HROB

A high score in LPC indicates

"people-oriented" style motivated by relationships. these people derive their major satisfaction in an organization from interpersonal relationships.

A middle score in LPC indicates

"socioindependent" style motivated by relationships. these people derive their major satisfaction in an organization from interpersonal relationships.

A low score in the LPC indicates

"task-oriented" style. their primary needs are to accomplish tasks, and their secondary needs are focused on getting along with people.

What are the 3 aspects of Fiedler's Contingency Theory?

1) Leader2) Follower3) Situation

What two things make LPC a personality measure?

1) Scores believed to be stable and not easily changed 2) Leaders cannot change their style to match the situation

10 characteristics of servant leadership

1) listening2) empathy3) healing4) awareness5) persuasion6) conceptualization7) foresight8)stewardship9)commitment to the growth of people10) building community

To help determine your style Fiedler created?

A Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale to determine the style of a leader.

A VP of HR is new to the organization. Which action would be best for her to take during the first few weeks? A) Ask other members of the senior management team out for lunch & a chat. B) Be quiet & just try to learn by watching what others do. C) Prepare a critical analysis of the previous HR strategic plan to discuss with senior management. D) Quickly assemble a proposal for a strategic initiative to establish her reputation.

A) Ask other members of the senior management team out for lunch & a chat. Watching is a good idea, but the VP can learn more by actively seeking opportunities to ask questions about the goals of the organization & the perspectives and needs of other members of the senior management team. Without knowing enough organizational context & having identified allies, making proposals or criticizing past actions can be dangerous.

What leadership theory classifies leaders according to their concerns with people and tasks? A) Blake-Mouton theory B) Fiedler's theory C) Theory X/Theory Y D) Path-goal theory

A) Blake-Mouton theory (The Blake-Mouton theory of leadership emphasizes two areas a leader must focus on—production (i.e., the task itself) and the people performing the task (i.e., relationships with employees).

The authoritarian manager is characterized in which leadership theory? A) Blake-Mouton theory B) Fiedler's contingency theory C) Hersey-Blanchard theory D) Path-goal theory

A) Blake-Mouton theory (Under the Blake-Mouton theory, authoritarian managers expect people to do what they are told without question and tend not to foster collaboration.)

An HR manager has a highly experienced and high-performing staff who get along well with each other & with their internal clients. How would you advise this manager to approach the task of motivating this group? A) Consider what drives each member to perform. B) Provide group, rather than individual, bonuses. C) Provide the group with attainable but challenging assignments. D) Motivating will not be necessary. They are obviously self-motivated.

A) Consider what drives each member to perform. (Even though the group performs well as a unit, each member is probably motivated by a different factor. For example, accomplishments may drive some team members, while others are motivated by the team relationships & atmosphere. All individuals & teams, including high-performing 1s, benefit from motivation.)

Which best describes the reasoning for the development of a comprehensive organizational code of conduct policy? A) Defining behavioral and judgment expectations for all employees. B) Creating a safe and fair working environment for all employees. C) Ensuring transparency and openness between all employees. D) Providing technical and procedural guidelines of relevant laws.

A) Defining behavioral and judgment expectations for all employees. (A written code of conduct can help an organization promote ethical behavior. A formal, detailed, written code communicates organizational commitments internally, defines behavioral expectations for all employees, and serves as a guide by which employees and managers can judge their actions.)

A manager adjusts her leadership style to what is necessary for each employee depending on the employee's level of job development & maturity. Which leadership theory is the manager following? A) Hersey-Blanchard's situational theory B) Blake-Mouton's managerial theory C) Transformational leadership theory D) Fiedler's contingency theory

A) Hersey-Blanchard's situational theory Situational leadership theories emphasize that no single leadership style fits all needs. The question describes the Hersey-Blanchard approach in action: A leader adjusts her style to be most effective for a specific employee's psychological & job maturity. In contrast, Fiedler's contingency theory states that different situations (not employees) require different leadership styles. These situations are distinguished by the level of trust the leader has within the group, the clarity of the task to be performed, & the position power that the leader wields over the group.

An HR manager is asked by a senior manager to select an employee who has been mentored by the senior manager for an open position. This employee was not the manager's first choice for the job. What would be the most useful question for the manager to ask in sorting out the ethical implications of this situation? A) Is this action fair to everyone involved? B) Is this an ethical or a political question? C) What will my peers think of me when I change my mind? D) Am I sure of my original assessments of the candidates' qualifications?

A) Is this action fair to everyone involved? (The manager is ethically obliged to be fair in this process, offering both candidates equal consideration.)

In the contingency theory of leadership, which factors make a situation more favorable (i.e., more likely to produce positive outcomes)? A) Leader-member relations, clarity in tasks and roles, empowered leader. B) Positive task conflict, group creativity, "invisible" leader. C) Ambitious goals, clear direction from leader, emergent leader. D) Agile team members, collaborative processes, individual accountability.

A) Leader-member relations, clarity in tasks and roles, empowered leader. (In Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership, three factors determine the situational favorableness. Leader-member relations refers to the degrees of confidence, trust, and respect that followers have in their leaders. Task structure refers to the extent to which tasks are defined, while position power refers to the degree of influence a leader has over subordinates.)

A VP of HR has joined a senior leadership team charged with identifying possible acquisitions. The VP of HR has never worked with the other team members and barely knows them. Which action would best allow the VP to develop influence with these other team members? A) Take time to socialize with them. B) Tell them about how you have a self-interest in the project. C) Show respect for their high organizational positions. D) Influence is an attribute that cannot be directly controlled or created.

A) Take time to socialize with them. (The VP's efforts in increasing influence could start with active listening during socializing and taking that opportunity to understand the other team members' needs and perspectives. If you have been a good listener and have built trust in other ways, people may be more receptive to your efforts to educate, convince, or market ideas to them.)

An HR director wants resources to purchase new technology. The IT director is an obvious choice for an ally, but the finance director seems very enthusiastic and eager to help. How should the HR director approach this situation? A) Think more about what the finance director might want from this alliance. B) Decline the finance director's offer and focus on the IT director. C) Make the argument to management based on the initiative's merit rather than on its internal support. D) Accept finance's offer of help gratefully, since finance will be providing the necessary budget in the end.

A) Think more about what the finance director might want from this alliance. (Since the finance director will be less involved and affected by the initiative, the HR director should maintain a focus on the IT director and at the same time try to learn more about the finance director's motives and political power in the organization. The finance director may be beneficial to the HR director, so it would be a mistake to decline his or her help without further thought. Having additional political support would be an asset for the proposal.)

How can acceptance of a code of conduct be achieved in a global organization? A) Use words & phrases that are universally accepted. B) Include specific mention to regions where the organization is located. C) Create focus groups using home-country nationals. D) Solicit feedback from upper management within the organization.

A) Use words & phrases that are universally accepted. Using words & phrases that are nonjudgmental & translate well helps with global acceptance. Using a narrow focus regarding locations or groups of people may lead to the organization not being inclusive.

An HR manager has been promoted to a position at the organization's headquarters after 10 years at a divisional office. What would be the best 1st step in establishing himself in his new position? A) Watch how leadership behaves when faced with decisions & changes. B) Promote a promising idea that appeals to most HR staff & employees. C) Study the organization's policies & decision-making hierarchy. D) Focus on learning assigned job tasks rather than learning the organization.

A) Watch how leadership behaves when faced with decisions & changes. To be a leader, the HR manager must learn the informal aspects of the organization, including such factors as the existing political alliances, motives, ways of working together, attitudes toward opportunities & risk, & the ability to promote change. This can be done by observing HR leaders in action. The HR manager probably already knows the formal aspects of the organization. The odds for success in advancing 1's career before knowing the organization & creating allies are not good.

Who is credited for the existence of the contingency theory?

American Psychologist Fred Fiedler

An HR director mentors an HR professional with little management experience. She is aware that her mentee often gets results from team members by bullying them. How should the HR director advise her mentee in regard to the bullying behavior? A) Intimidation will not work on all people and in every situation. B) Bullying will hurt the mentee's ability to get others to work with him. C) He should explain to team members that he knows they all feel deeply about doing this task promptly and well. D) Avoid this behavior in front of senior management.

B) Bullying will hurt the mentee's ability to get others to work with him. (Bullying is an unethical behavior that destroys trust and a professional's ability to influence others. Excusing the behavior by pointing to shared values will not change its effect.)

A global task force is behind schedule on its project. Members from different regions & disciplines seem unable to understand 1 another's perspectives/priorities. Which component of emotional intelligence can best help the team leader understand the root problem? A) Self-awareness B) Empathy C) Social skills D) Motivation

B) Empathy Empathy enables 1 to acknowledge & understand others' emotions. In a diverse organization, where 1 person's emotional response may be inexplicable to someone with a very different background, this is a critical skill. The other components listed can be of help in arriving at & implementing a solution, but empathy is the starting point for determining the problem.

A mentor advises an HR professional new to an organization to spend some time simply observing how people interact. Why? A) It is the best way to avoid making social mistakes. B) Leaders understand the informal centers of power in an organization. C) It is a good way to learn the formal rues of an organization. D) This is the best way to impress others with the HR manager's emotional intelligence

B) Leaders understand the informal centers of power in an organization. (The mentor's job is to help the mentee develop skills, and, in this case, the skill is leadership. To win support, leaders need to know their organizations and understand how they operate informally. This advice may result in the mentee developing emotional intelligence and avoiding social mistakes, but the main point is to learn the informal face of the organization.)

An HR manager leads a team charged with revising job descriptions. Each meeting ends in disagreements. No progress is being made toward the looming deadline. What type of power should the HR manager use in this situation? A) Coercive B) Legitimate C) Referent D) Collaborative

B) Legitimate (Using the legitimate power that derives from the HR manager's position as leader of this team can be used to put an end to the disagreements and force decisions. Referent power leverages the power of relationships, which will take too long. Coercive power is not necessary since legitimate power is available. Collaborative is not a type of power.)

A growing organization realizes that it needs a formal code of conduct. What is the most important advice you would give the organization's HR function? A) Make the code brief and easy to read. B) Make sure that management will support and model the required conduct. C) Make sure the code addresses all behaviors required for legal compliance. D) Be sure to schedule meetings at every level to introduce the new code of conduct.

B) Make sure that management will support and model the required conduct. (The code of conduct should reflect the values of the organization, which means that leadership must model and support the desired conduct. Addressing comprehension and awareness is important but is not sufficient if the organization's values as expressed in leaders' actions are not aligned with the code. A code of conduct supports not only legal compliance but also compliance with the organization's values. These values can guide action when compliance requirements may be unclear.)

According to the Hersey-Blanchard theory, what is generally the most suitable situational leadership approach for entry-level employees? A) Selling B) Telling C) Participating D) Delegating

B) Telling Entry-level employees require leadership that provides structure to project scheduling, methodologies, procedures, etc. This involvement requires a high task structure by the supervisor. However, cuz the new employee does not possess sufficient experience or insight into best practices, he/she cannot adequately participate in joint problem solving or decision making, thus the low relationship.

An HR manager has been promoted to a position at the organization's headquarters after ten years at a divisional office. What would be the best first step in establishing himself in his new position? A) Focus on learning assigned job tasks rather than learning the organization. B) Watch how leadership behaves when faced with decisions and changes. C) Promote a promising idea that appeals to most HR staff and employees. D) Study the organization's policies and decision-making hierarchy.

B) Watch how leadership behaves when faced with decisions and changes. (To be a leader, the HR manager must learn the informal aspects of the organization, including such factors as the existing political alliances, motives, ways of working together, attitudes toward opportunities and risk, and the ability to promote change. This can be done by observing HR leaders in action. The HR manager probably already knows the formal aspects of the organization. The odds for success in advancing one's career before knowing the organization and creating allies are not good.)

What characterizes an effective HR leader? A) Close supervision B) Personal ambition C) Collaboration D) Technical expertise

C) Collaboration Effective HR leaders think in terms of empowering their teams & developing the potential of team members. They steer clear of actions that would damage team motivation, such as close supervision of an experienced staff. They are intelligent & informed but do not have to be the smartest people in the room. Their ambitions are for the team & the organization.

How Least Preferred Coworkers (LPC) works

Choose the one person with whom they have worked least well.

Leader Behaviors (servant)

ConceptualizingEmotional HealingPutting Followers FirstHelping Followers Grow and SucceedBehaving EthicallyEmpoweringCreating Value for the Community

Does consistency of leader behaviors belong to contingency or situational theory?

Contingency

Leader effectiveness is determined by selecting the right kind of leader for situation to fit the leader's style belongs to which theory?

Contingency

Which theory focuses on leader motivation, leader-member relations, and situation?

Contingency Theory

What are the two theories?

Contingency and Situational

Which motivation theory is being used by a VP of HR implementing an employee attitude survey with questions targeted to reveal internal or external reasons driving employee behaviors? A) Self-determination B) Designation C) Expectancy D) Attribution

D) Attribution (The attribution theory proposes that the reasons for certain behavior can be internal or external.)

Which situation best illustrates conflict of interest? A) Visiting local operations and being given small gifts by plant managers. B) Opposing viewpoints expressed by the CEO toward a board recommendation of an acquisition. C) Rewarding senior leaders for a company's long-term performance through a granting of stock. D) Encouraging a manager to hire the child of the manager's director.

D) Encouraging a manager to hire the child of the manager's director. (Hiring a superior's relative creates the potential for a conflict of interest. The manager may at some point be tempted to compromise company standards and policies in treating the employee in order to gain or retain the superior's good will. The CEO and the board may be in conflict, but they have a common interest in the success of the company. Rewarding senior leaders with stock aligns incentives: What is good for the company will be good for the CEO. Small gifts may be a cultural norm, and refusing the gift may be more problematic than accepting it.)

Why should an organization document monitoring of the enforcement of its code of conduct? A) This will support aligning the requirements of the code with the organization's stated values. B) Ethical leadership requires fair administration of corrective discipline. C) Employees will not follow the code without occasional examples of discipline for infractions. D) Lack of monitoring or inconsistent monitoring can have legal implications.

D) Lack of monitoring or inconsistent monitoring can have legal implications. (The question focuses on the issue of documenting performance of monitoring, which may be required to prove that an organization has made a good-faith effort to enforce its rules. This documentation could include reviews of the way violations have been handled and proof that all employees have been informed of ethical expectations.)

An HR manager leads a team charged with revising job descriptions. Each meeting ends in disagreements. No progress is being made toward the looming deadline. What type of power should the HR manager use in this situation? A) Coercive B) Collaborative C) Referent D) Legitimate

D) Legitimate Using the legitimate power that derives from the HR manager's position as leader of this team can be used to put an end to the disagreements & force decisions. Referent power leverages the power of relationships, which will take too long. Coercive power is not necessary since legitimate power is available. Collaborative is not a type of power.

During a non-work group lunch, an HR manager overhears an HR staff member discussing a recent new hire's previous job experiences with another staff member. The information is not sensitive, nor was the intention malicious. What should the HR person do? A) Issue a written warning to protect the organization from potential liability under local privacy laws. B) Ignore the occurrence since it was harmless. C) Warn the employee in writing that this information has been divulged. D) Remind the colleague later that it is not ethical to divulge confidential information.

D) Remind the colleague later that it is not ethical to divulge confidential information. (The colleague should be reminded that it is an HR professional's ethical duty to maintain the confidentiality of information gained in this manner. The action probably does not merit immediate discipline and in itself does not pose a risk, although the colleague's habitual sharing of confidential information could pose a risk. Warning the employee may cause unnecessary alarm since the information is not sensitive.)

A manager believes that the best way to motivate staff is to set goals a bit beyond their reach and let them find their own ways through the tasks. According to the attribution theory, what will be the likely outcome? A) The team will develop stronger bonds with each other. B) They will put in increasingly greater effort to reach the goals that have been set for them. C) The staff will develop self-sufficiency and act more autonomously. D) Staff members may become helpless and even hostile.

D) Staff members may become helpless and even hostile. (According to the attribution theory, when goals are consistently beyond attainment and little support is provided, employees can develop a sense of "learned helplessness." They may become hostile toward the situation and the employer.)

Which practice illustrates the principle of transparency? A) Publicizing criteria for employees' equal access to training opportunities B) Involving all staff members in making tactical decisions C) Sharing personal information with fellow staff members in the interest of creating openness D) Supporting promotions with specific examples of commendable performance

D) Supporting promotions with specific examples of commendable performance Transparency commits an organization to providing info about how & why decisions have been made. Providing = access to training is a matter of fairness, & involving staff members in decision making illustrates collaborative leadership. Sharing personal information does not create transparency about the organization's actions.

What is the earliest and most well known contingency theory?

Fiedler's Contingency Model

Outcomes of Servant Leadership

Follower Performance and GrowthOrganizational PerformanceSocietal Impact

Relationship Motivated Leaders have high or low LPC?

High LPC

Which type of LPC leaders are primarily motivated by relationships and focus on task accomplishment after they have established good relationships?

High LPC leader

Leader-member relations

How well followers respect, trust, and like their leaders.

Fiedler's contingency theory

In order to maximize work group performance, leaders must be matched to the right leadership situation.

Leader-Member Relation

Is a measure of leadership acceptance between the organizations hierarchies.

Positional Power

Is the amount of authority a leader has to reward or punish their followers. it includes the legitimate power individuals acquire as a result of the position they are holding in the organization.

What's the issue with the black box problem?

It fails to fully explain why leaders with particular styles are more effective in some situations

Contingency theory suggests that situations can be characterized in terms of three factors

Leader-Member Relation, Task Structure, Positional Power

Factors that determine the favorability of the situation

Leader-member relations

What describes 1) most powerful in determining situational favorability 2) Relationships between Leader and Followers are: cooperative & friendly versus antagonistic & difficult

Leader-member relations

What receives the highest weight, followed by task structure, and position power?

Leader-member relations

Fiedler's contingency theory assumptions

Leaders are effective when the work groups they lead perform well.

Task Motivated Leaders have high or low LPC?

Low LPC

Which type of LPC leaders are primarily motivated by the task and focus on improving relationships with followers after tasks have been accomplished?

Low LPC leaders

What is effective leadership contingent on?

Matching a leader's style to the right setting

What is legitimate power, authority to administer rewards and punishments?

Position power

Better leaders in moderately favorable situations were

Relationship-oriented leaders

What is the most highly researched contingency approach?

Research Support

Does flexibility in leader behaviors belong to contingency or situation theory?

Situational

Leaders that should match style to fit development needs of followers belongs to which theory?

Situational

Which theory focuses on leader style and needs of followers?

Situational

Who more easily switch between task and relationship-oriented?

Socio-Independent

What is the clarity of task?

Task structure

Better leaders in highly favorable situations were

Task-orientated leaders

Better leaders in unfavorable situations were

Task-orientated leaders

what is the LPC?

The LPC is a questionnaire for a leader that is directed to determining the kind of coworker a leader would like to work with.

Situational favorableness

The degree to which a particular situation either allows or denies a leader the chance to influence the behavior of group members.

'Leader-Member relations' describes which aspect of Fiedler's Contingency Theory?

The follower

'Motivational Hierarchy' describes which aspect of Fiedler's Contingency Theory?

The leader

Who is the leader motivational hierarchy determined by?

The least-preferred-coworker scale

'Task structure and position power' describes which aspect of Fiedler's Contingency Theory

The situation

Least Preferred Coworkers (LPC)

Used to measure leadership style

Is LPC a personality measure?

Yes

Contingency Theory

a leader match theory that tries to match leaders to appropriate situations.

Why are task-oriented leaders better in highly favorable situations

are in effect stepping on the gas of a well-tuned car.

Follower receptivity (servant)

ask "Do all employees show a desire for servant leadership?"only effective if followers want it

Antecedent (existing) conditions (servant leadership)

context and culture, leader attributes, follower receptivity

Context and culture (servant)

cultures where power distance is low and power is share equally among people at all levels of society is where servant leadership may be more common

Servant Leadership

emphasizes that leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them; seen as ethical and lead in ways that serve the greater good of the organization, community, and society at large•Concerned with how leaders treat subordinates and the outcomes that are likely to emerge

Why are Relationship-oriented leaders better in moderatly favorabe situations

improves the most important of the three situational factors

Task Structure

is a measure of the clarity of the project or tasks their methods to achieve the end product.

What does the Contingency theory suggest?

it suggests that a leaders effectiveness depends on how well the leaders style can fit with the context or situation the leader will find them in.

In highly favorable situations

leaders find that their actions influence followers

Those with moderate scores have a

more flexible leadership style

With high LPC...?

people come first then the task

People who describe their LPC in a positive have a

relationship-oriented leadership style

Why are task-oriented leaders better in unfavorable situations

sets goals that focus attention on performance and that clarify what needs to be done, thus overcoming low task structure

People who describe their LPC in a negative way have a

task-oriented leadership style.

Position power

the degree to which leaders are able to hire, fire, reward, and punish workers

Task structure

the degree to which the requirements of a subordinate's tasks are clearly specified

Leader Attributes (servant)

the qualities and disposition of the leader influence the servant leadership processex: feel a deep desire to serve vs. strongly motivated to lead

With low LPC...?

the task comes first then people

In highly unfavorable situations

they have little or no success influencing the people they are trying to lead.

Weaknesses (servant)

•The paradoxical nature of the title "servant leadership" creates semantic noise that diminishes the potential value of the approach•No consensus exists on a common theoretical framework for servant leadership•A utopian ring that conflicts with traditional approaches to leadership•Not clear why "conceptualizing" is a defining characteristic of servant leadership

Strengths (servant)

•Unique because it makes altruism the main component of the leadership process•Provides a counterintuitive and provocative approach to the use of influence where leaders give up control•Research shows that there are conditions under which servant leadership is not a preferred kind of leadership•Recent research has resulted in a sound measure of servant leadership that identifies seven distinct dimensions of the process