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Chapter 3Chapter 3

Contingency ApproachesContingency Approaches

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Ex. 3.1Ex. 3.1 Comparing the Universalistic and Comparing the Universalistic and Contingency Approaches to LeadershipContingency Approaches to Leadership

Universalistic Approach

Contingency Approach

Followers

Leader

Situation

Leadership Traits/behaviors

Style Traits

BehaviorPosition

NeedsMaturityTraining

Cohesion

TaskStructureSystems

Env.

Outcomes(Performance, satisfaction,

etc.)

Outcomes(Performance, satisfaction,

etc.)

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Ex. 3.2Ex. 3.2 Metacategories of Leader Metacategories of Leader Behavior and Four Leader StylesBehavior and Four Leader Styles

High Task-LowRelationship

High Task-HighRelationship

Low Task-LowRelationship

High Relationship-Low Task

Low

High

Low HighRELATIONSHIP BEHAVIOR

TA

SK

B

EH

AV

IOR

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Contingency ApproachesContingency Approaches

Contingency approaches: approaches that seek to delineate the characteristics of situations and followers and examine the leadership styles that can be used effectively

Fiedler’s contingency model: a model designed to diagnose whether a leader is task-oriented or relationship-oriented and match leader style to the situation

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Fiedler’s Contingency ModelFiedler’s Contingency Model

• Least Preferred Co-Worker

• Leader Situation has 3 dimensions:–Position Power–Task Structure–Leader-Member Relations

• Leader effectiveness in a given situation is

effected by their LPC score.

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Situational TheorySituational Theory

Hersey and Blanchard’s extension of the Leadership Grid focusing on the characteristics of followers as the important element of the situation, and consequently, of determining effective leader behavior

88

Ex. 3.4Ex. 3.4 Hersey and Blanchard’s Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Theory of LeadershipSituational Theory of Leadership

Follower Characteristics Appropriate Leader Style

Low readiness level

Moderate readiness level

High readiness level

Very high readiness level

Telling (high task-low relationship)

Selling (high task-high relationship)

Participating (low task-high rel.)

Delegating (low task-low relationship)

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Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership TheoryLeadership Theory

1010

Path-Goal TheoryPath-Goal Theory

A contingency approach to leadership in which the leader’s responsibility is to increase subordinates’ motivation by clarifying the behaviors necessary for task accomplishment and rewards

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Ex. 3.5Ex. 3.5 Leader Roles in the Path-Goal Leader Roles in the Path-Goal ModelModelPath Clarification Increase Rewards

Leader defines what followermust do to attain work outcomes

Leader clarifies follower’s work role

Follower has increased knowledge & confidence to accomplish outcomes

Leader learns follower’s needs

Leader matches follower’s needs to rewards if work outcomes are accomplished

Leader increases value of work outcomes for follower

Follower displays increased effort and motivation

Organizational work outcomes are accomplished

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Ex. 3.6Ex. 3.6 Path-Goal Situations and Path-Goal Situations and Preferred Leader BehaviorsPreferred Leader Behaviors

Situation Leader Behavior Impact on Follower Outcome

Supportive Leadership

Directive Leadership

Achievement-Oriented

Leadership

Participative Leadership

Followers lack self-confidence

Ambiguous job

Lack of job challenge

Incorrect reward

Increases confidence to achieve work outcomes

Clarifies path to reward

Set and strive for high goals

Clarifies followers’ needs to change rewards

Increased effort; improved satisfaction and performance

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The Vroom-Jago Contingency The Vroom-Jago Contingency ModelModel

A contingency model that focuses on varying degrees of participative leadership, and how each level of participation influences quality and accountability of decisions

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Ex. 3.7Ex. 3.7 Five Leader Decision Styles Five Leader Decision Styles

Area of Influence by Leader

Area of Freedom for Group

Decide Consult Individually

Consult Group

Facilitate Delegate

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Diagnostic QuestionsDiagnostic Questions

• Decision significance– How significant is this decision for the project or

organization?• Importance of commitment

– How important is subordinate commitment to carrying out the decision?

• Leader expertise– What is the level of the leader’s expertise in relation to

the problem?• Likelihood of commitment

– If the leader were to make the decision alone, would subordinates have high or low commitment?

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Diagnostic QuestionsDiagnostic Questions

• Group support for goals– What is the degree of subordinate support for the

team’s or organization’s objectives at stake in this decision?

• Goal expertise– What is the level of group members’ knowledge and

expertise in relation to the problem?

• Team Consequence– How skilled and committed are group members to

working together as a team to solve problems?

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Selecting the Decision StyleSelecting the Decision Style

• Time based– When time is critical

• Development based– Assists with knowledge sharing and

development– Not time constrained

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Substitute and NeutralizerSubstitute and Neutralizer

Substitute: a situational variable that makes leadership unnecessary or redundant

Neutralizer: a situational characteristic that counteracts the leadership style and prevents the leader from displaying certain behaviors

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Ex. 3.10Ex. 3.10 Substitutes and Neutralizers Substitutes and Neutralizers for Leadershipfor Leadership

Variable Task-Oriented Leadership

People-Oriented Leadership

Organizational variables

Group cohesiveness

Formalization

Inflexibility

Low positional power

Physical separation

Substitutes for

Substitutes for

Neutralizes

Neutralizes

Neutralizes

Substitutes for

No effect on

No effect on

Neutralizes

Neutralizes

Task characteristics

Highly struct. task

Automatic feedback

Intrinsic satisfaction

Substitutes for

Substitutes for

No effect on

No effect on

No effect on

Substitutes for

Follower characteristics

Professionalism

Training/experience

Low value of rewards

Substitutes for

Substitutes for

Neutralizes

Substitutes for

No effect on

Neutralizes