as M1, M2, M3, and M4, which requires greater managerial flexibility. The analysis revealed a more consistent alignment between leadership style and maturity level in the teams led by managers A and C, whereas managers B and D showed more significant mismatches, especially in teams composed of consultants at extreme maturity levels. It is concluded that, in the case investigated, managers tend to concentrate their behavior on intermediate leadership styles, which may limit the adequacy of managerial action in relation to the diversity of team profiles. The study contributes by highlighting, in a real organizational context, the importance of behavioral flexibility and situational diagnosis for leadership effectiveness in sales teams.