The theorists in this section believe that managers choose leadership styles based on leadership situations. Managers adjust their decision‐making, orientation, and motivational approaches based upon a unique combination of factors in their situations: characteristics of employees, types of work, organizational structures, personal preferences, and upper‐level management's influences. Show
The following sections describe the three most well‐known situational theories. Fiedler's contingency theory Fred E. Fiedler's contingency theory centers on the belief that there is no best way for managers to lead. Different situations create different leadership style requirements for managers. The style that works in one environment may not work in another. Fiedler looked at three elements that dictate a leader's situational control. These elements are:
Fiedler then rated managers as to whether they were relationship oriented or task oriented. Task‐oriented managers tended to do better in situations with good leader/member relationships, structured tasks, and either weak or strong position power. They also did well when the tasks were unstructured but position power was strong, as well as when the leader/member relations were moderate to poor and the tasks were unstructured. Relationship‐oriented managers, on the other hand, do better in all other situations. The task‐motivated style leader experiences pride and satisfaction in task accomplishment for his or her organization, while the relationship‐motivated style leader seeks to build interpersonal relations and extend extra help for team development in his or her organization. Judging whether a leadership style is good or bad can be difficult. Each manager has his or her own preferences for leadership. Task‐motivated leaders are at their best when their teams perform successfully—such as achieving new sales records or outperforming major competitors. Relationship‐oriented leaders are at their best when greater customer satisfaction is gained and positive company images are established. Hersey-Blanchard's situational model The Hersey‐Blanchard Model of Situational Leadership, shown in Figure , is based on the amount of direction (task behavior) and amount of socioemotional support (relationship behavior) a leader must provide given the situation and the level of maturity of the followers.
Task behavior is the extent to which the leader engages in spelling out the duties and responsibilities to an individual or group. This behavior includes telling people what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and where to do it. In task behavior, the leader engages in one‐way communication. Relationship behavior, on the other hand, is the extent to which the leader engages in two‐way or multiway communications. This behavior includes listening to, facilitating, and supporting employees. And maturity is the willingness and ability of a person to take responsibility for directing his own behavior. Employees tend to have varying degrees of maturity, depending on the specific tasks, functions, or objectives that they attempt to accomplish. To determine the appropriate leadership style to use in a given situation, a leader must first determine the maturity levels of his or her followers in relationship to the specific task. As employee maturity levels increase, a leader should begin to reduce task behavior and increase relationship behavior until his or her followers reach moderate maturity levels. As the employees move into above‐average maturity levels, the leader should decrease not only task behavior but also relationship behavior. Once maturity levels are identified, a manager can determine the appropriate leadership style: telling, selling, participating, or delegating.
House's path-goal theory The path‐goal theory, developed by Robert House, is based on the expectancy theory of motivation. A manager's job is to coach or guide workers to choose the best paths for reaching their goals. Based on the goal‐setting theory, leaders engage in different types of leadership behaviors depending on the nature and demands of a particular situation. A leader's behavior is acceptable to subordinates when viewed as a source of satisfaction. He or she is motivational when need satisfaction is contingent on performance; this leader facilitates, coaches, and rewards effective performance. Path‐goal theory identifies several leadership styles:
Path‐goal theory assumes that leaders are flexible and that they can change their styles as situations require. This theory proposes two contingency variables that moderate the leader behavior‐outcome relationship:
Effective leaders clarify the path to help their followers achieve their goals, and make their journeys easier by reducing roadblocks and pitfalls. Research demonstrates that employee performance and satisfaction are positively influenced when leaders compensate for shortcomings in either their employees or the work settings. Which of the following leadership styles is based on two way communication and share decision3. Democratic or participative. A democratic or participative manager's decision-making process is heavily influenced by their employees. This style includes effective communication and openness through all levels of the organization, and employees and managers work together to reach the goals of their vision.
Which of the following leadership styles is based on two way communication and shared decision making quizlet?A participating style (low task behavior and high relationship behavior) is based on two-way communication and shared decision making.
What are the 2 leadership styles?There are three basic styles of leadership decision-making: authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire. Authoritarian leaders rule their groups, democratic leaders try to include everyone in the decision-making process, and laissez-faire leaders let the group function without much - if any - interference.
Which of the following leadership styles is based on one way communication in which followers are told what how when particular tasks?High-task/low-relationship leader behavior (S1) is referred to as “telling” because this style is characterized by one-way communication in which the leader defines the roles of followers and tells them what, how, when, and where to do various tasks.
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