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what is the difference between situational and contingency theory

by Prof. Gloria Swaniawski PhD Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Under Situational Theory, you adapt your behaviour whereas in Contingency Theory

Contingency theory

A contingency theory is an organizational theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and external situation. A contingent leader effectively applies their own style of leadership to the right situation.

you match your behaviour. People must be getting rich developing theories and never coming to a conclusion as to what leadership really is. As a trait, you can’t improve leadership.

The main difference between contingency and situational leadership
situational leadership
The 'situational theory of publics theorizes that large groups of people can be divided into smaller groups based on the extent to which they are aware of a problem and the extent to which they do something about the problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Situational_theory_of_publics
is that contingency leadership theory considers that a leader's leadership style should match the right situation, whereas situational leadership theory considers that a leader should adapt his style to the situation at hand.
Jun 12, 2019

Full Answer

What are the main principles of the contingency theory?

  • Maturity level of the employees
  • Relationships between coworkers
  • Work pace
  • Management style
  • Typical work schedule
  • Goals and objectives
  • Standards for behavior
  • Company policies
  • Employees’ work styles
  • Employees’ morale

What are the weaknesses of the contingency theory?

Disadvantages of Contingency Theory of Management

  • Complex Process. The first and foremost disadvantage of contingency theory of management is that it is not a simple thing to do because contingencies can never be defined which makes ...
  • Time Consuming. ...
  • Lack of Performance Measure. ...

What are contingency theories?

The contingency theory of leadership supposes that a leader’s effectiveness is contingent on whether or not their leadership style suits a particular situation. According to this theory, an individual can be an effective leader in one circumstance and an ineffective leader in another one.

What does contingency theory mean?

What Is Contingency Theory? Contingency theory is an approach to management that suggests the best way to run an organization is dependent, or contingent, on that particular situation. In other words, a specific management style can work well in one company and fail completely in another one.

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What is situational or contingency leadership?

Situational contingency theory, also known as situational leadership, states that every situation that requires leadership is different and requires a specific type of leader. The favorability of a situation depends on how much influence and power you have as a leader.

What is the key difference of the LPC contingency theory to other contingency situational theories?

What is the key difference of the LPC contingency theory to other contingency theories? Explanation: The LPC theory refers to the central variable of the model, a measure of the esteem in which the leader holds his or her least preferred coworker.

Does contingency and situational theory refer to the same thing?

According to Syque (2007), situational theories tend to focus more on the behaviors that the leader should adopt, given the followers‟ behaviour, whereas contingency theories take a broader perspective that include situational factors about leader skills and capability and other variables within the given situation.

What does the Situational Leadership Theory and the contingency theory focuses on?

More formally called Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory, this contingency model focuses on leadership style and the maturity of those being led. Situational leadership theory puts forth the idea that leadership styles hinge on four behaviors: telling, selling, participating and delegating.

What is an example of contingency theory?

For example, Cheapo Toys is facing severe employee turnover. The contingency theory explains that there is no easy and exact answer when dealing with employees. Cheapo Toys needs to figure out what exactly is causing the employee turnover.

What is an example of situational leadership theory?

There are many situations in which situational leadership is especially appropriate. For example, sports teams frequently experience changes due to team members coming and going. This means the strengths and weaknesses of the entire team are constantly changing, too.

What is the meaning of contingency theory?

Contingency theory states “that a leader's effectiveness is contingent on how well the leader's style matches a specific setting or situation” (Wolinksi, 2010). If leaders were successful in the roles they played, then it was considered a perfect match.

Who came up with situational and contingency theory?

The Fiedler Contingency Model was created in the mid-1960s by Fred Fiedler, a scientist who studied the personality and characteristics of leaders. The model states that there is no one best style of leadership. Instead, a leader's effectiveness is based on the situation.

How do you use contingency theory?

In order to apply the Contingency Theory, one must address the steps to understanding how to classify the work environment. The first step in this process is to determine what the variables of your situation are. We would begin by applying the “Least Preferred Co-worker Scale” to the situation.

What is the meaning of Situational Leadership Theory?

The situational theory of leadership refers to those leaders who adopt different leadership styles according to the situation and the development level of their team members. It is an effective way of leadership because it adapts to the team's needs and sets a beneficial balance for the whole organization.

What are the three 3 major contingency theories of leadership?

Three Popular Contingency TheoriesFiedler's Contingency Model.House's Path-Goal Theory.Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Model.

Why contingency theory is best?

The primary advantages of contingency theory include: It provides a realistic view of management and organization. It discards the universal validity of principles. Managers are situation-oriented and not stereotyped.

What is LPC theory?

The least-preferred coworker scale (LPC) is a management heuristic that assigns an individual's leadership style as either task-oriented or relationship-oriented. The scale utilizes a subjective evaluation of an individual's attitudes toward their least favorable coworker.

What is a unique feature of path-goal theory compared to other contingency theories?

Path theories stress clarification, motivation and charisma. One of the main differences between the two approaches is that path theories emphasize the personality of the leader, while contingency theories stress the nature of surrounding circumstances.

What are the main situational variables of a contingency approach?

The situational variable in the Contingency Model is the degree of predictability and orderliness in the task environment which is, in turn, determined by the supportiveness of followers, the clarity and structure in the task, and the amount of formal authority accorded the leader.

What are the contingency theories of leadership?

What is it exactly that makes a leader effective? According to one theory of leadership that became prominent during the 1970s and 80s, effective leadership is dependent upon the interaction between a leader's behaviors and the situation itself. This approach is known as the contingency theory of leadership.

Why are situational and contingency approaches the same?

Contingency and Situational approaches are the same yet opposite. They are the same because both of them stress the importance of situations; they are opposite because they hold different expectations on leaders. Situational approach believes a leader should adapt to the situation at hand.

Why is Fielder's theory a disadvantage?

This is a disadvantage of the Fielder Theory because there is a lack of flexibility in the leadership style. All leaders have behavior tendencies, which are naturally in their DNA and seemingly unchangeable (Redmond, 2013).

What is the disadvantage of Fielder's theory?

This is a disadvantage of the Fielder Theory because there is a lack of flexibility in the leadership style.

Outline

This essay focuses on contingency theory and situational theory in leadership. It also compares these theories with an article. It mentions the importance of various factors affecting leadership.

Introduction

Leadership is good quality. It depends on many features as the leader, followers, and circumstances. The leader’s personality, his post and experience, follower’s morality and ethics, custom and their unity, and the working atmosphere and characteristics of the working task will affect the leadership.

Contingency theory of leadership

There are four theories related to the contingency of leadership. These theories are developed based on the outcome of various empirical researches. All these theories point out that leaders should have the ability to extract the key features of their followers and the situation. All these theories mention that leaders should be flexible.

The situational theory of leadership

According to situational theory, successful leadership needs leadership and management qualities. This theory states that a leader should be purposeful and should have the ability to evaluate the subordinate’s willingness to do the task. It depends on two factors.

Comparison between the given article and the contingency and situational theory

From the above-mentioned two theories, it is clear that followers have a clear influence on the success of a leader. If an organization has good leadership it automatically achieves the desired goals. It shows the close relationship between the members of the organization and the success of the organization.

About Lawler article

Lawler’s article discusses the three aspects which influence leadership. It tells that the relationship between members of the organization is very important for the success of an organization. It also deals with the importance of the leaders’ understanding of the followers. It also mentions that good leadership is an asset for the company.

Conclusion

Contingency theory and situational theory are very important in today’s competing business world. Lack of good leadership is a major problem for the failure of a company and projects. For good leadership, the support from the members, working environment, and behavior of the leader are very important.

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Outline

Introduction

Contingency Theory of Leadership

The Situational Theory of Leadership

Comparison Between The Given Article and The Contingency and Situational Theory

  • From the above-mentioned two theories, it is clear that followers have a clear influence on the success of a leader. If an organization has good leadership it automatically achieves the desired goals. It shows the close relationship between the members of the organization and the success of the organization. This article also says that the performa...
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About Lawler Article

Conclusion

Reference

1.Difference Between Contingency and Situational Leadership

Url:https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-contingency-and-situational-leadership/

33 hours ago The key difference between contingency and situational leadership is that contingency leadership theory emphasizes that a leader should match the right situation, whereas situational leadership theory believes that a leader should be adaptable to the situation he faces.

2.Contingency and Situational Approaches - WordPress

Url:https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2013/10/05/contingency-and-situational-approaches/

15 hours ago  · Under Situational Theory, you adapt your behaviour whereas in Contingency Theory you match your behaviour. People must be getting rich developing theories and never coming to a conclusion as to what leadership really is. As a trait, you can’t improve leadership.

3.Contingency and Situational Theory in Leadership

Url:https://studycorgi.com/contingency-and-situational-theory-in-leadership/

24 hours ago The main difference between the two theories is that each model has different expectations on the part of the leaders. The contingency theory claims that leaders cannot develop a specific way of managing organisational processes; hence, they should focus on the internal and external situations in the organisation to develop a leadership style (Windham 2015).

4.Videos of What Is The Difference Between Situational and Conting…

Url:/videos/search?q=what+is+the+difference+between+situational+and+contingency+theory&qpvt=what+is+the+difference+between+situational+and+contingency+theory&FORM=VDRE

11 hours ago to be two very distinctive characteristics between the two. According to Syque (2007), situational theories tend to focus more on the behaviors that the leader should adopt, given the followers‟ behaviour, whereas contingency theories take a broader perspective that include situational factors about leader skills and capability

5.Contingency and Situational Theories of Leadership

Url:https://essaybizlab.com/contingency-and-situational-theories-of-leadership/

36 hours ago If you watch the video "Situational Leadership versus Contingency Theory" you'll see that even if both theories are similar, there is also a major difference in HOW they deal with the circumstances. I did watch the video, but I am not convinced. If contingent means adapting the leader to the situation and situational means adapting the style to the situation, I can't see …

6.Situational And Contingency Theories Of Leadership: …

Url:https://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol4-issue3/C0431317.pdf

31 hours ago

7.What is Contingency Theory? - Pennsylvania State …

Url:https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2016/06/05/what-is-contingency-theory/

1 hours ago

8.Difference Between System Theory and Contingency Theory

Url:https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-system-theory-and-contingency-theory/

12 hours ago

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