MHR 4020 Ch. 5
-high control (highly favorable) and low control (highly unfavorable) -moderate control (moderately favorable)
Overall findings of Fiedler's theory states that task-motivated leaders perform the best in situations of both ____ and ____. Relationship-motivated leaders perform the best in situations of ____.
Situational leadership II (SLII)
developed by Kenneth H. Blanchard and his colleagues which explains how to match leadership style to the capabilities of group members on a given task. It is designed to increase frequency and quality of conversations about performance and professional development between managers and group members so that competence is developed, commitment takes place and turnover among talented workers is reduced. (Leaders are taught to use the leadership style that matches or responds to the needs of the situation)
characteristics of group members and demands of the task
The path goal theory is so complex that it is helpful to consider an overview before studying more of the details. The major proposition of path-goal theory is that manager should choose a leadership style that takes into account of the...
Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale
While measuring leadership style, this measures the degree to which a leader describes favorably or unfavorably his or her_____- that is, an employee with whom he or she could work the least well. (Favorable is relationship motivated, unfavorable is task motivated) (Rated from Pleasant to Unpleasant and Tense to relaxed)
1. be decisive 2. Lead with compassion 3. Think strategically (see the big picture) 4. Reestablish the usual work routine 5. Avoid a circle-the-wagons mentality 6. Display optimism 7. Prevent the crisis through disaster planning 8. stay calm and provide stable performance 9. be a transformational leader
9 ways a leader should behave during a time of crisis are 1. The best accepted principle of crisis leadership is that the leader should take decisive action to remedy the situation of a crisis 2. Displaying compassion with the concerns, anxieties, and frustrations of a group member is a key interpersonal skill for crisis leadership (eases the pain and inspires others to act as well) 3. During an organizational crisis, this cognitive skill increases in importance because subordinates may become so mired in the crisis that they see no way out (the effective crisis leader helps the group understand that conditions will soon change for the better 4. An effective way of helping people deal with a workplace crisis is to encourage them to return to their regular work. It is important for workers to express their feelings about the crisis before refocusing on work, but once they have, returning to work helps ground them in reality and restores purpose to their lives 5. One of the worst ways to lead a group through a crisis is to strongly defend yourself against critics or deny any wrongdoing. 6. An optimistic leader can help energize group members to overcome the bad times. The effective crisis leader draws action plans that give people hope for a better future. 7. A key part of planning for a disaster, for example, is to anticipate where you might set up a temporary workplace 8. Remaining steady under crisis conditions contributes to effectiveness because it helps team members cope with the situation 9. The transformational leader can often lead the organization out of its misery and likely to benefit the troubled organizations both in dealing with the immediate crisis and in performing better in the long run
flexible enough to avoid clinging to old ideas that no longer fit the current circumstances (effective leader adapts to changing circumstances)
A useful perspective on implementing contingency leadership is that the manager must be...
-relationship motivated or task motivated -Leadership style is relatively permanent aspect of behavior and thus difficult to modify
According to Fiedler's Contingency theory of leadership effectiveness, the theory classifies a manager's leadership style as...
S1: Directing leadership style (high on directing and low on supporting behaviors) D1: Enthusiastic Beginner (Low competence but high commitment) S2: Coaching Leadership style (high on directing and high on supporting behaviors) D2: Disillusioned learner (Some competence but low commitment) S3: Supporting Leadership style (Low on directing and high on supporting behaviors) D3: Capable but cautious performer (Growing competence and variable commitment) S4: Delegating Leadership style (Low on directing and low on supporting behaviors D4: Self-reliant achiever (Highest level of commitment and competence)
According to SLII (managing the relationship between a leader and a subordinate on a given task), effective leaders adapt their behavior to the level of commitment and competence of a particular subordinate to complete a given task. The combination of the subordinate's commitment and competence determines his or her developmental level. SLII explains that effective leadership depends on two independent behaviors: supporting (relationship behaviors) and directing (task-related behaviors):
-commitment and competence -developmental level
According to the basics of the SLII, the combination of the subordinates _____ and _____ determines their _____
1.) consultative or collaborative decision making style 2.) A decide decision making style
Although applying the model in its true form is complicated and subject to misinterpretation, the takeaway from the model provides useful clues about making a group versus individual decisions as follows: 1.) is likely to bring about the best results when (a) you need information from others to solve the problem in question (b) the problem is not clearly defined, (c) team member acceptance of the decision is important, and (d) you have sufficient time to deal with a group decision 2.) (making the decision by yourself) is recommended when (a) you have more expertise than the individual group members, (b) you are confident about your ability to make the decision in question, (c) the team will most likely accept your decision, and (d) the time available for decision making is limited
(1) leader-member relations (2) task structure (3) position power
Fiedler's contingency theory classifies situations as high, moderate, and low control. The more control that the leader exercises, the more favorable the situation is for the leader. The control classifications are determined by rating the situation on its three dimensions: (1) measures how well the group and leader get along (2) measures how clearly the procedures, goals, and evaluation of the job are defined (3) measures the leader's authority to hire, fire, discipline, and grant salary increases to group members
Crisis leadership
Leading during a crisis can be regarded as contingenct leadership because the situation demands that the leader emphasize certain behaviors, attitudes and traits. This is the process of leading group members through a sudden and largely unanticipated, intensely negative and emotionally draining circumstances.
1. Leaders tend to give group members of their in-group more favorable performance ratings than they give to out-group members, even when their objective performance is the same. This finding reflects the idea that the leader might be kinder toward group members he or she likes. 2. Leaders do not always develop entirely different relationships with each group member, but may respond the same way to a few members of the group (leader might show equal care and trust for three members of an 8 person team) 3. In larger groups, there tends to be more differences with respect to leader-member exchanges. As a result, the leader of a large group is more likely to use a slightly different style with various group members such as being more authoritarian with several of the group members 4. A manager is more likely to act as a servant leader toward subordinates with whom he or she has high-quality exchange. As a consequence, in-group members are likely to perceive that they have a leader who is working on their behalf 5. Leaders are more likely to empower group members with whom they have a high-quality exchange (or good relationship) because they are more likely to trust those members. Research suggest, however, that better results for organization will be attained if leaders attempt to have high quality relationships with more group members and empower them at the same time 6. Larger differences in leader-member exchanges tend to lead to higher team performance when the LMX-quality median is low (meaning that group members tend to have poor exchanges with the leader). When the LMX quality median is high, differences in leader-member exchanges are not related to team performance
Several conclusions from LMX research suggest a contingency approach to leadership:
Competent people require less specific direction than do less competent people
Situational leadership represents a consensus of thinking about leadership behavior in relation to group members (SLII presents categories and guidelines so precisely that it gives the impression of infallibility (inability of being wrong), In reality, leadership situations are less clear cut (not always the case)than the four quadrants suggests):
-leadership style can be either task or relationship motivated (balance between the behaviors) -leaders are regarded in having a consistent style of task or relationship orientation -Leadership style is enduring and difficult to change because people like routine or status quo
The contingency theory is too complicated to have much of an impact on most leaders. A major problem centers on matching the situation to the leader. In most situations, the amount of control the leader exercises varies from time to time. The basic takeaway of leadership styles according to Fiedler:
(1) Decision significance (2) Importance of Commitment (3) Leader expertise (4) Likelihood of commitment (5) Group support (6) Group expertise (7) Team competence
The leader diagnoses the situation in terms of seven variables, or contingency factors that contribute to selecting the most appropriate of the five decision-making style (the model has two versions: one when time is critical, and one when a more important consideration is developing group members decision-making capabilities (1) The significance of the decision the success of the project or organization (significance deals with decision quality) (2) The importance of team members commitment to the decision (commitment deals with decision acceptance) (3) Your knowledge or expertise in relation to the problem (4) The likelihood that the team will commit itself to a decision you might make on your own (5) The degree to which the team supports the organization's objectives at stake in the problem (6) Team member's knowledge or expertise in relation to the problem (7) The ability of the team members to work together in solving problems
-Enthusiastic beginners (D1) require directing leader (S1) -Disillusioned learners (D2) need a coaching leader (S2) -Capable but cautious performers (D3) need supporting leader (S3) -Self-reliant achievers (D4) need delegating leader (S4)
The most appropriate leadership style among S1 to S4 corresponds to the subordinate developmental levels of D1 to D4:
(1) Decide (2) Consult (individually) (3) Consult (Group) (4) Facilitate (5) Delegate
The normative model identifies 5 decision-making styles, each reflecting a different degree of participation by group members (1) The leader makes the decision alone and either announces or sells it to the group (2) The leader presents the problem to the group members individually, gather their suggestions and then makes the decision (3) The leader presents the problem to group members in a meeting, gathers their suggestions, and then makes the decision (4) 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 (5) The leader permits the group to make the decision within prescribed limits (similar to laissez-faire)
-Improve leader-member relations through displaying an interest in the personal welfare of group members -Increase task structure by engaging in behaviors related to initiating structure. -Exercise more position power by requesting more formal authority from higher management
To increase control over the situation, leaders can do one or more of the following: -(examples such as, having meals with them, actively listening to their concerns, telling anecdotes, and in general being a nice person) -(examples such as, being more specific about expectations, providing deadlines, showing samples of acceptable work, and providing written instructions) -(For example, the leader might let it be known that they have the authority to grant bonuses and make strong recommendations for promotion.)
(1) Directive style (2) Supportive style (3) Participative style (4) Achievement-oriented style
To use the path-goal theory, the leader must first assess the relevant variables in the environment. Then he or she selects one of the four styles listed next that fits those contingency factors best: (1) similar to task motivated, the leader with this style emphasizes formal activities such as planning, organizing, and controlling when the task is unclear, this style improves morale (2) similar to relationship motivated, this style displays concern for group members' well-being and creates an emotionally supportive climate, this leader enhances morale when group members work on uncomfortable tasks. Group members who are unsure of themselves prefer this style (3) The leader who uses this style consults with group members to gather their suggestions and then consider these suggestions seriously when making a decision. This style is best suited for improving the morale of well-motivated employees who perform nonrepetitive tasks (4)The leader with this syle sets challenging goals, pushes for work improvement, and sets high expectations for team members, who are also expected to assume responsibility
1. Organizational effectiveness is affected by situational factors not under the leader control 2. Situations shape how leaders behave 3. Situations influence the consequences of leader behavior 4. The type of organization influences which leadership approach is the best
Victor H. Vroom and Arthur G Jago have identified 4 conclusions about the role of situations in leadership which are geared to support the idea that leadership involves motivating others to work collaboratively in the pursuit of a common goal. The 4 conclusions are... 1. The leader might be able to influence the situation, yet some situational factors are beyond the leader's complete control 2. Contingency theorists believe that forces in the situation are three times as strong as the leader's personal characteristics in shaping his or her behavior. (How leaders behave is substantially influenced by environmental forces) 3. A specific type of leadership behavior might have different outcomes in different situations. (leader behavior of empowerment illustrates this idea) 4. Mintzberg has identified the form of organization as a key situational variable influencing which approach to leadership is likely to be most effective. (Two examples are the entrepreneurial organization: engage in considerable doing and dealing as well as creating visions. Machine organization: or classic bureaucracy in which the leader will engage in a considerable amount of controlling.
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
Evidence-based leadership or management
an approach whereby managers translate principles based on best evidence into organizational practices. Quite often the best evidence is empirical (based on experience)and recent (for example, research indicates that empowerment is more likely to succeed with group members whose cultural values favor a manager or leader sharing power. This is not widely practiced but taking the study of leadership and management seriously will move managers and organizations toward basing their practices and decisions on valid evidence)
contingency approach to leadership
is that leaders are the most effective when they make their behavior contingent on situational forces, including group member characteristics. Both the internal and external environments have a significant impact on leader effectiveness. (This perspective on leadership is that effective leaders are those who change their leadership style based on the situation)
Path-Goal Theory of leadership effectiveness
this is rooted in the equity theory, this theory was developed by Robert House of Robco and which specifies what a leader must do to achieve high productivity and morale in a given situation. In general, a leader attempts to clarify the path to a goal for group members so that the group member receives personal payoffs. At the same time, this group member's job satisfactions and performance increase.
normative decision model
Another contingency viewpoint is that leaders must choose a style that elicits the correct degree of group participation when making decisions. ___________ views 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
Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory
Another perspective on the contingency approach is suggested by this. 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
-Directive, supportive, participative and achievement-oriented -Productivity and moral
-Leadership style according to the path-goal theory are... -In which it leads to outcomes such as an increase in...
-the authority of the leader and the nature of the subordinates -characteristics of group members)
-The two contingency approaches to leadership presented so far take into account the task... -(Another explanation of contingency leadership places primary emphasis on the...
Task motivated high control -leader-member relations are good -the task is well structured -the leader has high position power Relationship motivated moderate control -both favorable and unfavorable factors are present Task motivated low control -leader-member relations are poor -task is poorly structured -the leader has a low position of power
-task motivated leaders perform best when they have the most control (highly favorable) because they do not have to be concerned with the task, instead, they can work on relationships -Relationship-motivated leaders perform best when they have moderate control (moderately favorable) (achieves higher group productivity because they can work on relationships and not get involved in micromanaging, and want to give emotional support to group members - task motivated leaders perform best when they have low control (highly unfavorable) (is able to structure and make sense out of confusion)
1. recognize or activate group members needs over which the leader has control 2. Increase personal payoffs to team members for attaining work goals 3. make oaths to payoffs(rewards) easier by coaching and providing direction 4. help group members clarify their expectations of how effort will lead to good performance and how performance will lead to a reward 5. Reduce frustrating barriers to reaching goals 6. Increase opportunities for personal satisfactions if the group member performs effectively 7. Be careful not to irritate people by giving them instructions on things they already can do well 8. Leader must provide structure if it is missing and supply rewards contingent on adequate performance
8 steps that leaders can take to influence performance and satisfaction
(1) the group members tasks (2) the authority system within the organization (3) the work group
Environmental contingency factors are those that are not within the control of group members but influence satisfaction and task accomplishment. Three broad classifications of contingency factors in the environment are:
