WGU C203 Ch. 5 Contingency & Situational Leadership

Supportive Path-Goal Leadership Style

(similar to relationship motivated) displays concern for group members' well-being and creates an emotionally supportive climate. The supportive leader enhances morale when group members work on dissatisfying, stressful, or frustrating tasks. Group members who are unsure of themselves prefer the supportive leadership style.

Directive Path-Goal Leadership Style

(similar to task motivated) emphasizes formal activities such as planning, organizing, and controlling. When the task is unclear, the directive style improves morale.

Normative Decision-Making Styles

1. Decide. The leader makes the decision alone and either announces or sells it to the group. The leader might use expertise in collecting information from the group or from others who appear to have information relevant to the problem. 2.Consult (Individually). The leader presents the problem to the group members individually, gathers their suggestions, and then makes the decision. 3.Consult (Group). The leader presents the problem to group members in a meeting, gathers their suggestions, and then makes the decision. 4.Facilitate. The leader presents the problem and then acts as a facilitator, defining the problem to be solved and the boundaries in which the decision must be made. The leader wants concurrence and avoids having his or her ideas receive more weight based on position power. 5.Delegate. The leader permits the group to make the decision within prescribed limits. Although the leader does not directly intervene in the group's deliberations unless explicitly asked, he or she works behind the scenes, providing resources and encouragement.

The control classifications are determined by rating the situation on its three dimensions:

1. leader-member relations measure how well the group and the leader get along; 2. task structure measures how clearly the procedures, goals, and evaluation of the job are defined; and 3. position power measures the leader's authority to hire, fire, discipline, and grant salary increases to group members. Leader-member relations contribute as much to situation favorability as do task structure and position power combined. The leader therefore has the most control in a situation in which relationships with members are the best.

Situational Leadership II (SLII) by Blanchard

A model of leadership that explains how to match the leadership style to capabilities of group members on a given task.

Normative Decision Model-Victor Vroom

A view of leadership as a decision-making process in which the leader examines certain factors within the situation to determine which decision-making style will be the most effective.

Crisis Leadership Attributes

Be Decisive Lead with Compassion Reestablish the Usual Work Routine Avoid a Circle-the-Wagons Mentality Display Optimism Prevent Crisis through Disaster Planning Provide Stable Performance Be a Transformational Leader

Path-Goal Theory

Developed by Robert House: An explanation of leadership effectiveness that specifies what the leader must do to achieve high productivity and morale in a given situation.

To achieve the outcomes of productivity and morale, the manager choses one of four leadership styles depending on the characteristics of the situation and the demands of the task.

Directive: Supportive Participative Achievement-Oriented

Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Contingency Theory

Leaders who adapt their style to different individuals within the group, or have different quality relationships with individual group members, are essentially practicing contingency leadership.

Least preferred coworker (LPC) scale

Measures the degree to which a leader describes favorably or unfavorably his or her least preferred coworker. Relatively favorable terms tends to be relationship motivated. In contrast, a person who describes this coworker in an unfavorable manner tends to be task motivated.

SLII explains that effective leadership depends on two independent behaviors: supporting and directing:

S-1: Directive Leader, high direction, low support D1—Enthusiastic Beginner. The learner has low competence but high commitment. S-2: Coaching Leader, high direct, high support D2—Disillusioned Learner. The individual has gained some competence but has been disappointed after having experienced several setbacks. Commitment at this stage is low. S3: Supportive Leader, low direct, high support D3—Capable but Cautious Performer. The learner has growing competence, yet commitment is variable. S4: Delegating Leader: low direct, low support D4—Self-Reliant Achiever. The learner has high competence and commitment

Achievement-Oriented Path-Goal Leadership Style

Sets challenging goals, pushes for work improvement, and sets high expectations for team members, who are also expected to assume responsibility. This leadership style works well with achievement-oriented team members and with those working on ambiguous and non-repetitive tasks.

Evidence-Based Leadership or Management

The approach whereby managers translate principles based on best evidence into organizational practices.

Fiedler's Contingency Theory of Leadership Effectiveness

The best style of leadership is determined by the situation in which the leader is working. The theory classifies a manager's leadership style as relationship motivated or task motivated. The theory states that task-motivated leaders perform the best in situations of both high control and low control. Relationship-motivated leaders perform the best in situations of moderate control.

Contingency Approach to Leadership

The contention that leaders are most effective when they make their behavior contingent upon situational forces, including group member characteristics.

Participative Path-Goal Leadership Style

The leader who is participative consults with group members to gather their suggestions, and then considers these suggestions seriously when making a decision. The participative leader is best suited for improving the morale of well-motivated employees who perform non-repetitive tasks.

Crisis Leadership

The process of leading group members through a sudden and largely unanticipated, intensely negative, and emotionally draining circumstance

Contingency Factors to consider when choosing a path-goal leadership style:

The type of subordinates is determined by how much control they think they have over the environment (locus of control) and by how well they think they can do the assigned task.