Situational Leadership Theory
Since there is no special or one precise type of leader, numerous leadership styles and theories have surfaced. This is because a different situations require different type of leadership styles. In many occasions, leadership theories help to predict the best leadership style to employ in a particular situation. This essay seeks explain why situational leadership theory is useful and relevant in developing an effective leadership culture. It is this writers hope that it can be used as a how to guide to enable managers to be more successful.
Basics
The basics of situational leader ship theory is that there is no one best style of leadership. One should choose the best leader ship style according to different factors. Leadership is task relevant but the best leaders are those that adapt their style to the job or task. Also the abilities of their employees. Their education, experience, their ability to take responsibility for the job.
Fiedler’s contingency model
There are different situational leadership theories. One such theory known as Fiedler’s Contingency Model. Allen, Plunkett and Attner (2013) stated that fielder believes that the manager’s situation should determine the leadership style that should be used. Fiedler believed that there are three situational variables that should determine the task or employee focus. These are leader employee relationship, task structure and leader position power.
Leader employee relationship
The leader employee relationship is based on how the leader feels that he is accepted. This is measured by mutual confidences, trust and respect that the leader holds. The best relationships will lead to a manager’s success at inspiring or influencing his staff. While the ...
... middle of paper ...
...t it will help managers to think about which one they can use to become more successful.
References
Allen, A., Plunkett, W., & Attner, R. (2013) The Evolution of Management Thinking. Management An Approach to Customer Expectations 10th edition. Publisher Erin Joyner.
Fairholm, M. R., &Fairholm, G. W. (2009).Understanding leadership perspectives: Theoretical and practical approaches. New York: Springer.
Palestini, R. H. (2009). From leadership theory to practice: A game plan for success as a leader. Lanham: Rowman& Littlefield Education. .
Strube, M. J., & Garcia, J. E. (1981). A meta-analytic investigation of Fiedler's contingency model of leadership effectiveness. Psychological Bulletin, 90(2), 307-321. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.90.2.307
Van, W. M. (2005).Dynamics of leadership in public service: Theory and practice. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe
Hoy, W. K., & Tarter, C. J. (2010). A Theory of Leadership: A Situational Approach. Retrieved January 28, 2014, from http://www.waynekhoy.com/pdfs/theory_of_leadership.pdf
Hughes, R. L., Ginnett, R. C., & Curphy, G. J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin
Pierce, Jon L. and John W. Newstrom (2011) 6th edition. Leaders and the Leadership Process.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B., (2007). The leadership challenge, (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
Contingency leadership theories attempt to define leadership style, the situation, and answer the if-then contingencies. Situational leadership theory is a contingency theory that focuses on followers’ readiness: the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. Path-goal theory states that it is the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide direction or support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the organization or group goals. Each theory was developed as a separate model for leaders to determine which leadership style to use in different contexts or situations. However, both models can be related to each other and may be even more effective when used together. Effective leaders will recognize that they must adjust their styles and behaviors according to their followers and the environment. By accurately assessing their team’s stage while minimizing redundancies in the environmental structure leaders can improve their team’s performance and satisfaction.
Situational leadership is a theory which was designed in 1969 by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The “contingency theories of leadership” states that a leader’s effectiveness is dependent on their behaviours in relation to different situational factors. Thus, situational leadership theory, relates to how a leader 's effectiveness is depend on their ability to adjust their leadership behaviour to the required level of the “followers” capability or if the situation is modified.
The situational leadership theory states that leaders use different styles and strategies depending on the situation. There are two models that support this theory. The Fiedler’s Contingency Model of Leadership Effectiveness states that an “effective leadership occurs only when there is an ideal match between the leader’s style and the group’s work situation” (pg
Mlls, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Boston: Harvad Business School Press.
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
There are different leadership theories developed throughout the history. Most popular ones are trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories, and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory. The author of the post will briefly discuss two theories, Fiedler contingency theory and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), and compare and contrast their strengths and weakness.
In the contingency leadership theories both the task and the follower’s characteristics are used to determine which behavior is better suited for effective leadership. Within the contingency approach are several factors to consider: the quality of relationships, tasks and activities to be performed, perceptions of the leader based on history, the motivation of both the leader and the follower, and personal characteristics influencing the situation (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009). The first contingency leadership theories studies were conducted by Fred Fiedler, a leadership researcher and the earliest pioneer in the field of contingency leadership, who focused on how situational variables interact with leader personality and behavior (Contingency Approach to Management, 2009); from these studies he developed the contingency leadership model. The contingency leadership model is used to determine whether a person’s leadership style is task– or relationship-oriented, and if the situation (leader-member relationships, task structure and position power) matches the leader’s style to maximize performance (Lussier & Achua, 2010). Fielder discovered that leadership effectiveness was dependent on the factors of the leader–follower relationship, task structure, and leader position.
The contemporary era is the time with constant changes and new demands. In view of this point, we can't put unitary leadership into real work. Accordingly, the term of "contingency leadership theory" (also namely "situational leadership") is given rise to by those situational factors. This theory notes that managers can vary their styles to suit different circumstances.
We can divide the theories that deal with leadership in 3 chronological groups. First were the trait theories. Until the 1940's, research in the field of leadership was dominated by these theories. Second came the behavioral theories which were very influent until the late 1960's. Finally, contingency theories are the most modern theories about leadership.
The Situational Theories of leadership explain how leadership style must be tailored to the demands of the task and the qualities of subordinates.
Some situations may work in one of the business may actually fail to work in others situations. Each situation demands the best leadership styles to be employed in the firm. There are various business styles which need to be applied in different business situations. The situation in a business is normally having a greater effect on a leader actions which he or she takes as opposed to the personal traits possessed. This is due to the fact that, while personalities may have an inspiring firmness over a period of time, they have slight reliability across business situations. This makes some scholars to argue that process theory of leadership is better than the trait theory of leadership. In most cases, power in the business is misused and this leads to negative impacts to the business and those