Contingency Theory Of Leadership Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Contingency Theory Of Leadership?
The Contingency Theory of Leadership is a theory that argues that effective leadership is dependent upon the specific situation. The theory states that there is no single best style of leadership, and instead suggests that the most appropriate style must be matched to the particular context or situation at hand. The theory looks at various factors such as the leader’s personality, their experience, and the organizational environment. It then recommends an appropriate leadership style for the specific context.The contingency approach to leadership was first proposed by Fred Fiedler in 1967 and has since been developed by other theorists such as David Campbell and Richard Boyatzis. At its core, this theory emphasizes a leader’s ability to adapt their behavior based on different contexts or situations they may face within an organization or team. This adaptability allows them to adjust their strategy in order to best meet the needs of those they are leading at any given time.The Contingency Theory utilizes two main concepts: Leader-Member Relations (LMR) and Task Structure (TS). These two elements help define how successful a leader can be within any given situation by determining how much influence they will have over their subordinates, what types of resources are available, and how structured or unstructured tasks are conducted within an organization or team environment. LMR measures how close a relationship exists between leaders and followers while TS indicates how clear tasks are defined for employees as well as what resources are available to complete said tasks successfully. In practice, both concepts must be taken into consideration when choosing which type of leadership approach would best suit any given situation.