Leadership still remains a widely discussed concept in most literature. While there is a complete difference between leadership and management, there is a link in between the two since leading is one of the functions of management (Robert, 2015). Frederick Fiedler is one of the less thought and talked of management thinker that developed one of the earliest and most influential theory of leadership; the contingency theory. While most people would question in relevance to the modern day business, there is a very great connection between the success of a business and the leadership
style used by the managers (Latham, 2015). With globalization managers are required to be more of leaders in their daily undertakings than controllers. This essay looks into the contingency theory by Frederick Fiedler and its contribution to the management function while still looking at the link it has with other management theories.
This essay focuses on the contingency theory and then evaluates how it is related to the management function. It then envisages the general applications of the theory in the modern day business before making a suggestion that would be of importance in the practice of management as well as literature.
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
Frederick Fiedler proposed that leadership can be measured using a scale that is referred by most literature as Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale. In this theory the people who fill the survey are questioned of their least preferred co worker. The individual is then rated in terms of some identified parameters (Mindtools.com, 2015). The parameters include friendly, nice, corporative, harmonious, interesting, open, considerate, sincere, kind, trustworthy, cheerful, harmonious, supportive and warm among other attributes as well as their opposites (Boundless.com, 2015). According to the theory there are task and people related personalities. According to the theory there are three core elements that order a given leader’s ability to control the situation (Curlee & Gordon, 2011). The elements include task structure, positioning poser and member/ leader relations. It is on this basis that most managers try to know their employees better while others focus on getting the job done (Mindtools.com, 2015). The bottom-line of the theory is that there is no single leadership style that will work for all the employees. Instead, there are contingent-situational factors that influence the leader’s ability to lead (Boundless.com, 2015). A good match between the leadership style and the situational demands often proves the effectiveness of the employees. From such situations arises situational favorableness or control and leadership style (Curlee & Gordon, 2011). The leadership style is determined by the aforementioned rating of a leaders’ LPC on the LPC scale (Boundless.com, 2015). The scale has a range of 1 to 8 in the parameters stated earlier. The leader who scores high is said to be relationship oriented (Kadian-Baumeyer, 2015).
Contribution to Management Function
Managers are presented with various situations calling for them to act rationally as the situation deems fits. Managers in this case can fall in high LPC or high LPC depending on the scores from the tally. The high LPC leader is therefore bound to establish working relationships with the employees and is likely to avoid conflicts. Consequently, the leader has the ability to partake complex decisions as the situation demands. On the other hand low LPC leaders are task oriented. This means that the leader assigns duties to the subordinates and cares less about the relationship between them. While a high LPC leader is effective in favorable situations, low LPC leaders perform best in both favorable and unfavorable situations (Mindtools.com, 2015). The theory suggests that the style of leadership is defined by the situation. This would mean therefore that, whenever there is need for fast decision making, high PLC leaders will perform better than their counterparts (Kadian-Baumeyer, 2015). However, in situations where high production is demanded low LPC leaders will fare well whether or not the subordinates like the style or not (Mindtools.com, 2015). Situational favorableness is a threefold concept. It is defined by high leader/ member relations, task structure and leadership position power. Leader member relations define the level of trust, confidence and respect between the leader and the subordinates (Kadian-Baumeyer, 2015). Task structure on the other hand may mean the structure of workers and the tasks that are defined. Lastly, leadership position power refers to the degree to which the leader affects the intrinsic power in their position (Kadian-Baumeyer, 2015). When there is all these three integrated within an organization, the situation is considered favorable.
How Businesses Apply Contingency Theory
Contingency approach model forms the arsenal of most contemporary business organizations. This management theory has been applied in large and small businesses that are faced by different situations calling for rational acting of the managers (Lister, 2015). Through the approach the management of various businesses are empowered to create specific and integrated solutions that are aimed at defusing the mysteries at the workplace and meet the objectives of the business; client satisfaction (Lister, 2015). As a result of this approach, most businesses have achieved highly specialized tasks especially where the managers have assigned the competent workforce under them. Managers have been able to offer solutions through assigning employees tasks based on their skills, developing strategies to be used in meeting deadlines, and coming up with rational plan of action (Lister, 2015). Whenever a risk occurs managers have been able to use this approach to respond amicably. One of the functions of management is assigning specific tasks to the employees (Latham, 2015). The managers are therefore pressurized to ensure the success of the projects (Lister, 2015). Most managers’ ability to lead the company have been measured based on the success or failure of their projects calling for an in-depth research. With this theory the management is able to exert some control over the employees. Participative decision making is not allowed in this context. Through the theory management functions such as controlling, leading, planning, and organizing (Robert, 2015).
Conclusion
The contingency leadership theory has its own implications on management. First off, the manager can adopt any leadership style as the situation demands (Latham, 2015). Secondly, managers have to match themselves with the job situations so as to achieve organizational effectiveness (Mindtools.com, 2015). It is on this basis that the management can decide on the approach of training identified leaders for succession planning so as to ensure the continuity of the leadership method and style. In this case the management functions are reflected by the decision made by the manager in different situations (Curlee & Gordon, 2011). The modern day business is faced with many challenges calling for different decision making approaches that are ensured by contingency model. Research needs to be done to establish the link between this theory and other theories of leadership applicable in management profession and literature (Curlee & Gordon, 2011). This would give an insight on the proper management leadership style that is all rounded.
References
Boundless.com. (2015). The Contingency Viewpoint. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/organizational-theory-3/modern-thinking-31/the-contingency-viewpoint-178-1461/
Curlee, W., & Gordon, R. L. (2011). Complexity theory and project management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Kadian-Baumeyer, K. (2015). Fiedler's Contingency Theory & a Leader's Situational Control - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/fiedlers-contingency-theory-a-leaders-situational-control.html
Latham, A. (2015). The Advantages of Fiedler's Contingency Model | Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-fiedlers-contingency-model-18368.html
Lister, J. (2015). Contingency Approach Use in Business | Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/contingency-approach-use-business-33893.html
Mindtools.com. (2015). Fiedler's Contingency Model - Leadership Skills From MindTools.com. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/fiedler.htm
Roberts, C. (2015). Five Functions of Management & Leading | Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-functions-management-leading-56418.html
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