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How contingency theory could be applied to an organisation
Contingency theory of leadership
How contingency theory could be applied to an organisation
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The situational theory approach and contingency approach are both two major types of leaders approach that researchers have studied for several years. Northhouse (2013, p.99) stated that, “the premise of the theory is that different situations demand different kinds of leadership”. For simple understanding it means that leaders have to be able to switch and adapt their style as different situation arise. Situational approach is broken down into two main dimensions, which is the directive (task) and supportive (relationship) behaviours.
The directive behaviour as used by managers is a way of helping followers achieve their goals by giving direction, establishing goals and methods of evaluation, setting time lines, defining roles and showing
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The supporting approach enables the leader to involve his or herself by encouraging and asking others input while giving the final decision. The coaching approach allows a leader to encourage a follower to make day-to-day decision. The delegating approach requires the less input and task from the social support from the leader, while motivating and improving the confidence of the follower.
Situational approach effects leaders to become more aware of their environment, using the Blanchard model leaders understand that more of the work is done by the followers and not by the leaders. Northhouse (2013, p.103) states weather “a person has mastered the skills to do a specific task and whether a person has developed a positive attitude regarding the task”.
The contingency theory influences the effectiveness to leadership style because the leadership is dependent on matching a leader’s style to the right situation Northhouse (2013, p.123). Northhouse (2013, p.124) stated that “contingency theory is grouped into three main factors”, which
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The task structure is used to measure how clear a task is and this method empowers the leader more making it easier to track the progress of the work, while the position power is the amount of authority a leader has over his follower to either punish or reward them. This is effective if the leader has the power to hire, fire or increase wages of his followers Northhouse (2013, p.124). The effect that contingency theory has on leadership is that it enables a leader to determine what kind of co-worker is compatible with them using the LPC questionnaire by Fiedler’s contingency model, this model helps leaders understand that a high score means that the person is people-orientated and a low score means task oriented Northhouse (2013,
(Schermerhorn, 2012) defines Contingency thinking, “Recognizes that management practices must be tailored to fit the exact nature of each situation” (p.6). The research suggests that Trader Joe’s management is very formulaic in their approaches from defining and maintaining company culture to site location and advertising methods. Daft, R. L. (2015) States, The idea behind contingency theories is that leaders can analyze their behavior to improve leadership effectiveness” (p.17).
In this model leaders “select” specific behaviors that are best for the needs of his goal. According to the author there are four behaviors in the path goal theory that a leader could follow. One is the directive leadership, where the leader informs the followers what is expected from them. Another is the supportive leadership, that is when the leader shows concern for the followers and have friendly interactions with them. Third is participative leadership, when the captain gets involved with his team to achieve the goal as a group. Finally, is the achievement leadership; occurs when the leader demand from the followers challenging goals so they perform their best. This is not useful in Lamatepec’s high school soccer team because the captain should contribute the same or even more to the team as his teammates and with this model that would not be
Hersey, P. & Blanchard, K. (n.d.) Situational Leadership. In Wren, J.T. (Ed.). (1995). The Leader’s Companion (pp. 207-211). New York: Simon & Schuster.
Contingency leadership theories attempt to define leadership style, the situation, and answer the if-then contingencies. Situational leadership theory is a contingency theory that focuses on followers’ readiness: the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. Path-goal theory states that it is the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide direction or support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the organization or group goals. Each theory was developed as a separate model for leaders to determine which leadership style to use in different contexts or situations. However, both models can be related to each other and may be even more effective when used together. Effective leaders will recognize that they must adjust their styles and behaviors according to their followers and the environment. By accurately assessing their team’s stage while minimizing redundancies in the environmental structure leaders can improve their team’s performance and satisfaction.
To elucidate smarter work, author has explained three echelon of situational manager; flexibility, diagnosis and contracting on leadership styles.
Situational leadership is a theory which was designed in 1969 by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The “contingency theories of leadership” states that a leader’s effectiveness is dependent on their behaviours in relation to different situational factors. Thus, situational leadership theory, relates to how a leader 's effectiveness is depend on their ability to adjust their leadership behaviour to the required level of the “followers” capability or if the situation is modified.
The situational leadership theory states that leaders use different styles and strategies depending on the situation. There are two models that support this theory. The Fiedler’s Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness states that an “effective leadership occurs only when there is an ideal match between the leader’s style and the group’s work situation” (pg
Majority of the major corporations and even the military tend to put use the model of situational leadership presented by Hersey and Blanchard (1988). This model emphasizes the leader’s behavior in relationship to followers’ behavior. In order to use this model effectively, the leader is required to evaluate follower responsibility in two ways: willingness (motivation) and ability (competence).
2) “Attitude reflects leadership, captain”. That shows that Julius is satisfied by the way his captain is thinking. Managerial leadership has influenced organizational activities in many ways. These influences include motivating subordinates, budgeting scarce resources, and serving as a source of communication. We are referring to the LPC contingency theory. "The first and perhaps most popular, situational theory to be advanced was the ‘Contingency Theory of Leadership Effectiveness' developed by Fred E. Fiedler" (Bedeian, Glueck 504). This theory explains that group performance is a result of interaction. (Online reviews)
In this theory leadership style changes as needed to ensure that the goal is achieved (Huber, 2014). Each situation may need to be addressed differently, which requires flexibility by all involved, especially leadership. Managers need to evaluate every individual to understand what they are capable of and how they fit the needs of the institution and or situation (Nash, 2015). As a nurse I think this is a very important trait for a leader to have because of how quickly things change and how we must work within our environment. For example, in healthcare we sometimes have to allow others to take control of a situation on to ensure the best possible outcome for each patient. In addition, the manager needs to ensure that each person works within the scope of their practice, functions at the highest level allowed and completes their tasks. To be a successful leader in healthcare and achieve desired outcomes requires a high level of flexibility by leadership. I would also say that the contingency theory would also fit into my leadership style. The basis premise of this theory is that each situation is different and leadership needs to take that into account when managing a situation (Huber, 2014). At times a leader needs to look at the bigger picture and incorporate that in their decision making process. When looking at a specific situation taking input from all parties involved can lead to a more effective solution. We can learn a lot form those around us and need to take that in account to be an effective
Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) asserts that a leader’s effectiveness is dependent upon the readiness, or ability and willingness, of the leader’s followers to complete a task. This leadership style is an amalgamation of task-oriented and relationship-oriented characteristics that are employed depending upon the situation and the followers involved. According to the SLT, as followers increase in readiness the leader’s style is to adapt accordingly (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009).
In the contingency leadership theories both the task and the follower’s characteristics are used to determine which behavior is better suited for effective leadership. Within the contingency approach are several factors to consider: the quality of relationships, tasks and activities to be performed, perceptions of the leader based on history, the motivation of both the leader and the follower, and personal characteristics influencing the situation (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009). The first contingency leadership theories studies were conducted by Fred Fiedler, a leadership researcher and the earliest pioneer in the field of contingency leadership, who focused on how situational variables interact with leader personality and behavior (Contingency Approach to Management, 2009); from these studies he developed the contingency leadership model. The contingency leadership model is used to determine whether a person’s leadership style is task– or relationship-oriented, and if the situation (leader-member relationships, task structure and position power) matches the leader’s style to maximize performance (Lussier & Achua, 2010). Fielder discovered that leadership effectiveness was dependent on the factors of the leader–follower relationship, task structure, and leader position.
The contemporary era is the time with constant changes and new demands. In view of this point, we can't put unitary leadership into real work. Accordingly, the term of "contingency leadership theory" (also namely "situational leadership") is given rise to by those situational factors. This theory notes that managers can vary their styles to suit different circumstances.
Some situations may work in one of the business may actually fail to work in others situations. Each situation demands the best leadership styles to be employed in the firm. There are various business styles which need to be applied in different business situations. The situation in a business is normally having a greater effect on a leader actions which he or she takes as opposed to the personal traits possessed. This is due to the fact that, while personalities may have an inspiring firmness over a period of time, they have slight reliability across business situations. This makes some scholars to argue that process theory of leadership is better than the trait theory of leadership. In most cases, power in the business is misused and this leads to negative impacts to the business and those
Fiedler’s Theory is stated in the power point presentation as the association between leadership orientation and group effectiveness is contingent on how favorable the situation is for exerting influence. If there is some catastrophe which will befall a group or set of individuals if a task is not complete, then that group will be more effective as they are motivated to complete that task to avert that particular catastrophe.