Contingency Theories of Leadership

Leadership has been researched extensively but yet scholars are yet to find or compile an exact definition. As (Kent, Todd, 2004) explain there have been many efforts in defining leadership and several ideas have been compiled yet there is still a distinct discrepancy amongst scholars. Author Chelladurai breaks down leadership into three elements: "(1) leadership is a behavior process, (2) leadership is interpersonal in nature, and (3) leadership is aimed at influencing and motivating members toward group goals" (pg. 160). These are the ways he focuses leaderships and their intentions towards leading. Kent and Todd further discuss the importance of leadership and its distinct aspect to society and organizations, and that future successes are largely dependent upon it (2004). Another area in the domain of leadership styles is when (Zorn & Violanti 1993) define leadership as "patterns of behaviors, assumptions, attitudes, or traits exhibited by individuals in attempting to provide leadership" (pg. 70). Additionally we further examine (Bloom, Vallée, 2005; Chelladurai, 1990; Chelladurai & Seleh 1978; Zhang et. al. 1997) in which "they break down the different styles of leadership into five categories, autocratic, democratic, positive feedback, social support and training and instruction. They

It is believed leadership can be taught. There are many training facilities and different present organizations that offer leadership training for their employees. These training classes are directed by psychologists whom utilize self-report questionnaires to help one understand themselves which will then, in turn, help them learn to lead others. John Storey in Leadership in Organizations argues that “it is impossible to lead others without a deep understanding of oneself” (Storey, 2004, p.125). There are various theories in regards to leadership, but according to our textbook they can all be categorized into six theory approaches. The first one is

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

Since the beginning of recorded history, leadership has been one of, if not the most important elements in the success or failure of an endeavor. This is whether it involved a prehistoric hunting party or ruling the Roman Empire. Today, leadership is recognized as a vital factor in an organization’s quest to be productive and profitable. For an organization to be competitive and achieve optimum success in the 21st century, it is vital that they employ effective leaders that will be able to communicate their vision and goals, motivate their employees and develop trusting and loyal relationships with its stakeholders. There is no one or best way to accomplish this mission. There have been numerous leadership theories and styles which have been developed over time which can enable leaders to choose which method would be most effective for them in establishing collaborative working relationships and a respectful team environment in a group setting (Landis, Eric A; Hill, Deborah; Harvey, Maurice R, 2014).

Leadership theories in and of themselves carry negative and positives characteristics. Within the various theories lie strengths and weaknesses that when applied to complex problems can highlight each one respectively. As I examine a few theories, I will look at the strengths and weaknesses of each and determine when and with which situation would these theories best be utilized. Collective leadership or distributive leadership, and leader-member exchange are both theories that incorporate specific team or group mentalities.

Richard J. Shavelson and Lisa Towne provided a framework to address any question that poses research. For a DEL student, I found these principles as a solid guideline or in the military, standing operating procedure to follow. As I embarked on a journey of research in leadership theory, these principles are a standard in which I will start (Shavelson and Towne, 2002, p. 52).

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

To ensure leadership effective, several leadership theories are put forward and are adopted by different organizations. Some widely accepted theories include Trait Approach, Style Approach, Situational Approach, New Leadership Approach and Post-charismatic & Post-transformational (Western, 2013). Beyond doubt, they have their pros and cons, and they could play their role to guarantee the effectiveness of leadership as long as they are applied in an appropriate condition.

There are different leadership theories developed throughout the history. Most popular ones are trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories, and leader-member exchange (LMX) theory. The author of the post will briefly discuss two theories, Fiedler contingency theory and Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), and compare and contrast their strengths and weakness.

The author introduced the article with an abstract that provided a brief summary of main points as well as the outlook developed by the article. It is evident from the abstract that the article explores a multi-theory integrated approach that consolidates classic leadership theories into one feasible framework that is based on findings from both past and present research on leadership. The abstract mirrored the article and in the proper form; the reader can understand the article’s overall objective from the abstract and can therefore whether or not to continue reading.

This paper will highlight the world's leading psychologist's thinking and research towards leadership who examined leadership as the psychological process (Bligh and Meindl, 2005) .This paper will cover the diversity of topics covered in this field including; psychological concept of leadership; major key psychological theories underpinning leadership behavior, power and influences; cognitive process that categorize individuals as leaders and

In this assignment, I have decided to describe and analyze the situational approach and contingency theories of leadership. As looked through various theories, I found the situational approach theory and the contingency theory to be particularly interesting. As the eldest sibling, I have always thought of myself as some type of “leader”, often making decisions and taking the initiative. As I grew older, I realized that there were situations where there were people better prepared for various challenges. Consequently, I found myself in leadership positions at different locations that ranged from church to a job held. As an example, I led a team of workers during a summer job at Walmart. Though I was not the appointed team leader, other co-workers sought for my advice and help with various tasks. Additionally, I have recently become the praise team leader at my church although the official title is held by someone else. On the other hand, I have held several positons (including my current teaching position) where I have found others to be much better prepared (physically and mentally) and in turn, I have sought for their leadership. Consequently, as I have matured, I have come to believe that leaders can arise from different backgrounds, experiences, settings, and beliefs and that a leader in one setting may not be able to lead in another.

As most of us are aware the Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership effectiveness is based on studies of group effectiveness, and relationships between leaders and organizational performance. Understanding teams and how to communicate while working on projects is a major dilemma when first starting a project. It is important for managers in the field to have the skills needed to successfully form and manage a team (Senaratne, S., & Gunawardane, S., 2015). Managers has to have an understanding of the difference between creating a group and successfully forming a team. Research shows that groups are created to share information and are mostly held accountable for their individual actions whereas a team tends to share one thought and are accountable and graded on the end result as a team (Robbins & Judges., 2003).

The most popular and extensively researched situational theory of leadership was first proposed by Fred Piedler during the 1960s. Fiedler's model claims that group performance depends on the interaction of the leader style and the favorableness of the situation. Fiedlers major contributions consist of(l) iden-tifying the leadership orientation of the leader and developing a way to measure it, and (2) identifying three situational factors influencing leadership and developing a method of measuring them

Research on management and leadership in organizations over the past century shows there are still no clear definitions or answers about what counts as effective and successful leadership; the field remains varied and argued. Actual studies of leadership began in the early twentieth century. The research and studies on leadership have resulted in defining what characters, traits and attitudes are considered to be significant for leaders to possess. The early studies of leadership theories focused on the person and their behaviors, currently known as leadership trait theories and behavioral theories. It is important for organizational leaders and managers to understand what characteristics, traits and actions of an individual mark a great leader when forming a strong diverse workforce.