INTHEBLACK April 2026 - Magazine - Page 61
teams to innovate within value-based guardrails, while
prescriptive leadership ensures consistency through
detailed guidance. Principle-based approaches are
adaptive and context-sensitive, whereas prescriptive
methods prioritise standardisation and predictability.”
Gibbings agrees there is “a time and a place” for
both principles and prescription.
“Leadership is contextual,” she says. “You must
understand the context in which you are working
to establish the best approach to adopt.”
CONTEXT IS KEY
Gibbings says leaders should consider three factors
when determining which leadership model to employ:
the level of risk, the skill of the individuals or teams
involved, and the operating dynamic in which the
work is being undertaken.
“It is about understanding your context, your team
and their capabilities,” she says.
Prescription suits situations which require a
hands-on approach.
“When you’re working in a high-risk, high-stakes
crisis scenario, a directive approach can be effective
because you are looking for efficiency and real clarity
given the time pressure and the significance of the
situation,” Gibbings says.
An inexperienced employee faced with a complex
task also benefits from the scaffolding offered by
prescriptive leadership.
A principle-based approach, meanwhile, is
preferable in circumstances where autonomy
is welcome.
“In a highly skilled team working in an environment
where the operating context is known, a principlebased approach can be really effective,” Gibbings
says. “It shows trust and builds a sense of dynamic
teamwork and connection, which in turn increases
engagement and elevates performance. People think,
‘I feel trusted, so therefore I will work harder’.”
will an individual be penalised for colouring outside
the lines?”
This type of assessment can reveal gaps in a team’s
capabilities.
“It might show that I need to upskill my team
to improve decision-making and their understanding
of the nuances and complexity of the work that we are
doing, in order to move from a prescriptive approach
to a more principle-based approach,” Gibbings says.
The ability to switch between the two models
is a skill that leaders must develop to be effective,
Gautam says. “A leader has to have the capability
to enact both styles and to create teams that can
run with both approaches as well.” ●
PRESCRIPTIVE LEADERSHIP
PRECONDITIONS
With its reliance on rules and regulations
and emphasis on regulatory compliance,
prescriptive leadership requires specific
preconditions to be effective and equitable,
executive coach Dr Tanvi Gautam says.
These include the following:
• Equal access to information: Everyone
receives the same detailed guidance
and training.
• Standardised evaluation: Performance is
measured against consistent, predetermined
criteria rather than subjective judgement.
• Predictable consequences: Similar actions
produce similar outcomes, regardless of who
takes them.
• Transparent processes: Decision-making
follows visible, consistent logic that everyone
can understand.
WHEN TO USE EACH STYLE
Gautam recommends asking a series of questions
to assess important factors like risk, resources
and capabilities.
“What is your risk tolerance and is the risk worth
taking? Do you have the resources to recover if the
risk backfires? Does the employee have the capability
to undertake value-based decision-making or do they
need more support?”
Culture must also be taken into account, she says.
“Does the culture understand the upsides and
downsides of each approach? And, importantly,
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