Overview
This lecture covers Fiedler's Contingency Theory, which explains how leadership effectiveness depends on matching a leader's style to specific situational factors.
Contingency Theory of Leadership
- Contingency theory states that no single leadership style is universally effective.
- Leader effectiveness depends on adapting style to the situation's circumstances.
- Leaders must assess both the situation and their own style for best results.
Fiedler's Contingency Theory & Model
- Developed by Fred Fiedler in 1964, the model emphasizes situational matching over fixed leadership preferences.
- Leaders should be chosen based on how well their style matches the specific scenario.
- Leadership effectiveness relies on two factors: a leader’s natural style and situational control.
Leadership Styles (Least-Preferred Coworker Scale)
- The Least-Preferred Coworker (LPC) Scale rates leaders on how they view their least liked coworker.
- High LPC score: relationship-oriented leader, focuses on team building and handling conflicts.
- Low LPC score: task-oriented leader, prioritizes tasks, organization, and meeting goals.
- Relationship-oriented leaders work best in favorable situations; task-oriented leaders excel in both favorable and unfavorable circumstances.
Dimensions of Situational Control (Favorableness)
- Situational control is evaluated through three variables:
- Leader-member relations: trust and confidence between leader and team.
- Task structure: clarity and organization of tasks.
- Leader’s position power: authority to make decisions and enforce actions.
- High scores in all three create a favorable situation for a leader.
- High LPC leaders thrive in favorable situations; low LPC leaders perform well in any situation.
Application and Examples
- A department needing supervision and complex decisions benefits from a relationship-oriented (high LPC) leader.
- Task-focused environments or challenging contexts are best led by task-oriented (low LPC) leaders.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Contingency Theory — Leadership approach that adapts style to the situation.
- Fiedler's Contingency Model — Leadership model matching style to situational favorableness.
- Least-Preferred Coworker Scale (LPC) — Tool to identify if a leader is relationship- or task-oriented.
- Situational Control (Favorableness) — How much influence a leader has in a scenario, based on three variables.
- Leader-member relations — Trust and respect between leader and group.
- Task structure — Degree of task clarity and organization.
- Position power — Formal authority held by the leader.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review example scenarios to identify which leadership style fits best.
- Practice using the LPC scale for self-assessment.
- Prepare to identify leader-member relations, task structure, and position power in real or hypothetical groups.