Fiedler’s Leadership Contingency Theory

• Initiated the situational contingency approach in the mid-1960s.
• Fiedler’s approach emphasized that group effectiveness depends on an appropriate match between the leader’s style and situational demands.

• Key variables in Fiedler’s contingency model.
  • Situational control.
    • The extent to which a leader can determine what his or her group is going to do as well as the outcomes of the group’s actions and decisions.
    • Is a function of:
      • Leader-member relations.
      • Task structure.
      • Position power.
    • Least preferred co-worker (LPC) score reflects a person’s leadership style.
      • High-LPC leaders have a relationship-motivated style.
      • Low-LPC leaders have a task-motivated style.
    • Implications of Fiedler’s contingency model.
      • Task-motivated leaders have more effective groups under conditions of low or high situational control.
      • Relationship-motivated leaders have more effective groups under conditions of moderate situational control.
    • Fiedler’s cognitive resource theory.
      • Cognitive resources are abilities or competencies.
      • A leader’s use of directive or nondirective behavior depends on:
        • The leader’s or subordinates group members’ ability or competency.
        • Group support of the leader.
      • Directedness is most helpful for performance when the leader is:
      • Otherwise non directedness is preferred.
    • Evaluation and application of Fiedler’s contingency theory
      • Controversy regarding what LPC actually measures
      • Leaders match training
        • Leaders are trained to diagnose the situation to match their LPC scores with situational control.
        • Also shows how situational control variable can be changed to obtain a match.