KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS
Contingency: a theory meaning one thing depends on other things.
Contingency approaches: approaches that seek to delineate the characteristics of situations and followers and examine the leadership styles that can be used effectively.
Fiedler’s contingency model: a model designed to diagnose whether a leader is task-oriented or relationship-oriented and match leader style to the situation.
Situational theory: Hersey and Blanchard's extension of the Leadership Grid focusing on the characteristics of followers as the important element of the situation, and consequently, of determining effective leader behaviour.
Path–goal theory: a contingency approach to leadership in which the leader's responsibility is to increase subordinates' motivation by clarifying the behaviours necessary for task accomplishment and rewards.
Vroom–Jago contingency model: a contingency model that focuses on varying degrees of participative leadership, and how each level of participation influences quality and accountability of decisions.
Substitute: a situational variable that makes leadership unnecessary or redundant
Neutralizer: a situational characteristic that counteracts the leadership style and prevents the leader from displaying certain behaviours.
The Contingency Approach
Researchers focused on the leadership situation; effective behaviour in some circumstances is ineffective in others.
Effectiveness is contingent upon situations.
Contingency means that one thing depends on other things, and for a leader to be effective, there must be an appropriate fit between the leader's behaviour and style and the conditions of the situation.
Situational variables important to leadership style include:
task structure systems environment The contingency approaches outline the characteristics of situations and followers and examine effective leadership styles.
If a leader can diagnose