UPPF 6033

DYNAMICS OF LEADERSHIP

DR. JAMILAH AHMAD 01

1
Contingency
Leadership
Theories

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 Contingency Theories
Learning Outcomes
• Difference between Behavioral and Contingency Theory
• Leadership Styles
• Least Preferred Coworker Scale
• The Contingency Leadership Model Variables
• Variables of Situational Favorableness
• The leadership Continuum Model
• Situational leadership
• Normative Decision Model
• Path-goal Model Theory
 Contingency
According to Douglas Harper (2003) the word
contingency is taken directly from Latin
contingentem  which means happening, possible.

In the late 14c, it used to mean "depending upon

circumstances, not predictable with certainty
(www.etymonline.com).
 Contingency Theories
• The contingency theories are organizational
theories which are believed that the actions
are contingent (dependent) on the leaders,
followers and situations.
• In other words, the way you manage should
change depending on the circumstances.
 Cont…
• The contingency theories are claimed that
there is no best way to organize a corporation,
to lead a company, or to make decisions.
 Fred Edward Fiedler
• Fred Edward Fiedler was born in Vienna, Austria.
• He gained his doctorate (Ph.D.) within the field of
clinical psychology.

Fiedler initiated a study of the leadership on high school

basketball teams. This study led to his “development of the Least
Preferred Co-worker (LPC) score”, (Aamodt, 2015).
Fiedler Contingency theory is
concerned with

Situations
Leadership Favorableness
Style /Situational
Control
 Leadership Styles
• The Leadership Styles are the behavioral
patterns that leaders adopt to influence their
followers.
• For example, the way they give directions to
their subordinates and motivate them to
accomplish the given objectives.
Contingency Leadership Model
• Identifying leadership style is the first step in
using the model.
• Fiedler believed that leadership style is fixed,
and it can be measured using a scale called
Least-Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) Scale.
Least-Preferred Co-Worker
(LPC) Scale

4 5 6 7 8 Pleasant
123

Unpleasant
 Cont…
• The model identifies whether an individual's
leadership style is relationship-oriented
Or task-oriented.

Relationship-oriented Task-oriented.
Cont…
LPC/Bipolar Scale
Cont…
Scoring
Your final score is the total of the numbers you
circled.
57 or less = Low LPC (Task-motivated/oriented)
58-63 = Middle LPC (Socio-independent leaders,
self directed and not overly concerned with the
task or with how others view them).
64 or above = High LPC (Relationships-motivated)
 Cont…
• Instructions:
– Think of a person you would least prefer to work with.
– He is not the person you dislike personally, but is the
person with whom you would have most difficulty in
getting the job done.
– This person might be someone you’re working
with now or worked  in past (http://www.practical-
management.com).
The Contingency Leadership
Model Variables
The
Contingency
Leadership
Variables

Followers leader Situation

 Task-oriented leader
• Task-oriented leader is primarily concerned
with the task performance and the
accomplishment of task goals.

For instance, they

Stick to rigid schedules.
Prioritize achievement.
 Relationship-oriented leader
• Relationship-oriented leader focuses on the
satisfaction, motivation and the general well-
being of the team members.
 Cont…
• Relationship-oriented leadership encourages
good teamwork and collaboration, through
fostering positive relationships and good
communication.
Task-Oriented vs Relationship-
Oriented

Task-Oriented Relationship-Oriented
Emphasis on work Emphasis on interaction
Focus on structure, roles and tasks Focus on relationships, well-being
Produce desired results is a priority Foster positive relationships is a priority
Emphasis on goal-setting and a clear Emphasis on team members and
plan to achieve goals communication within
Strict use of schedules and step-by-step Communication facilitation, casual
plans, and a punishment/incentive interactions and frequent team
system meetings
 Situational Favorableness
• The degree a situation enables the leader to
exert influence over the followers.
• More control= more favorable situation
Variables of Situational
Favorableness
 Leader-Member Relations
• This is the level of trust and confidence that
your team has in you.
• A leader who is more trusted and has more
influence with the group is in a more
favorable situation than a leader who is not
trusted.
 Task structure
• Task structure refers to the degree to which
the task is made clear to the employee who
has to perform it.
• The extent to which tasks are standardized,
documented and controlled.
 Cont…
• Task can be clear and structured, or Vague
and unstructured.
• Structured tasks, or tasks where the team and
leader have knowledge of how to achieve
them, are viewed favorably.
 Leader's Position Power
• This is the amount of power you have to
provide reward or punishment, hire or fire.
The more power you have, the more
favorable your situation will be.
The leadership Continuum Model
Used to determine which styles to select based
on one’s use of boss-centered vs. subordinate
centered leadership to meet the situation.

According to Tannenbaum and Schmidt,

successful leaders know which behavior is the
most appropriate at a particular time.
Continuum Model
 Weaknesses of Continuum Model
• Using the model for choosing the style which
has to be used is difficult.
• Factors used to select leadership style are
subjective.
Types of Leadership Models
 Types of Leadership Models
Prescriptive tells users exactly which style to use
in a given situation.
It guides or directs the activities and behaviors
of others toward goals, opportunities.
Descriptive:
Identify contingency variables and leadership
styles without directing which style to use in a
given situation.
 Normative Decision Model
• Normative decision theory is concerned with
identifying the best decision to make,
modeling an ideal decision maker who is able
to compute with perfect accuracy and is
fully rational.
• The styles are assumed to be learnable.
 Kenneth Hartley Blanchard
• Blanchard is an American author
and management expert.
• His extensive writing career includes over 60
published books, His most successful book, The
One Minute Manager, has sold over 13 million
copies.
• In the 1960’s he developed the Situational https://twitter.com
leadership theory and model with Paul Hersey. /kenblanchard
 Paul Hersey
• Paul Hersey (1931) was a behavioral scientist
and entrepreneur. He was best known for
conceiving Situational Leadership.

Hersey taught about training and development in leadership,

management, and selling. Hersey's recent books included The
Situational Leader, Situational Selling, Situational Service…
Situational leadership
Situational leadership is the adjustment of a
leadership style to specific situations to reflect
employee needs.
A situational leader is one who can adopt
different leadership styles depending on the
situations.
 Leadership Model History
• Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey created a
model for Situational Leadership in the late
1960's that allows you:
1. To analyze the needs of the situation you're
dealing with.
2. Then adopt the most appropriate leadership
style.
Why is it popular?

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 Leadership Behavior
Blanchard and Hersey characterized leadership
style in terms of the amount of direction and of
support that the leader gives to his or her
followers.
They proposed a model
 Axis of the Model
Y-axis
High

Supportive

Low X-axis
Directive
High
 X-axis
X-axis
The X-axis signifies the degree of Directive
Behavior that the leader must exhibit. That is the
degree of one way communication from the leader
to the employee.
– Clearly Telling People
• What to Do?
• How to Do It?
• Where to Do It?
• When to Do It?
 Y-axis
Y-axis

The Y-axis signifies the degree of Supportive

Behavior that the leader must exhibit. That is
the degree of two- way communication
between the leader to the employee.
Situational Leadership Model
 Developmental Level: The
Follower
• Clearly the right leadership style will depend
very much on the person being led - the
follower.
• The leader's style should be driven by the
Competence and Commitment of the follower
based on four levels:
 Readiness
• Situational Leadership defines readiness as
the ability/competence and willingness/
commitment or a person to take responsibility
for directing their own behavior.
• Competence: Task, Knowledge and Skills
• Commitment: Motivation and Confidence
 D1: Low Competence - Low
Commitment
S1: Directing
•Directive Leaders define the roles and tasks of
the 'followers', and supervise them closely.  
 D2: Low Competence – High
Commitment
S2: Coaching
•Coaching Leaders still define roles and tasks,
but seeks ideas and suggestions from the
follower.
 D3: High Competence - Low
Commitment
S3: Supporting
Praise, Listen and Facilitate the followers.
D3= High willingness- Low ability
 D4: High Competence - High
Commitment
S4: Delegating
Delegating Leaders are still involved in decisions
and problem-solving, but control is with the
follower.
Path-goal Leadership Model theory
The Path-Goal model is a theory based on specifying a
leader's style or behavior that best fits the employee and
work environment in order to achieve a goal (House,
Mitchell, 1974).

The goal is to increase your employees' motivation,

empowerment, and satisfaction so they become
productive members of the organization.
Path-Goal is based on Vroom's   (1964)
Expectancy Theory in which an
individual will act in a certain way based
on the expectation that the act will be
followed by a given outcome and on the
attractiveness of that outcome to the
individual.

The path-goal theory was first

introduced by Martin Evans (1970) and
then further developed by House (1971).
HISTORY:
Path–goal theory first appeared in the leadership literature in the early
1970s in the works of Evans (1970), House (1971), House and Dessler
(1974), and House and Mitchell (1974).

GOAL:
The stated goal of this leadership theory is to enhance follower
performance and follower satisfaction by focusing on follower motivation.

DEFINTION:
path–goal theory is designed to explain how leaders can help followers
along the path to their goals by selecting specific behaviours that are best
suited to followers’ needs and to the situation in which followers are
working.
 Major components
• Leader behaviour
Directive
Supportive
Participative
Achievement oriented
• Follower characteristics
• Task characteristics
• Motivation
Leader Behaviours:
Identifies four leadership behaviors.

Directive Leadership:

Directive - describes tasks, sets schedules, and offers guidance on task

performance.

Directive leadership is similar to the “initiating structure” concept

described in the Ohio State studies (Halpin & Winer, 1957) and the “telling”
style described in Situational Leadership. It characterizes a leader who gives
followers instructions about their task, including what is expected of them,
how it is to be done, and the timeline for when it should be completed. A
directive leader sets clear standards of performance and makes the rules
and regulations clear to followers.
Supportive Leadership:
Supportive - shows concern for subordinates

Supportive leadership resembles the consideration behaviour construct that

was identified by the Ohio State studies. Supportive leadership consists of
being friendly and approachable as a leader and includes attending to the
well-being and human needs of followers. Leaders using supportive
behaviours go out of their way to make work pleasant for followers. In
addition, supportive leaders treat followers as equals and give them respect
for their status.
Participative Leadership:

Participative - relies on subordinates’ suggestions when making a

decision.

Participative leadership consists of inviting followers to share in the

decision making. A participative leader consults with followers, obtains
their ideas and opinions, and integrates their suggestions into the
decisions about how the group or organization will proceed.
Achievement-oriented Leadership:
Achievement oriented - sets challenging goals

Achievement-oriented leadership is characterized by a leader

who challenges followers to perform work at the highest level
possible. This leader establishes a high standard of excellence for
followers and seeks continuous improvement. In addition to
expecting a lot from followers, achievement- oriented leaders
show a high degree of confidence that followers are capable of
establishing and accomplishing challenging goals.
Follower Characteristics:
Follower characteristics determine how a leader’s behaviour is interpreted by
followers in a given work context. Researchers have focused on followers

•Needs for affiliation

• Preferences for structure
• Desires for control
• Self- perceived level of task ability
Task Characteristics:

In addition to follower characteristics, task characteristics

also have a major impact on the way a leader’s behaviour
influences followers’ motivation. Task characteristics
include:

• the design of the follower’s task

• the formal authority system of the organization
• the primary work group of followers
 Path-Goal Situations and Preferred Leader Behaviors

Situation Leader Behavior Impact on Outcome

Follower
Followers lack Supportive Increases confidence
self-confidence Leadership to achieve work
outcomes

Directive Increased effort; improved

Ambiguous job Clarifies path to
Leadership reward satisfaction and performance

Lack of job Achievement-

Set and strive for
challenge Oriented
high goals
Leadership

Incorrect Participative Clarifies followers’

reward Leadership needs to change
rewards

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STRENGTHS :

Path–goal theory has several positive features.

1. it provides a useful theoretical framework for
understanding how various leadership behaviours
affect followers’ satisfaction and work performance.

2. it attempts to integrate the motivation principles

of expectancy theory into a theory of leadership.

3. it provides a model that in certain ways is very

practical.
CRITICISMS:
First, path–goal theory is so complex and incorporates so many
different aspects of leadership that interpreting the theory can be
confusing.

A second limitation of path–goal theory is that it has received only

partial support from the many empirical research studies that have
been conducted to test its validity.

Another criticism of path–goal theory is that

it fails to explain
adequately the relationship between leadership behaviour and
follower motivation.

A final criticism that can be made of path–goal theory concerns a

practical outcome of the theory.