ManagementLesson 3 of 5 in the course Leadership

Situational Leadership: Fiedler, Path-Goal, and Cultural Context

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Situational approaches explain leadership effectiveness by looking at the fit between a leader and the conditions in which the leader works. This lesson introduces contingency thinking and the core variables in Fred Fiedler’s model.

Early leadership research examined leader traits and behaviors, but findings showed that the same behavior did not always produce the same results. For example, initiating structure—organizing work, defining roles, and clarifying expectations—may improve performance in one setting but reduce satisfaction or cooperation in another. Such mixed outcomes point to the influence of situational conditions, or contingencies.

All flashcards

What is a contingency approach to leadership?
It explains effectiveness through the fit between leadership characteristics or behavior and the demands of the situation.
What does LPC stand for, and what is rated?
LPC stands for least-preferred coworker. A leader describes the person with whom they least like working, and the pattern of ratings is used to infer leadership orientation.
What does a high LPC score indicate in Fiedler’s model?
It generally indicates a relationship-oriented leader who gives priority to maintaining interpersonal relationships.
What are leader-member relations?
They describe the group’s acceptance of the leader, the degree of trust or loyalty, and how well members and the leader can work together.
What three factors determine situational control?
Leader-member relations, task structure, and position power determine how much influence the leader has over the group process.

Quiz questions

  1. What central idea distinguishes a contingency approach to leadership?Answer: Leadership effectiveness depends on the fit between the leader and the situation.
  2. What does the LPC measure in Fiedler’s model?Answer: A leader’s orientation, inferred from ratings of a least-preferred coworker.
  3. How does Fiedler generally interpret a high LPC score?Answer: As a relationship-oriented leadership disposition.
  4. Which set lists the three situational factors in Fiedler’s model?Answer: Leader-member relations, task structure, and position power.
  5. A leader has good group relations, a clearly defined task, and strong formal authority. How would Fiedler classify the situation?Answer: Highly favorable, because all three control factors are strong.

Based on Principles of Management by David S. Bright, Anastasia H. Cortes, Eva Hartmann, K. Praveen Parboteeah, Jon L. Pierce, Monique Reece, Amit Shah, Siri Terjesen, Joseph Weiss, Margaret A. White, Donald G. Gardner, Jason Lambert et al. (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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