Which model incorporates the leader follower and situational context dimensions of leadership?
SummaryFiedler’s Contingency Theory states that, for a leader to be effective, their leadership style must fit the situation. Using this model, you’ll identify your own leadership style, assess the situation that requires leadership, and determine whether you’re the right leader. In this piece, we further break down the theory, teach you how to apply it to become a better leader, and provide examples of the theory in action. Show
When you imagine the qualities of a leader, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of a strong, determined individual with a blazer and a checklist. Maybe you think of a master of interpersonal relationships who empowers a team to collaborate well. According to Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, both of these people can be great leaders, because a leader’s effectiveness depends on the harmony between their leadership style and the situation at hand. Fiedler argues that it’s difficult to change how you lead, so understanding your leadership style is essential for serving your team. To help you better comprehend your style of leadership and make the best decisions for your company, we break down Fiedler’s model. What is Fiedler’s Contingency Theory?Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, also known as Fiedler’s Contingency Model or Fiedler’s Theory of Leadership, states that there is not one best style of leadership. Rather, the most effective leadership style for any given situation is one that aligns with the situation at hand. The theory was developed in the 1960s by Austrian psychologist, Professor Fred Fiedler. He studied leaders’ personalities and characteristics and came to the conclusion that leadership style, since it is formed through one’s life experiences, is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to change. For this reason, Fiedler believed the right leader must be chosen for each job based on their skill set and the requirements of the situation. In order to best match leaders with situations, each leader must first understand their natural leadership style. Then, they need to evaluate whether their leadership style is right for the situation. To put it simply, Fiedler determined that a leaders’ ability to succeed rests on two factors:
What are the elements of Fiedler’s Contingency Model?As you’ve probably realized, Fiedler’s Contingency Theory is pretty simple. All it requires is a comparison of one’s leadership style with the demands of the situation. Let’s take a closer look at how the model breaks down these factors. Leadership styleTo help you determine your leadership style, Fiedler developed the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale. The scale asks you to describe the coworker you least prefer to work with. The more positively you rate your least preferred coworker on a variety of different criteria, the more relationship-oriented you are. The less favorably you rate them on the same criteria, the more task-oriented you are. Essentially:
Relationship-oriented leaders are great at building relationships, facilitating team synergy, and managing interpersonal conflict. Task-oriented leaders tend to be skilled at organizing projects and teams to accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively. The rationale behind these two leadership styles is pretty straightforward:
There isn’t one “right” way to lead. While task-orientation may be preferable to the organization at large, teammates themselves tend to prefer relationship-orientation. In fact, 79% of people who quit their jobs cite lack of appreciation as a primary reason for leaving. Situational favorablenessNext, Fiedler’s model requires you to assess the situation at hand. Situational contingency theory, also known as situational leadership, states that every situation that requires leadership is different and requires a specific type of leader. The favorability of a situation depends on how much influence and power you have as a leader. Situational favorableness is determined by three variables:
Leader-member relations are all about trust. Does your team trust you as a leader? The more they do, the higher your degree of leader-member relations and the more favorable the situation is. Task structure refers to the clarity of the tasks required to complete a project. Higher task structure results in a more favorable situation. The more clear-cut and precise tasks are, the higher the situation’s task structure—whereas the vaguer they are, the lower the situation’s task structure. Manage and prioritize tasks with Asana Finally, position power refers to the authority you have over your team as a leader. If you can reward them, punish them, or tell them what to do, your position power is high. As you can imagine, higher position power makes the situation more favorable. How to apply Fiedler’s Contingency Model to be a better leaderNow that we’ve established a basic understanding of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, you can determine what type of leader you are and start applying the model. The following section will walk you through how to determine your natural leadership style and understand the situation at hand. According to Fiedler, only then can you be an effective leader and make the best decision in each situation—lead or delegate. Step 1: Understand your leadership styleIn order to identify your natural leadership style, we return to the LPC scale. It’s time to bring to mind the person you least prefer working with. Copy the chart below into a separate document and use it to mark the score that best fits how you’d describe your least preferred coworker. Remember, understanding your leadership style is highly beneficial to you and your team. While you may want to be generous with your answers, it’s important to respond honestly for the most accurate understanding of your leadership style. Least preferred coworker (LPC) scaleNegative Score Positive Unpleasant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pleasant Rejecting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Accepting Tense 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Relaxed Cold 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Warm Boring 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Interesting Backbiting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Loyal Uncooperative 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cooperative Hostile 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Supportive Guarded 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Open Insincere 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sincere Unkind 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kind Inconsiderate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Considerate Untrustworthy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Trustworthy Gloomy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cheerful Quarrelsome 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Harmonious Determining your LPC scoreNow that you’ve filled out the test, add up every number you marked to calculate your LPC score. Interpret your score as follows:
Step 2: Assess the situationIn order to assess situational favorableness to determine leadership effectiveness in a specific environment, Fiedler poses three questions. On a scale of one to 10, with 10 representing the highest value…
Don’t solely rely on your own judgment of the situation. Ask group members to anonymously answer these same questions and calculate the average of all answers to best understand the situation’s favorableness. Seeking your team’s insight is a great way to empower them and improve team morale. Step 3: Decide whether you’re the leader for the jobNow that you have a grasp on your leadership style and the favorableness of the situation, you can determine whether you’re the right leader for the situation.
The table below breaks down all of the different instances when each leadership style is the best fit. Now for the trickier situations. If you’re a task-oriented leader in a moderately favorable situation or a relationship-oriented leader in a highly favorable or unfavorable situation, your leadership style likely isn’t the right fit for the situation. If this is the case, don’t panic—there are ways to make sure that your team is still set up for success. Step 4: Consider delegating to the right leaderAccording to Fiedler, leadership style is fixed and cannot be changed. This means that if a leader’s style isn’t right for a situation, that leader may need to delegate leadership to the right person. While it can be challenging to admit that your skillset isn’t right for a situation, there’s no shame in delegating leadership to someone else. In fact, delegation is necessary for effective leadership. If you’re a manager, consider promoting someone on your team with the opposite leadership style to supervise the team wherever needed. Alternatively, if you’re overseeing a cross-functional project, see if one of the cross-functional team members is a better fit for the situation. Read: How to delegate effectively: 10 tips for managersStep 5: Try changing the situationAnother way to ensure that your team is set up for success if your leadership style doesn’t fit the situation at hand is to try to change the situation. Here are a few ways to align situational favorableness with your skillset:
Examples of Fiedler’s theory in actionWe’ve mostly been discussing Fiedler’s model in theory. Let’s take a look at some real-world scenarios that will help clarify what it might look like in an organizational setting. Scenario 1: Newly hired co-manager at a startupImagine you’ve just been hired as a co-manager of a startup tech company. The team of 12 has been working together for a little over a year. You were brought on by the existing manager to help improve the company’s strategy.
According to Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, this scenario calls for a task-oriented leader. The situation is highly unfavorable and a relationship-oriented leader would have a very hard time getting anything done. Scenario 2: Promoted to head of graphic designSay you’ve recently been promoted to the new role of Head of Graphic Design at your design agency. You’ve been working here for five years and your promotion was largely due to your team’s praise.
According to Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, this scenario calls for a relationship-oriented leader. The situation is moderately favorable but you don’t quite have the power to enact significant change. Does it hold up under pressure?There is plenty of valuable insight that can be taken from Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, but it’s important to remember that it’s just one theory. It shouldn’t be given supreme authority to determine leadership fit and should be supplemented with additional resources. AdvantagesAdvantages of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory include:
DisadvantagesCriticisms of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory include:
Put your team’s success first with Fiedler’s Contingency TheoryFiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership serves as a great reminder that leadership isn’t uniform. If your team isn’t performing as well as it should be, it might not mean that you aren’t a good leader. Rather, your natural leadership style might not be what’s best for your team’s needs at the moment. Regardless of a leader’s style and the favorableness of a situation, every team needs the right tools to communicate well and accomplish organizational goals. When your team knows who’s doing what by when, they’re empowered to get their best work done and develop collaborative relationships. The best way to do this is with work management software. Work management software will help keep your team on track, saving you time and energy as you hone your leadership skills. Try Asana for work management What are the 4 leadership styles of situational leadership?The Situational Leadership model addresses four types of leadership styles, based on the follower:. Telling.. Selling.. Participating.. Delegating.. What is the situational leadership model?The Situational Leadership® methodology is based on the relationship between leaders and followers and provides a framework to analyze each situation based on the Performance Readiness® Level that a follower exhibits in performing a specific task, function or objective.
Whose leadership model has three situational factors?The Hersey-Blanchard Model is a leadership model that focuses on the ability and willingness of individual employees. It's also referred to as the Situational Leadership Model. The model outlines four leadership styles, each corresponding with a specific level of employee development.
What are the two dimensions of situational leadership?Situational Leadership incorporates two dimensions of leader behavior in its concept of leadership: directive and supportive. The model asserts that leaders assess the competence and commitment of their followers and adjust their style along these dimensions to best meet the changing needs of followers.
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