The Fiedler contingency model, developed by Fred Fiedler in the 1960s, is a leadership theory holding that a leader's effectiveness depends on the fit between the leader's style, measured through Fiedler's Least Preferred Co-worker scale, and the favorableness of the situation, assessed through leader-member relations, task structure, and the leader's positional power. Fiedler argued that leadership style itself is a relatively fixed personal trait, so that improving performance requires either matching leaders to situations suited to their style or changing the situation to fit the leader, rather than expecting leaders to change their fundamental style. The model was among the earliest contingency approaches to leadership and remains a standard point of reference in leadership research alongside later situational and path-goal theories.
Facts
Core ClaimFiedler's contingency model holds that a leader's effectiveness depends on the fit between the leader's fixed personal style and the degree of control and favorableness the situation gives the leader. 1 Origin YearWikipedia's own reference list cites Fiedler's 1967 book, A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, as the model's defining publication; an earlier 1958 paper is also listed as background work, but no prose sentence in the article itself states a year. Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
The Fiedler Contingency Model is one of the founding formulations of contingency theory in leadership studies.
Both are contingency-based leadership theories developed in the same research tradition.
Developed By
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Fiedler Contingency Model
WikipediaWikipedia, Fiedler contingency model lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Fiedler contingency model lead section
The theory holds that the effectiveness of a task group or of an organization depends on two main factors: the personality of the leader and the degree to which the situation gives the leader power, control, and influence over the situation or, conversely, the degree to which the situation confronts the leader with uncertainty.
1. Wikipedia, Fiedler Contingency Model
WikipediaWikipedia, Fiedler contingency model, references sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Fiedler contingency model, references section
Fiedler, F. E. (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness
1. Wikipedia, Fiedler Contingency Model
1. Wikipedia, Fiedler Contingency Model
1. Wikipedia, Fiedler Contingency Model
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