What is Fiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership?
Fiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership was proposed by Fred Fiedler in the 1960s. The theory employs the Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) scale to categorize leaders either as task-motivated or people-motivated. The theory then appraises the favorableness of the situation and applies the leader-member relations, task structure, and position power to choose the right leadership style. One of the most acute criticisms of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory of Leadership is the fact that it has the subject that there is no ideal way of managing a group. On the contrary, leadership style effectiveness depends on the compatibility between the leader and the environmental circumstances.
Key Takeaways:
- Measured with the LPC scale; the leaders were categorized as task-oriented or relationship-oriented.
- These are leader-member relations which state that the leader’s relationship with subordinates influences their behavior, task structure which defines the way that tasks are specifically designed and coordinated, and position power which highlights the formal authority bestowed on the leader.
- It has been argued that for leadership to be effective, the focus should be placed on matching the leadership style to the right situational context.
- The theory also implies that a leader’s style is somewhat, rigid or not very likely to change in the course of the real leadership work.
- Another weakness of the LPC scale is that it is more or less a subjective type of assessment that makes it difficult, at times, to define the leadership style to be adopted.
Table of Content
- Concept of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
- Features of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
- Application of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
- Limitations of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions