Fiedler's Contingency Model

Definition

Fiedler's Contingency Model is a leadership theory that suggests the effectiveness of a leader's style is contingent on the favorability of the situation. It proposes that different leadership styles are best suited for different situations, and that the leader's ability to lead is contingent on various situational factors.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Fiedler's Contingency Model proposes that a leader's effectiveness is determined by the interaction between their leadership style and the favorability of the situation.
2. The model uses the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale to measure a leader's motivational orientation, which can be either task-oriented or relationship-oriented.
3. Situational favorability is determined by three factors: leader-member relations, task structure, and position power.
4. Task-oriented leaders perform best in situations with high or low situational favorability, while relationship-oriented leaders perform best in moderately favorable situations.
5. The model suggests that leaders should be placed in situations that match their leadership style, or that the leader's style should be modified to fit the situation.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale is used to determine a leader's motivational orientation in Fiedler's Contingency Model.
  • The Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale is a measure used in Fiedler's Contingency Model to determine a leader's motivational orientation. A leader who scores high on the LPC scale is considered to be relationship-oriented, meaning they are more focused on maintaining good interpersonal relationships with their followers. Conversely, a leader who scores low on the LPC scale is considered to be task-oriented, meaning they are more focused on accomplishing the task at hand. This distinction in motivational orientation is a key component of Fiedler's model, as it suggests that different leadership styles are more effective in different situational contexts.
• Describe the three factors that determine the situational favorability in Fiedler's Contingency Model and explain how they influence a leader's effectiveness.
  • The three factors that determine the situational favorability in Fiedler's Contingency Model are: leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. Leader-member relations refer to the degree of trust, confidence, and respect between the leader and their followers. Task structure refers to the degree of clarity and structure in the tasks that need to be accomplished. Position power refers to the amount of authority and influence the leader has over their followers. The interaction of these three factors creates a situation that is more or less favorable for the leader to exert their influence. For example, a situation with good leader-member relations, high task structure, and strong position power would be considered highly favorable, while a situation with poor leader-member relations, low task structure, and weak position power would be considered highly unfavorable.
• Evaluate how Fiedler's Contingency Model suggests that leaders should be matched to situations or that their leadership style should be modified to fit the situation, and explain the potential benefits and drawbacks of each approach.
  • Fiedler's Contingency Model suggests two ways to improve a leader's effectiveness: matching the leader to the situation or modifying the leader's style to fit the situation. Matching the leader to the situation involves placing a task-oriented leader in a highly favorable or highly unfavorable situation, or a relationship-oriented leader in a moderately favorable situation. The potential benefit of this approach is that it leverages the leader's natural strengths and allows them to be most effective. However, the drawback is that it may not always be feasible to find the perfect match between a leader and a situation. The alternative approach is to modify the leader's style to fit the situation. This could involve training a task-oriented leader to be more relationship-oriented, or vice versa. The potential benefit of this approach is that it allows for more flexibility and adaptability in leadership, but the drawback is that it may be more challenging to fundamentally change a leader's natural style and orientation.

Related terms

Situational Leadership: A leadership approach that suggests the most effective leadership style depends on the readiness or maturity level of the followers.

Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) Scale: A measure used in Fiedler's model to determine a leader's motivational orientation, which can be task-oriented or relationship-oriented.

Situational Favorability: The degree to which a given situation enables a leader to exert influence over their group, as determined by leader-member relations, task structure, and position power.