THE CONTINGENCY

LEADERSHIP THEORY
THE CONTINGENCY LEADERSHIP THEORY

Its a class of behavioral 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 situations
Several contingency approaches were developed in the late 1960s.
 Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables
related to the environment
According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all
situations.
Success depends upon a number of variables, including the
leadership style, qualities of the followers and aspects of the
situation.
 Leader Style
Contingency Approach Traits
Behavior
Outcomes
Position
(Performance, satisfaction, etc.)
Needs
Task
Maturity
Followers Training
Structure Situation
Systems
Cohesion
Env.
 The leader's ability to lead is contingent upon various situational
factors, including
The leader's preferred style
The capabilities
Behaviors of followers and also various other situational factors.
 There is not one single ideal approach to leading because
circumstances vary.
Change the behavior according to the situation.
These particular 'situational' or 'contingency' models offer a
framework or guide for being flexible and adaptable when
leading.
 Some important contingencies for companies are
listed below

1. Technology
2. Suppliers and distributors
3. Consumer interest groups
4. Customers and competitors
5. Government
6. Unions
 How to apply it
Leaders should always be adaptable
This is a theory that lends itself to that adaptability.
If we recognize that success is a matter of having the right mix of skill and
opportunity, you can evaluate what to bring to the table, and what to dismiss.
 Strengths

Many researchers have tested it and was proven valid and

reliable approach to explaining how leadership can be achieved
Has a broadened understanding
Predictive, so therefore provides useful information about the
type of leadership
Does not require that people are effective in all situations.
Data collected from this theory can be useful
 Limitations

It has been criticized because it has failed to explain fully why people with
certain leadership styles are more effective in some situations then others
Sometimes mismatch between the leader and the situation in the workplace
Various aspects of environment has to be considered
 Its very important for a leader to possess the quality of taking
decisions in different situations
Acting differently in different situations
Think differently in different situations
Various factors
Circumstances play important role in this theory
SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY

Origin
The theory of situational leadership was developed in the late 1960s by Paul
Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The theory was first introduced as "Life Cycle
Theory of Leadership". During the mid 1970s, "Life Cycle Theory of
Leadership" was renamed as "Situational Leadership theory".
 Definition
Situational leadership is a style in which the leader or the manager must
adjust his style to match the development level of the followers he is leading.
The situational leadership model views leaders as varying their emphasis on
task & relationship behaviors to best deal with different levels of follower
maturity.
 Situational Leadership

"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.
JFK
Situational Leadership is not something
you do TO people but something you do
WITH people.
 Situational Approach Leadership
If your action inspire others to dream more, learn more, do
more and become more you are a leader
John Quincy Adams
 The Situational Approach :
One Aprroachment in leadership studies.
Situational Leadership is model for developing people ,
over time, so they can reach their highest level of
perfomance on specific goal or task.
Compherence
Leadership Behaviour &
Style
Development Level
Matching
 Situational leadership is not something
you do to people, but its something you
do with people
Situational Leadership is not a theory; its
a process used by leaders to more
successfull
 Situational Leadership
by Paul Hersey & Ken Blanchard
Leadership Behaviour Leadership Styles
S1 High Directive Low
Supporting Coaching Supportive
( S3 ) ( S2) S2 High Directive High
Supportive
S3 Low Directive High
Supportive
Delegating Directing
( S4 ) ( S1 ) S4 Low Directive - Low
Supportive
 Situational Leadership classifies into four styles
S1 - Directing S2 Coaching
Defining Exploring / Asking
Planning / Prioritizing Explaining / Clarifying
Orienting Redirecting
Teaching / Showing Sharing Feedback
Checking / Monitoring Encouraging
Giving Feedback Praising
S3 - Supporting S4 - Delegating
Asking / Listening Allowing / Trusting
Reassuring Confirming
Facilitating self reliant
Empowering
Problem Solving
Affirming
Collaborating
Encouranging Feedback Acknowledging

Appreciating Challenging
 There are two aspects to Development Level :
Competence : The demonstrated knowledge and skills the individual brings to a specific
goal or task.
Commiment : The individual motivation and confidence on that goal or task
D4
High Competence High Competence
High Commiment Variable
Commitment
D2 Low Competence
High
Some Competence Commitment
Low Commitment

D3 D1
 Development Level Diagnosis

D4 D3 D2 D1
Justifiably Confident Self Critical Overwhelmed Hopeful
Consistently Cautious Confused Inexperienced
Competent Doubtful Demotivated Curious
Inspired/ Inspire Capable Demoralized New / Unskilled
others Contributing Frustated Optimistic
Expert Insecure Disilusioned Excited
Autonomous Tentative / Unsure Discouraged Eager
Self-Assured Bored / Apathetic Flashes of Enthusiastic
Accomplished Competence
Self- reliant / Self-
directed
Matching : Leadership Style to Development
Level
High High
Competence Competence
High Variable
Commitment Commitment

Delegating
Supporting

Coaching Directing
Some Low
Competence Competence
Low Low
Commitment Commitment
 Conclusion
There is no best leadership style, it
depends on the situation
By Situatioanal Approach, people
dont work harder but work smarter
PATH GOAL THEORY
 What is it about?
Leaders deliberately consider different courses of action and assess the likelihood
that each course of action will yield desired as well as unwanted results.
After thinking of using the alternative action, followers should act in a manner that
will result in positive outcomes while at the same time minimizing the negative.
Using this concept of motivational behavior the theory suggests that a successful
leader leads followers to behave in a certain way by altering their view of the
relationship between actions and results. In other words the followers will believe
that their actions will yield positive results for them.
The leader must use a style that is best for the followers motivational needs (Knight,
Shteynberg & Hanges, 2011, February 16).
 THE INFLUENCE OF PATH-GOAL THEORY
It is influential in the creation of new outlooks in the leadership field. The
substitutes for leadership theory is one of them.
The evidence for substitutes theory is varied, it is extensively cited and has
an widespread following.
Another academic result of path-goal management theory is the theory of
charismatic leadership, by House.
The Path-goal theory well-defined the gap that charismatic theory filled.
The theory of charismatic leadership continues to play a major role in
leadership today (Knight, Shteynberg & Hanges, 2011, February 16).
 Four distinct types of behavior
________________________________________________________
Command leadership: Leader who gives subordinates task instruction including:
What is expected, how to get the task done, a timeline for task conclusion.
Caring Leadership: makes the milieu a gratifying place and is concerned for the
individual happiness of the followers.
Participative Leadership: bearing in mind followers input and respecting their
views when making decisions that touch them. Followers participate in the decision
making process.
Goal-Focused Leadership: Leader who motivates followers to seek excellence in
all they do. Improving follower performance in an almost inspiring way (Knight,
Shteynberg & Hanges, 2011, February 16).
 PROS CONS

Makes it easier to understand what the This theory is supported only in part by
relationship is between leader motivation and evidenced based research.
follower gratification in relation to work
performance. It doesnt clearly define the relationship
between the follower and the leader.
One of the rare theories that discuss and
explains motivation and incentive. All of the responsibility weighs heavily on
the leaders shouders (Knight, Shteynberg &
Establish a clear path and how to reach the
Hanges, 2011, February 16)
desired destination(Knight, Shteynberg &
Hanges, 2011, February 16).
How applicable is the theory to leadership in health care environments?
Path-goal Theory

____________________________________________________

Developed by Robert J. House and T.R. Mitchell

(Knight, Shteynberg & Hanges, 2011, February 16)
A Path-goal breakdown;
1. Path-goal theory centers on how leaders
motivate subordinates to undertake designated
goals.
2. The kinds of behaviors leaders can engage in to
motivate followers.
 SCHOOL LEADER AS
AGENT OF CHANGE
An agent of change, or a change agent is
someone who is able to change another
person using various techniques and
methods. And they have the ability to
make some one else become a better person
or a worse person than they currently
are.
 Only school leaders who are equipped to handle a complex, rapidly
changing environment can implement the reforms that lead to sustained
improvement in school.
Effective school leaders are key to large-scale, sustainable education reform. For
some time, educators have believed that principals must be instructional leaders
if they are to be the effective leaders needed for sustained innovation.
Newmann, King, and Youngs (2000), for example, found that school capacity is
the crucial variable affecting instructional quality and corresponding student
achievement. And at the heart of school capacity are principals focused on the
development of teachers' knowledge and skills, professional community,
program coherence, and technical resources.
 Principals Who Lead Cultural Change
Leaders have a deeper and more lasting influence on organizations and provide more
comprehensive leadership if their focus extends beyond maintaining high standards. Collins
(2001) examined 11 businesses with a minimum of 15 years of sustained economic performance
each. The study identified the effective leader, who catalyzes commitment to a compelling
vision and higher performance standards, as well as the executive leader, who goes beyond
performance standards and builds enduring greatness
The best examples of school system success represent accomplishments at the effective level
high performance standards with corresponding results. These accomplishments may be
impressive, but they do not represent the kinds of deep, lasting reforms implemented by
executive leaders, who establish the conditions for enduring greatness.
When the goal is sustainable change in a knowledge society, business and education leaders
increasingly have more in common. Like the business leader, the principal of the futurethe
Cultural Change Principalmust be attuned to the big picture, a sophisticated conceptual
thinker who transforms the organization through people and teams (Fullan, 2001). Cultural
Change Principals display palpable energy, enthusiasm, and hope. In addition, five essential
components characterize leaders in the knowledge society: moral purpose, an understanding of
the change process, the ability to improve relationships, knowledge creation and sharing, and
coherence ma
 Moral Purpose
Moral purpose is social responsibility to others and the environment. School
leaders with moral purpose seek to make a difference in the lives of students.
They are concerned about closing the gap between high-performing and lower-
performing schools and raising the achievement ofand closing the gap
betweenhigh-performing and lower-performing students. They act with the
intention of making a positive difference in their own schools as well as improving
the environment in other district schools.
the goal is systemic improvementto improve all schools in the districtthen
principals should be nearly as concerned about the success of other schools in the
district as they are about their own school. Sustained improvement of schools is
not possible unless the whole system is moving forward
Knowledge Creation and Sharing
Creating and sharing knowledge is central to effective leadership. Information, of which we have a
glut, only becomes knowledge through a social process. For this reason, relationships and
professional learning communities are essential. Organizations must foster knowledge giving as
well as knowledge seeking. We endorse continual learning when we say that individuals should
constantly add to their knowledge basebut there will be little to add if people are not sharing. A
norm of sharing one's knowledge with others is the key to continual growth for all.
The Cultural Change Principal appreciates that teaching is both an intellectual and a moral
profession. This principal constantly reminds teachers that they are engaged in practicing,
studying, and refining the craft of teaching. The Cultural Change Principal is the lead learner in
the school and models lifelong learning by sharing what he or she has read lately, engaging in and
encouraging action research, and implementing inquiry groups among the staff. Teachers who
work with the Cultural Change Principal know that they are engaged in scientific discovery and
the refinement of the teaching knowledge base. Knowledge creation and sharing fuels moral
purpose in schools led by Cultural Change Principals.
 Leadership and Sustainability
To develop and support Cultural Change Principals, we must turn our
attention to sustainabilitythe likelihood that the overall system can
regenerate itself toward improvement. Key components of sustainability are
developing the social environment, learning in context, cultivating leaders at
many levels (and ensuring leadership succession), and enhancing the teaching
profession.
 Developing the Social Environment
Those concerned about the depletion of resources in the physical environment were
the first to discuss the issue of sustainability. Our concern is the depletion of
resources in the social and moral environment (Hargreaves, in press). In the social
and moral environment of the school, we need the resources to close the
achievement gap between high and low performers, to develop all schools in the
system, and to connect schools to the strength of democracy in society. Further, if
school leaders do not concern themselves with the development of the social and
moral environment of the entire district (in addition to the development of the
environment within their own school), then not only will the school system
deteriorate, but eventually their own school will also fail.
 Learning in Context
Recruiting top-performing principals and rewarding good principal performance are both important. Providing strong
principal training is useful, too. But as Elmore (2000) points out,
What's missing in this view [of focusing on talented individuals] is any recognition that improvement is more a function of
learning to do the right thing in the setting where you work [my emphasis]. (p. 25)
Learning at worklearning in contextoccurs, for example, when principals are members of a district's intervisitation
study team for which they examine real problemsand the solutions they have devisedin their own systems. Learning
out of context takes place when principals go to a workshop or conference. Such learning can be valuable for further
development, but it is not the kind of applied learning that really makes a difference.
Learning in context has the greatest potential payoff because it is more specific, situational, and social (it develops shared
and collective knowledge and commitments). This kind of learning is designed to improve the organization and its social
and moral context. Learning in context also establishes conditions conducive to continual development, including
opportunities to learn from others on the job, the daily fostering of current and future leaders, the selective retention of
good ideas and best practices, and the explicit monitoring of performance.
 Cultivating Leaders at Many Levels
An organization cannot flourishat least, not for longon the actions of the top leader alone.
Schools and districts need many leaders at many levels. Learning in context helps produce such
leaders. Further, for leaders to be able to deal with complex problems, they need many years of
experience and professional development on the job. To a certain extent, a school leader's
effectiveness in creating a culture of sustained change will be determined by the leaders he or she
leaves behind.
Also crucial to sustained improvement is the effective succession of leaders. Leadership
succession is more likely if there are many leaders at many levels. Organizations must set their
sights on continual improvement at all levels, and for that they must nurture, cultivate, and
appoint successive leaders who are moving in a sustained direction.
The good news for most of us is that charismatic leaders are actually a liability for sustained
improvement. Collins (2001) compared 11 companies with long-term, positive financial
performance profiles (a minimum of 15 consecutive years) with other companies that made
short-term shifts from good to great, but failed to sustain their gains. Collins suggests that leaders
who build enduring greatness are not high-profile, flashy performers but rather individuals who
blend extreme personal humility with intense professional will (p. 21). Sustainability depends on
many leadersthus, the qualities of leadership must be attainable by many, not just a few.
 Enhancing the Teaching Profession
We will not have a large pool of quality principals until we have a large pool of
quality teachers because quality teachers form the ranks of the quality principal
pipeline. Individualistic strategiessigning bonuses, pay hikeswill not work to
boost the ranks of quality teachers; the conditions of teacher work must be conducive
to continual development and proud accomplishment. Principal-leaders should
work to transform teachers' working conditions. From the standpoint of
sustainability, the principalship itself benefits from these improved conditions: We
will only get quality principals when we have quality teachers.
The role of the principal as instructional leader has taken us only so far in the quest
for continual school improvement. We now must raise our sights and focus on
principals as leaders in a culture of change. School improvement depends on
principals who can foster the conditions necessary for sustained education reform in
a complex, rapidly changing society. Never has the time been riper for change
leaders than right now.
Transactional Leadership Vs.
Transformational Leadership
Bass Theory
Transactional Leader:
pursues a cost benefit, economic exchange to met subordinates current
material and psychic needs in return for contracted services rendered by
the subordinate . Bass
Transformational Leader:
The leader who recognizes the transactional needs in potential followers but tends
to go further, seeking to arouse and satisfy higher needs, to engage the full person of
the follower to a higher level of need according to Maslows hierarchy of needs
Bass
As exactly said by Bass the transactional leaders work within the organizational
culture as it exists; the transformational leader changes the organizational culture.
Leaders are aware of the link between the effort Leaders arouse emotions in their followers which
and reward motivates them to act beyond the framework of
* Leadership is responsive and its basic orientation what may be described as exchange relations
is dealing with present issues * Leadership is proactive and forms new
* Leaders rely on standard forms of inducement, expectations in followers
reward, punishment and sanction to control * Leaders are distinguished by their capacity to
followers inspire and provide individualized consideration,
* Leaders motivate followers by setting goals and intellectual stimulation and idealized influence to
promising rewards for desired performance their followers
* Leadership depends on the leaders power to * Leaders create learning opportunities for their
reinforce subordinates for their successful followers and stimulate followers to solve problems
completion of the bargain. * Leaders possess good visioning, rhetorical and
management skills, to develop strong emotional
bonds with followers
* Leaders motivate followers to work for goals that
go beyond self-interest.