The Fiedler Contingency Theory of Leadership Effectiveness

Fred Fiedler's leadership theory suggests that a leader's effectiveness depends on the fit between their style and the situation. He introduced the Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) score to measure leadership style, but found it didn't correlate with team performance. Instead, three factors—task structure, positional power, and leader-follower relationships—play a crucial role. Fiedler identified three conditions affecting leadership outcomes based on these factors. However, his model is criticized for lacking evidence and neglecting team competence and motivation.

What does a high LPC score indicate about a leader's style?

• The leader is task-oriented and controlling.

• The leader focuses solely on performance metrics.

• The leader prioritizes relationships and is considerate.

• The leader is indifferent to team dynamics.

Which factor is NOT one of the three identified by Fiedler as influencing leadership effectiveness?

• Leader-follower relationships

• Positional power

• Task structure

• Leader's technical skills

In a highly structured task with high positional power, which type of leader tends to achieve better results?

• Leaders who avoid setting targets

• High LPC, relationship-oriented leaders

• Low LPC, task-oriented leaders

• Leaders with no LPC score

Why do high LPC leaders perform better in unstructured tasks with low positional power?

• They enforce strict rules.

• They focus on task completion.

• They ignore team dynamics.

• They build relationships to overcome power deficits.

What is a potential downside of low LPC leaders in unstructured tasks with poor relationships?

• They avoid making decisions.

• They lack any form of authority.

• They focus too much on relationships.

• They may cause conflict by pushing for results.

What is a major critique of Fiedler's model?

• It neglects team competence and motivation.

• It focuses only on short-term results.

• It overemphasizes the leader's technical skills.

• It provides too many leadership styles.

What aspect does Fiedler's model fail to address according to the critique?

• The competence and motivation of team members

• The leader's ability to delegate tasks

• The leader's personal interests

• The organization's financial status