Situational, Contingency, Functional and Action-Centred Leadership

Question 1

What is Situational Leadership?

Answer 1

A style of leadership that adapts to each situation. It believes that one style of leadership cannot be used and that the leader needs to keep changing in relation to the situation they are in.

Question 2

What are the key elements of Situational Leadership?

Answer 2

• Directing - New employees need High Directive Behaviour and Low Supportive Behaviour. That is they need a leader that tells them specifically what to do.
  • Supporting - Employees at this stage no longer need to be told what to do, but the leader still needs to be involved. There is still some development to do.
  • Coaching - Employees at this stage ask a lot of Questions. There is a great deal of both one-way and two-way communication between the supervisor and the employee.
  • Delegating - Once the employee has fully developed, they need little to no direction. Just simply assign them tasks and let them do their jobs.

Question 3

What is Contingency?

Answer 3

Contingency leadership is another form of situational leadership.
The Fiedler Contingency Model was created in the mid-1960s by Fred Fiedler, a scientist who studied the personality and characteristics of leaders.

• The theory suggests that a leader’s effectiveness is based on how well his or her leadership style matches the current situation.
  Fiedler’s theory said that leaders fall into two different leadership styles: task-oriented or people-oriented.
• The effectiveness of a person’s style in a particular situation depends on how well-communicated the job is, how much authority the leader has, and the relationship between the workers and the leader.

Question 4

What is Functional and Action-Centred Leadership?

Answer 4

• The Functional Leadership Model was created by observing the actions and behaviours of many leaders. It focuses on what the leader needs to do….their function.
• Model for Action Centred leadership developed by John Adair in 1979.

Adair believed the 3 key responsibilities of leadership focused on the needs of the task, team and individual.

The Leader’s role is to help workers achieve the common task, build and manage the team, and respond to individuals’ needs.