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The document discusses Contingency Theory in leadership, which posits that a leader's effectiveness is contingent upon the match between their leadership style and the situational context. It outlines different leadership styles, situational variables, and the LPC scale used to measure leadership effectiveness. The theory has both pros, such as empirical support and predictive capabilities, and cons, including limitations in explaining leader effectiveness and clarity issues with the LPC scale.

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3 views

Contingency Theory latest

The document discusses Contingency Theory in leadership, which posits that a leader's effectiveness is contingent upon the match between their leadership style and the situational context. It outlines different leadership styles, situational variables, and the LPC scale used to measure leadership effectiveness. The theory has both pros, such as empirical support and predictive capabilities, and cons, including limitations in explaining leader effectiveness and clarity issues with the LPC scale.

Uploaded by

rsaif7651
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Leadership Power and Influence

CHAPTER 5
Contingency Theory to Leadership
Faculty Member:

Dr. Md. Musharrof Hossain

(Recipient of lifetime HR Achievement and


Global HR Excellence Awards)
Overview
 Contingency Theory Approach Perspective
 Leadership Styles
 Situational Variables
 Research Findings of Leader Style Effectiveness
 How Does the Approach Work?
Contingency Theory
• This is a leader match theory because it tries to
match leaders to appropriate situations
• A leader’s effectiveness depends on how well
the leader’s style fits the context
• The theory was developed by studying the
styles of leaders in situations and whether they
were effective (primarily in military
organizations)
• Concerned with styles and situations
Contingency Theory
• Leadership styles are either task motivated or
relationship motivated
• Situations have three factors: leader-member
relations, task structure and position power
LPC Scale
• Used to measure a person’s leadership style
• For example, it measures your style by having
you describe a coworker with whom you had
difficulty completing a job. (not necessarily
someone you dislike, but someone with
whom you least like to work with)
• After you choose this person, the LPC
instrument asks you to describe your
coworker on 18 sets of adjectives
Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) Scale
Pleasant 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Unpleasant
Friendly 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Unfriendly
Rejecting 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Accepting
Tense 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Relaxed
Cold 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Warm
Supportive 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Hostile
Boring 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Interesting
Quarrelsome 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Harmonious
Gloomy 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cheerful
Open 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Closed
Backbiting 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Loyal
Untrustworthy 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Trustworthy
Considerate 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Inconsiderate
Nasty 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Nice
Agreeable 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Disagreeable
Insincere 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sincere
Kind 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Unkind
Scoring
• Your final score is the total of the numbers you
circled on the 18 scales
57 or less = Low LPC (task motivated)
58-63 = Middle LPC (socio-independent leaders,
self directed and not overly concerned with the
task or with how others view them)
64 or above = High LPC (motivated by
relationships)
Contingency Theory
• How it works
By measuring a leader’s LPC score and three
situational variables, one can predict whether
the leader is going to be successful in a
particular setting.
It is important to note that contingency theory
stresses that leaders are NOT successful in all
situations.
Contingency Theory
Pros
• Empirical research supports this theory
• Includes the impact of situations on leaders
• This theory is predictive and therefore provides useful
information about the type of leadership that is most
likely to be successful in a specific context
• Does not require people to be successful in all
situations (perfection is not required)
• Data from this theory could be useful to organizations
in developing leadership profiles
Contingency Theory
Cons
• Fails to fully explain why people with certain
leadership styles are more effective in situations than
others
• Questions regarding the LPC scale have been made
because it does not correlate well with other standard
leadership measures.
• LPC instructions are not clear – leaders are unsure how
to choose a least preferred coworker
• Also fails to explain what to do when there is a
mismatch between the leader and the situation in the
workplace
Research Findings of Leader Style Effectiveness

• Reasons for leader mismatch ineffectiveness:


 Leader style doesn’t match a particular
situation; stress and anxiety result
 Under stress, leader reverts to less mature
coping style learned in earlier development
 Leader’s less mature coping style results in
poor decision making and consequently
negative work outcomes
Thank you

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