Contingency Theories of Leadership - 659 Words

Contingency Theories of Leadership Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa are just few of the names that come to mind whenever we think of great leaders. They have a vision of what they want and have the ability to communicate their vision in order to gain the support and cooperation of their followers. Often we find it easy to identify great leaders yet it is difficult to explain the qualities that make them great. In comparison, Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher reinforce the fact that leaders have very different qualities and that leadership success is more complex than just identifying few traits or preferable behaviors. People who were studying the leadership phenomena then turned to the idea†¦show more content†¦A good example is the Arthurian Legend Ââ€" King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The leader and his chosen few share the same principle of living a life of chivalry and honor. They are first among equals and are always first in battle, always th e most valiant. Camelot is an utopian democratic system because of this rule of the righteous. This happens only if righteous leaders choose equally righteous people. The Path Goal theory states that it is the leaders job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization. The Italian football that won the recently concluded World Cup owes their victory to the leadership of their coach. He designed his game strategies that made individual roles in the team clearly designed so that each player performed to his own strength. The Leader Participation model is a leadership theory that provides a set of rules to determine the form and amount of participative decision making in different situations. This Model was developed by Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton and has since been revised because of its complexity. From a practical point of view, the model is still too complicated for managers to use on a regular basis. Although a computer program has been developed to make it simpler forShow MoreRelatedContingency Theories of Leadership1622 Words   |  7 PagesContingency Theories of Leadership Name Class Affiliation Instructor Date Leadership is considered by psychologists and organizational researchers as one of the most multifaceted and complex phenomena (Field Seters, 1990). As a result of its complexity, leadership is one of the most misconceived phenomenon in the whole world. This prompted the researchers to come up with various foundational theories which helped to shed more light about leadership (Burns, 1978). ThusRead MoreLeadership Theory : Contingency Theories1235 Words   |  5 PagesLeadership Theory: Contingency Theories It has been determined that there a number of leaders who change their leadership style depending on the situation at hand. For instance, leaders who feel threatened by its followers including persons whom they perceived to be a threat to their assumption of powers tend to become authoritative as a survival tactic. This can be seen in the current world among most leaders across the globe. Contingency theory has been proposed to explain this behavior. This paperRead MoreContingency Leadership Theories and Effective Leadership800 Words   |  4 PagesContingency Leadership Theories and Effective Leadership Contingency leadership theories attempt to define leadership style, the situation, and answer the if-then contingencies. Situational leadership theory is a contingency theory that focuses on followers’ readiness: the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. Path-goal theory states that it is the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide direction or support neededRead MoreEssay on Contingency Theory of Leadership616 Words   |  3 PagesContingency Theory of Leadership The most popular and extensively researched situational theory of leadership was first proposed by Fred Piedler during the 1960s. Fiedlers model claims that group performance depends on the interaction of the leader style and the favorableness of the situation. Fiedlers major contributions consist of(l) iden-tifying the leadership orientation of the leader and developing a way to measure it, and (2) identifying three situational factors influencing leadershipRead MoreThe Situational Approach And Contingency Theories Of Leadership830 Words   |  4 Pagessituational approach and contingency theories of leadership. As looked through various theories, I found the situational approach theory and the contingency theory to be particularly interesting. As the eldest sibling, I have always thought of myself as some type of â€Å"leader†, often making decisions and taking the initiative. As I grew older, I realized that there were situations where there were people better prepared for various challenges. Consequently, I found myself in leadership positions at differentRead MoreSituational And Contingency Theories Of Leadership Training1785 Words   |  8 PagesLeadership is a subject that has gained substantial attention in pretty much every field. There have been a number of studies done on leadership, which has resulted in a number of different theories. Situational and Contingency are two theories that are most commonly used in leadership training. Both fall under the contingency theory umbrella and are also commonly used interchangeable and often consider as one theory. Situational and Contingency theory are identical but they are two very differentRead MoreThe s Contingency Theory Of Leadership Effectiveness820 Words   |  4 PagesAs most of us are aware the Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership effectiveness is based on studies of group effectiveness, and relationships between leaders and organizational performance. Understanding teams and h ow to communicate while working on projects is a major dilemma when first starting a project. It is important for managers in the field to have the skills needed to successfully form and manage a team (Senaratne, S., Gunawardane, S., 2015). Managers has to have an understandingRead MoreTheories Of Leadership : Trait, Behaviours And Contingency Approaches1963 Words   |  8 PagesApproaches to leadership There are three basic approaches to studying and describing leadership: trait, behaviours and contingency approaches. ïÆ' ¼ Leadership traits Assumes that great leaders posses a set of stable and enduring traits or characteristic that set them apart from followers .Adherents of this theory attempted to identity these traits so that they could be used be used as a common traits such as intelligence, height , self confidence and attractivenessRead MoreDescribe The Differences Between The Universal And The Contingency Leadership Theories2049 Words   |  9 Pagesï » ¿9. Describe the differences between the universal and the contingency leadership theories. Explain your answer in sufficient detail to demonstrate your understanding. Be specific using the materials in your text and not a generalized or philosophical statement. Hint: both the trait and behavioral leadership theories were attempts to find the â€Å"one best leadership style in all situations†; thus they are called universal leader theories. According to Stogdill and Mann, it was illustrated that traitsRead MoreLeadership Theory Analysis And Application862 Words   |  4 PagesLeadership Theory Analysis and Application There are many different leadership theories that have been proposed, tested, and studied over the years. Many organizations utilize these theories and practices to collect and analyze data within their own organizations which may allow them to find ways of increasing the effectiveness of their company. Although there are not any theories deemed completely perfect in leadership, many have been given lots of validity based on the and studies done involving