Structured Subjective Readiness in Situational Leadership: Validating the 4D Model as an Associative Predictor

The accurate assessment of follower readiness remains a challenge within Situational Leadership Theory (SLT), which traditionally emphasizes competence and commitment while overlooking motivational and relational cues. To address this gap, the study examined a structured four-facet model of subjective readiness—Drive, Dare, Decode, and Dialogue—and its association with employee and manager satisfaction and team adaptability. Data from a cross-sectional survey of employees and managers were analyzed using a 12-item 4D readiness scale alongside traditional readiness indicators and established measures of satisfaction and adaptability. The 4D scale showed strong overall reliability and factorial validity, though the Drive facet displayed weaker psychometric properties in the employee sample and should be interpreted cautiously. Overall readiness profiles were positively associated with both satisfaction and adaptability, with Dialogue emerging as a consistent contributor across outcomes. These associations should be interpreted as indicative rather than conclusive, given the study’s correlational design and reliance on self-reported data. Including the 4D facets alongside traditional indicators offered modest yet meaningful incremental explanatory value. Taken together, our findings indicate that a structured subjective readiness framework can enrich SLT’s traditional view of readiness by emphasizing motivational and relational dynamics—although further validation and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these initial results.