Contingency Model of Leadership PDF

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Contingency Model of Leadership...

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CONTINGENCY MODEL OF LEADEARSHIP

The contingency model of leadership

This model assumes that a leader’s effectiveness is contingent on whether or not their leadership style suits a particular situation. According to this model, an individual can be an effective leader in one circumstance and an ineffective leader in another one. To maximize the likelihood of being a productive leader, this model posits that one should be able to examine each situation and decide if the leadership style is going to be effective or not. In most cases, this requires selfawareness and adaptability. In the workplace, there are dozens of factors that can affect a leader’s effectiveness. These includes;        

Size of the team Scope of a project Expected delivery date for a result Maturity level of the employees Relationships between coworkers Employees’ morale Goals and objectives Company policies

Different leaders, each with unique leadership styles, will respond to these variables in different ways. Contingency model would say that no matter how successful a leader is, there will always be a particular situation that will challenge them. Therefore, leaders must be willing to acknowledge the fact that their success depends partially on their circumstances in addition to their personal skills. Hence, to lead their team well, managers and supervisors may need to either adapt their leadership style to the current situation or delegate some of their leadership responsibilities to a coworker. Example situation: Considering a company manager, named Timothy, who finds it much easier to communicate in writing rather than in person. So, he usually encourages his team by sending them thoughtful emails at the end of every project. However, there is a new employee in the office who is not very receptive to written communication. To connect with this employee, Timothy will need to either try to change his method and encourage this employee in person or he will have to assign this task to the assistant manager. In this example, Timothy is not a chronically-ineffective leader. He is a good leader who is facing an unexpected challenge. If Timothy accepts the fact that he will need to adapt to his situation instead of trying to force his usual methods, he can still be a highly-productive leader who encourages his team effectively.

References:

Fiedler's Contingency Model. (2020). Retrieved from Mind Tools: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/fiedler.htm S., B. (2020). Contingency Theory: Definition and Significance to Organizational Behavior. Retrieved from Study.Com: https://study.com/academy/lesson/contingency-theory-definition-and-significance-toorganizational-behavior.html...