Management - Contingency theories of leadership

Résumé du document

Contingency theories of leadership were intended to resolve the problems of Trait and Behavioural theories. To what extent have they achieved? According to the dictionary, leadership is « the process whereby one person influences the thoughts and behaviour of others »; it thus appears to be a key element in the success of a company. In those circumstances, we must wonder what the parameters that make a leadership efficient are. It is accordingly that Dr Ralph Melvin Stogdill, an American professor of Psychology, developed the « Trait theory » based on Thomas Carlysle's « Great Man » concept. It was later completed by inter alia Mutton and Blake, who added the dimension of behaviour. However innovative they were, those theories which aimed to describe the ideal leader were inexact; indeed some leaderships which reunited right criteria happened to be fails. In that context, Joseph Bower in order to solve those problems elaborated the « Contingency theory », which particularity was to take into account the employees and the situation of the leadership.

Extraits

[...] Management - Contingency theories of leadership Contingency theories of leadership were intended to resolve the problems of Trait and Behavioural theories. To what extent have they achieved? According to the dictionary, leadership is the process whereby one person influences the thoughts and behaviour of others it thus appears to be a key element in the success of a company. In those circumstances, we must wonder what the parameters that make a leadership efficient are. It is accordingly that Dr Ralph Melvin Stogdill, an American professor of Psychology, developed the Trait theory based on Thomas Carlysle's Great Man concept. [...]

[...] A few years later, House developed the path-goal model, he adds to Fiedler analysis a new contingency the subordinates. Indeed according to this model, the leader decides its style in function of the characteristics, the abilities and the needs of his subordinates, as well as the situation. House differs four styles: the directive style which consists in giving specific guidance, asking subordinates to follow rules and procedures or scheduling their works the supportive style which consists in treating them as equals, or showing concern for their needs the achievement oriented style which consists in setting targets, seeking performance, or showing confidence and finally the participative style which consists in «consulting subordinates», or paying attention to their opinion. [...]

[...] In 1964, Blake and Mouton developed and applied Behavioural theories through a managerial grid which showed the different possible combinations between concern for people and concern for production in a leadership. From this grid, we can determine five major styles of leadership. At the upper left hand corner ( 1.9 ) is the country style which corresponds with the considerate style. At the lower right hand corner ( 9.1 ) is the produce or perish style which corresponds with the initiating structure style. [...]

[...] In front of this problem, contingency theories bring some solutions. First of all, they indicate that the style of leadership must depend on the situation which includes the degree of task structure (such as whether it is routine or non routine), the formal authority system (the extent to which rules and procedures guide activities) and work group characteristics (the amount and quality of team work within the group) They as well stressed the importance of subordinates, indeed the leader must at the same time fulfil their needs (rising wages, listening to their personal problems and take benefit from their abilities. [...]

[...] Thomas Carlyle (1795-1781) was the initiator of these theories with his great men concept. Indeed through his observations of historical leaders (Napoleon, Cromwell ) he established a list of common traits; this list was later propped up by Dr Ralph Melvin Stogdill who counted around 163 different traits. Nowadays, determining leader's traits still interest psychologists as well as well economists. Some of the main traits according to Stogdill: Source: Stogdill Those theories partly permitted to explain the success of a few men; it has as well shown that there were not only one but many different models of leadership. [...]