Contigency Approach to Leadership
Statement of Understanding
Contingency and Situational Theories of Leadership
Successful organizations have one thing in common that sets them apart: dynamic and effective leadership (Hambleton, 1982). So what is it that makes them dynamic and effective?
Before diving into the different theories of leadership, I decided to spend some time understanding what exactly leadership is. To understand what leadership is I had to start with the root of the word “lead”. The definition of lead according to dictionary.com is to go before or with to show the way. This definition originates from the Anglo – Saxon lad or leadan meaning a path, a way, to lead, or to give a sense of direction (Peretomode, 2012). Nothing in this definition states that the leader has to be a person of power, in management or even the boss. To be a leader you have to be able to use your spear of influence to show others the way and help them get there successfully. Simply put, leadership is a path to create a clear vision of what needs to be done, give others guidance and self-confidence and provide coordination and communication(Pires da Cruz, Nunes, and Pinheiro, 2011). Organizations require leaders to stimulate their employees, push their initiatives, and instill a sense of commitment to the company (Pires da Cruz et al., 2011). For organizations to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace they must have effective leaders. Vroom and Jago, 2007 defined leadership as “A process of motivating people to work together collaboratively to accomplish great things”. They listed the below implications of this definition.
1. Leadership is a process, not a property of a person
2. The process involves a particular form of influence called motivating.
3. The nature of the incentives, extrinsic or intrinsic, is not part of the definition.
4. The consequence of the influence is collaboration in pursuit of a common goal.
5. The “great things” are in the minds of both leader and followers and
Contingency and Situational Theories of Leadership
Successful organizations have one thing in common that sets them apart: dynamic and effective leadership (Hambleton, 1982). So what is it that makes them dynamic and effective?
Before diving into the different theories of leadership, I decided to spend some time understanding what exactly leadership is. To understand what leadership is I had to start with the root of the word “lead”. The definition of lead according to dictionary.com is to go before or with to show the way. This definition originates from the Anglo – Saxon lad or leadan meaning a path, a way, to lead, or to give a sense of direction (Peretomode, 2012). Nothing in this definition states that the leader has to be a person of power, in management or even the boss. To be a leader you have to be able to use your spear of influence to show others the way and help them get there successfully. Simply put, leadership is a path to create a clear vision of what needs to be done, give others guidance and self-confidence and provide coordination and communication(Pires da Cruz, Nunes, and Pinheiro, 2011). Organizations require leaders to stimulate their employees, push their initiatives, and instill a sense of commitment to the company (Pires da Cruz et al., 2011). For organizations to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace they must have effective leaders. Vroom and Jago, 2007 defined leadership as “A process of motivating people to work together collaboratively to accomplish great things”. They listed the below implications of this definition.
1. Leadership is a process, not a property of a person
2. The process involves a particular form of influence called motivating.
3. The nature of the incentives, extrinsic or intrinsic, is not part of the definition.
4. The consequence of the influence is collaboration in pursuit of a common goal.
5. The “great things” are in the minds of both leader and followers and