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

2. 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

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

4. 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”

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

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

7. 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

8. Fiedler’s Contingency theory

9. 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