Difference between Contingency and Situational Theories of Leadership Yang You June 25, 2019

Situational Theory First introduced in 1969 as “life cycle theory of leadership” and renamed “Situational Leadership Theory” in the 70s Developed by Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard The situational theory emphasizes NOT on personal qualities or traits of a leader, but on the situation in which he or she operates. No one good leadership style, but flexible To be most effective, a leader must be able to adapt his or her style or approach to diverse circumstances

Situational Theory Situational Theory emphasizes the importance of leaders to adjust their leadership approaches to fit the needs of their workers

Fiedler’s Contingency theory Introduced by the Austrian psychologist Fred Edward Fiedler Key: The effectiveness of a leader is determined by how well your leadership style matches the situation you find yourself in Fiedler highlighted the relationship between the leadership style and the favorableness of the situation One of the many contingency theory “There is no one best leadership style”

Fiedler’s Contingency theory Step 1: Determine your leadership style Least-Preferred Co-Worker Scale (LPC Scale)

Fiedler’s Contingency theory Step 1: Determine your leadership style LPC score: >=73 relationship oriented leader, <=54 task oriented leader, =55-72 Either

Fiedler’s Contingency theory Step 2: Determine favorableness of a situation i. leader-member relations : the acceptance of the leader by team members ii. task structure: the degree to which the task is appropriately structured and explained iii. position power: the ability to lead and control its subordinates through reward and/or punishment

Fiedler’s Contingency theory

Difference between Contingency and Situational Theories of Leadership Leadership style: Fixed vs. Flexible How they fit in to the situation: Place the leaders in the situation that are most suited to their style vs. adapt your style to the situation you are facing The role of the external factor: leader’s position power in Contingency theory Self-assessment in Contingency theory is more biased and subjective than in Situational theory