Deck 4: Situational and Contingent Leadership

Question 1

Situational and contingent leadership theories suggest that to succeed, a leader needs to adapt their behaviour to match the demands of the situation they face.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Reddin argued that a different approach is needed in different organizations. In addition to the attitude the manager held towards his followers and their task, he was convinced there was a third dimension. He produced three-dimensional model based around effectiveness and the task/relationship orientation of the manager. Identify which option represents one of the 'Effective' types Reddin identified.

A) Autocrat (high task/low relationship)
B) The Compromiser (high task/high relationship)
C) The Missionary (high relationship/low task)
D) The Executive (high task/high relationship):

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Hersey and Blanchard worked together on the theory that there was no one 'best' leadership style. This evolved into Situational Leadership Theory largely driven by the maturing of a follower. What best describes Situational Leadership Theory?

A) Leaders should adjust their approach to be popular and gain admiration from their subordinates
B) The wider environment impacts the subordinates which lead to the popularity of their interpretation of the leader's approach
C) Leaders should adjust their approach to their subordinates according to certain conditions existing in the wider environment
D) The wider environment adjusts the leader's approach according to certain conditions existing in their subordinates

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Reddin believed a better explanation of the efficacy of the task would be to ascertain how closely the workforce are congruent with the demands of the situations in which they find themselves.

Question 5

The Leadership Relationship is based upon the maturity of the follower to assume more responsibility for their actions. According to Hersey and Blanchard, Task Readiness is a term that encompasses aspects of the subordinate's characteristics.
What best describes the attributes needed for Task Readiness?

A) The subordinate's skills, knowledge, and ability affects their delivery of a task
B) The degree to which an employee is willing to take on responsibility for their actions in relation to task achievement.
C) This aspect encompasses themes such as motivation and confidence of the subordinate in their own ability
D) This aspect encompasses the leader's motivation and confidence in their own ability to complete tasks

Question 6

Within Situational Leadership the manager has to make a shift between the two types of leadership behaviour namely, directive/task or relationship/supportive. This creates a stable disconnect relationship between leader and subordinate which is not impacted by 'real life'.

Question 7

The Situational Leadership Model begins with two assumptions: that there is a task to be achieved and a set of followers available to deliver the required outcomes.
Followers' readiness is described from R1-R4. Which statement reflects correctly the description for readiness at R2?

A) The follower is able to carry out the task demands and they will have technical knowledge but they will be unwilling to try.
B) The follower is motivated to carry out the task and has skills, personal attributes, and confidence to carry out the job.
C) The follower is unable to comply with the task requirements but is willing to try.
D) The follower is unable to carry out the task but they will have technical knowledge and they will be willing to try

Question 8

The Situational Leadership model offers a degree of flexibility in the leader's approach. As followers gain skills and confidence, they receive different degrees of support from their manager. Rather than dictating a fixed position, the model encourages the manager to treat people differently and to recognize the dynamic nature of leadership. It is based on 3 assumptions, which below best reflects one of these:

A) The manager must have the skills and emotional tools to be able to carry off the four different styles sufficiently well to convince the followers these are genuine behaviours.
B) The manager does not need the skill or insight to be able to assess the state of readiness of the followers. They need abilities and background data of them to judge accurately their leadership in terms of its maturity/readiness
C) As individuals develop their skills and confidence they do not follow the development path of each other as individuals with differing degrees of maturity or readiness will require the same input from the leader
D) The manager does not need the skills and emotional tools to be able to carry different styles of leadership to convince the followers these are genuine behaviours.

Question 9

House (1971) developed the Path-Goal Theory by suggesting a leader should aim to improve followers' performance by enhancing their motivation. The model that draws on Vroom's (1964) ideas on motivation called Expectancy Theory.

Question 10

Fiedler's (1967) approach suggested that the effectiveness of a leader was contingent upon distinct factors or situational dependent variables. Fiedler developed the Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) scale and considered Situational favourableness by establishing complex set of interacting variables. Which option below most accurately describes these:

A) Task structure - A poorly structured type task typified by its clear set of stages and well tried and tested process. There are many options in terms its completion.
B) Leader-member relations reflects the degree of trust and confidence each party (leader and follower) has in each other, and how attracted the group members feel towards each other.
C) Positional power - those without of authority are judged to have strong power relationships, whereas, in contrast, those with high levels of authority are judged to have weak power relationships.
D) Leadership and Neutralizers - substitutes describe the characteristics of the task, organization, or followers that make leadership behaviours either irrelevant or unnecessary and render relationship and/or task oriented leadership impossible