Contingency Theories
Contingency Theories
Contingency Theories
Content
What is Leadership?
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?
Trait Theory
Behavioral Theory
Contingency Theories of leadership
• Fiedler Model
• Path goal Theory
• Hersey and Blanchard Theory
• Leader Participative Theory
Fiedler Model
Good
Task Oriented
Performance
Relationship Oriented
Poor
Favourable Moderate Unfavourable
Category i ii iii iv v vi vii viii
Leader - Good Good Good Good Poor Poor Poor Poor
Member
relationships
Task High High Low Low High High Low Low
structute Strong Weak Strong Weak Strong Weak Strong Weak
Position
power
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
Directive leader
Supportive leader
Participative leader
Task structure
Formal authority system
Work group
Leader behavior Outcomes
Directive Performance
Participative Satisfaction
Achievement
oriented
Subordinate
Supportive contingency factors
Locus of control
Experience
Perceived ability
Ups and downs of the path goal
theory
Up side
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
R3
Relationship R4 R2 R1
behavior
Able Able Unable Unable
And and And And
willing unwilli willing unwilling
ng
Follower readiness
Low High
Task Behavior
Asking for
options Participative Obtaining
about Leadership Behaviors Information from
alternatives followers
Joint decision
making with Delegation
followers
Degree of participation
Conflict management
Skills, Traits and Sources of Assertiveness skills
skills
power or Effective
Participative
Leadership
Expert power
Legitimate skills
Resource/Connection
power
Advantages of
participative leadership
Followers benefits
•Followers satisfied working with leader
•Followers motivation is increased
What is Leadership?
How leaders behave?
Leadership Theories
The Fielder Model
Path Goal Theory
Situational Leadership Theory
Leader Participation Theory