In this respect, the model supports the situational leadership theory concept.

It is broadly similar to situational leadership theory, rebranding concepts of employee development under a marketable banner.

The fundamental underpinning of the situational leadership theory is that there is no single "best" style of leadership.

"A test of the situational leadership theory", with J. Weitzel and S.G. Green.

In addition to situational leadership theory, there has been growing support for other leadership theories such as transformational, transactional, charismatic, and authentic leadership theories.

During the mid-1970s, "Life Cycle Theory of Leadership" was renamed "Situational Leadership theory".

In 1969 Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard published Management of Organizational Behavior: Using human resources detailing their situational leadership theory.

In the late 1970s/early 1980s, the authors both developed their own models using the situational leadership theory; Hersey - Situational Leadership Model and Blanchard et al.

Some see a difference between a leadership philosophy (e.g. "Servant leadership" or "ethical leadership") and a leadership theory (e.g. functional and situational leadership theories).

The Vroom-Yetton contingency model is a situational leadership theory of industrial and organizational psychology developed by Victor Vroom, in collaboration with Phillip Yetton (1973) and later with Jago (1988).

In the late 1970s, Hersey changed the name from Situational Leadership Theory to Situational Leadership and Blanchard offered Situational Leadership Theory as A Situational Approach to Managing People.

More modern roots include the situational leadership theory of Hersey and Blanchard, Greenleaf's servant leadership, the emergent strategy and shared leadership approach of Mintzberg, the adaptive leadership of Heifitz and others, as well as the more recent distributed leadership of Spillane.

The research concluded that there is no single "best" style of leadership, and thus led to the creation of the Situational Leadership Theory, which essentially argues that leaders should engage in a healthy dose of both task-oriented and relationship-oriented leadership fit for the situation, and the people being led.