Contingency Theories

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Content  What is Leadership?  How leaders behave?  Leadership Theories

The Fielder Model  Path Goal Theory  Situational Leadership Theory  Leader Participation Theory  Summary

What is Leadership?

Leadership The ability to influence a group toward the achievement of common goals.

Leader behavior to achieve goals? • Challenge the process • Inspire a shared vision • Enable others to act • Model the way • Encourage the heart

Theories of leadership  Trait Theory  Behavioral Theory  Contingency Theories of leadership • Fiedler Model • Path goal Theory • Hersey and Blanchard Theory • Leader Participative Theory

Fiedler Model •Introduced by Fred Fiedler. •What is Fiedler Model? “A leadership theory that proposes effective group performance depended on the proper match between a leader’s style of interacting with his or her followers and the degree to which the situation allowed the leader to control and influence”.

The Least-Preferred Co-worker Questionnaire (LPC) To measure a leader’s style, Fiedler develop the Least-Preferred Co-worker Questionnaire (LPC). This questionnaire contained sixteen pairs of contrasting adjectives: Examples:- pleasant - unpleasant friendly - unfriendly. Task oriented oriented (low LPC) LPC)

Relationship (high

Key Situational Factors Leader- Member Relationships: the degree of confidence , trust and respect employees had for their leader: rated as either good or poor Task Structure: the degree to which job assignment were formalized and procedurized : rated as either high or low Position Power: the degree of influence a leader had over power-based activities such as hiring, firing, promotion : rated as either strong to weak

Findingsof theFiedlerModel Good

c n a m fo r e P

TaskOriented

Poor Category Leader Member relationships Task structute Position power

RelationshipOriented Favourable i Good

ii iii Good Good

Moderate iv v Good Poor

vi Poor

High High Low Low High High Strong Weak Strong Weak Strong Weak

Unfavourable vii Poor

viii Poor

Low Low Strong Weak

Ups and Downs of Fiedler Model Up side • Lots of empirical research, supports the model • shifted the focus towards the leadership context • It's predictive. Down side • Doesn't explain how a leader's LPC score affects group performance. • The model neglects medium LPC scores. • Difficult to identify the situational variables and the leadership style. • It doesn't explain what an organization has to do, or need to do when a leader style doesn't match the situational variables.

Path Goal Theory The theory that a leader’s behavior is acceptable to subordinates insofar as they view it as a source of either immediate or future satisfaction. (Developed by Robert House)

Robert House identified four leadership behaviors.

 Directive leader  Supportive leader  Participative leader  Achievement- oriented leader

Path-Goal Theory Environmental contingency factors • Task structure • Formal authority system • Work group Leader behavior

Outcomes

• Directive

• Performance

• Participative

• Satisfaction

• Achievement oriented • Supportive

Subordinate contingency factors • Locus of control • Experience • Perceived ability

Ups and downs of the path goal theory Up side •What leadership style is the goal of the theory •Motivational factors Consideration •It is practical Down side •Broad scope •Not clear on leader behavior-worker motivation •A one way direction

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) By Paul Hersey Ken Blanchard SLT is a situational leadership theory that focus on followers’ readiness. That is successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness.

Components of the Theory Four specific leadership styles Telling - High task and low relationship Selling - High task and high relationship Participating - Low task and high relationship Delegating - Low task and low relationship Four stages of followers’ readiness R1 - Unable and unwilling R2 - Unable and willing R3 - Able and unwilling R4 - Able and willing

Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model Style of leader High task and High relationship High Low

g llin Te

Low relationship

R4

in

Lo w

ll Se g

Relationshi p behavior

Par g ticipa

tin

High relationship and low task High

R3

Able Able And and willing unwil ling

R2

R1

Unable Unable And And willing unwillin g

Follower readiness

Hig h High task and low relationship

Task Behavior

Moderate

Ups and downs of the theory

The up side  IT is prescriptive. It tells us what or what not to do in different situations.  Emphasizes the leader’s feasibility.  It is easy to understand. The down side The model does not take in to account demographic variables. Ambiguous conceptualization of development level.  A not too broad theory.

Leader Participative Model Contributors: Victor Vroom Philip Yetton

Leadership theory that provides a set of rules to determine the form and amount of participative decision making in different situations

Types of participative leadership behavior Consulting with individuals

Consultin g with groups Asking for options about alternatives

Participative Leadership Behaviors

Joint decision making with followers

Obtaining Information from followers

Delegation

Degree of participation

Autocratic Decision Low

Consultation

Consensus/Group Delegation decision

Influence by followers

High

Skills ,traits and sources of power for effective participative leadership Self monitoring skills

Conflict management skills

Listening skills

Skills, Traits and Sources of power or Effective Participative Leadership

Expert power

Assertiveness skills

Legitimate skills Resource/Connection power

Advantages of participative leadership Followers benefits •Followers satisfied working with leader •Followers motivation is increased Group or organizational benefits •Improved the quality of decision making. •Increased performance of group. •Smoother implementation of decisions •Less resistance to change

Summary What is Leadership? How leaders behave? Leadership Theories The Fielder Model Path Goal Theory Situational Leadership Theory Leader Participation Theory