Deck 3: Contingency Approaches to Leadership

Question 1

The contingency approaches explain the relationship between leadership styles and effectiveness in specific situations.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

According to Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, which of the following indicates a high degree of task structure?

A) Ill-defined tasks
B) Routine tasks
C) Creative tasks
D) Research tasks

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true of Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership?

A) Task-oriented leaders do not excel in a favorable situation because a great deal of structure and task direction is needed.
B) Task structure needs to be defined if a situation is highly favorable to a leader.
C) Relationship-oriented leaders are more effective in situations of moderate favorability.
D) Relationship-oriented leaders excel in unfavorable situations because everyone gets along and the tasks are clear.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is stated by the contingency approach to leadership?

A) A leadership style that works in one situation might not work in another situation.
B) The contingencies seek to investigate traits that can improve performance in all situations.
C) The contingencies most important to leadership are the leaders.
D) There is only one best way of leadership.

Question 5

According to the situational theory of leadership, a leader with a _____ provides detailed objectives and explicit instructions about how tasks should be accomplished.

A) participating style
B) selling style
C) telling style
D) delegating style

Question 6

The situational theory of leadership focuses on the characteristics of leaders as the most important element of the situation.

Question 7

In the context of Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, if a leader describes the least preferred coworker using positive concepts, he or she is considered relationship-oriented.

Question 8

According to the situational theory of leadership, a _____ can be effective when followers have the necessary education, skills, and experience but might be insecure in their abilities and need some encouragement from the leader.

A) telling leadership style
B) selling leadership style
C) participating leadership style
D) delegating leadership style

Question 9

According to the situational theory of leadership, a leader with a _____ provides little direction or support because complete responsibility for decisions and their implementation is turned over to followers.

A) delegating leadership style
B) selling leadership style
C) telling leadership style
D) participating leadership style

Question 10

The contingencies most important to leadership are the situation and followers.

Question 11

In the context of Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, which of the following does leader-member relations refer to?

A) It refers to the extent to which tasks given by the leaders are defined and involve specific procedures.
B) It refers to the group atmosphere and members' attitudes toward and acceptance of the leader.
C) It refers to the extent to which the leader has formal authority over subordinates.
D) It refers to the ability to plan and direct the work of subordinates, evaluate it, and reward or punish them.

Question 12

The use of substitutes to fill leadership "gaps" is often disadvantageous to organizations.

Question 13

According to Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, if a leader uses negative concepts to describe the least preferred coworker, he or she is considered a _____.

A) task-oriented leader
B) "high-high" leader
C) people-oriented leader
D) democratic leader

Question 14

The Vroom-Jago contingency model of leadership starts with the idea that a leader faces a problem that requires a solution.

Question 15

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, when an incorrect reward is given to a subordinate, directive leadership behavior is used to change this.

Question 16

According to the situational theory of leadership, a leader with a _____ provides both task instruction and personal support, explains decisions, and gives followers a chance to ask questions and gain clarity about work tasks.

A) participating leadership style
B) telling leadership style
C) delegating leadership style
D) selling leadership style

Question 17

According to Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, position power is low when the leader has:

A) the power to plan and direct the work of subordinates.
B) the power to reward or punish the work of subordinates.
C) the authority to create tasks.
D) little authority over subordinates and cannot evaluate their work.

Question 18

According to the situational theory of leadership, the telling style reflects a low concern for both tasks and relationships.

Question 19

According to Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, a task-oriented leader performs better in situations of moderate favorability because human relations skills are important in achieving high group performance.

Question 20

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, path clarification means that the leader works with subordinates to help them identify and learn the behaviors that will lead to successful task accomplishment and organizational rewards.

Question 21

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, the personal characteristics of followers, which is a situational contingency, includes factors such as:

A) the degree of task structure.
B) the work group.
C) motivation.
D) formality.

Question 22

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, when a subordinate is unchallenged by a task, a(n) _____ is used to set higher goals.

A) supportive leadership behavior
B) empowering leadership behavior
C) directive leadership behavior
D) achievement-oriented leadership behavior

Question 23

Which of the following statements is a criticism of Fiedler's contingency theory?

A) The use of the least preferred coworker score as a measure of relationship- or task-oriented behavior is complicated.
B) The empirical support for the model is weak because it is based on correlational results that fail to achieve statistical significance in the majority of cases.
C) It does not go beyond the notion of leadership styles to try to show how styles fit a situation.
D) It fails to consider high least preferred coworker score leaders, who some studies indicate are more effective than medium least preferred coworker score leaders in all situations.

Question 24

According to Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership, in situations of moderate favorability, a relationship-oriented leader:

A) supervises jobs that are clearly defined.
B) defines task structure and establishes authority over subordinates.
C) may be moderately well liked and have some power.
D) may maintain poor leader-member relations.

Question 25

According to the Vroom-Jago contingency model of leadership, which of the following activities refers to delegation in decision making?

A) A leader permits the group to make a decision within prescribed limits.
B) A leader presents a problem to the group in a meeting.
C) A leader makes a decision alone and announces it to the group.
D) A leader presents a problem to the group members, gets their suggestions, and then makes the decision.

Question 26

Which of the following is a difference between Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership and the path-goal theory of leadership?

A) The Fiedler theory discusses leader style, followers and situation, and the rewards to meet followers' needs, whereas the path-goal theory discusses leadership style and group task performance.
B) The Fiedler theory made the assumption that new leaders could take over as situations change, whereas in the path-goal theory, leaders change their behaviors to match the situation.
C) The Fiedler theory enables leaders to diagnose both leadership style and organizational situation, whereas the path-goal theory focuses on the characteristics of followers as the most important element of the situation.
D) The Fiedler theory states that a leader can adopt the four leader styles of directing, coaching, supporting, and entrusting, whereas the path-goal theory measures leadership style with the least preferred coworker scale.

Question 27

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, which of the following leadership styles stresses high-quality performance and improvement over current performance?

A) Participative leadership
B) Directive leadership
C) Achievement-oriented leadership
D) Supportive leadership

Question 28

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, which of the following leadership styles involves consulting with subordinates about decisions?

A) Directive leadership
B) Supportive leadership
C) Achievement-oriented leadership
D) Participative leadership

Question 29

In the context of the path-goal theory of leadership, which of the following statements is true of supportive leadership?

A) It involves setting clear and challenging goals for subordinates.
B) It involves consulting with subordinates about decisions.
C) It involves telling subordinates exactly what they are supposed to do.
D) It involves showing concern for subordinates' well-being and personal needs.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true of the Vroom-Jago contingency model of leadership?

A) It made the assumption that new leaders could take over as situations change.
B) It states that the leader's responsibility is to increase subordinates' motivation to attain personal and organizational goals.
C) It discusses the extent to which the leader's style is relationship- or task-oriented.
D) It tells the leader precisely the correct amount of participation by subordinates to use in making a particular decision.

Question 31

The fundamental assumption of substitutes-for-leadership researchers is that:

A) when a task is highly satisfying and enjoyable, the leader should show acceptance and compassion as it is not provided by the task.
B) effective leadership is the ability to recognize and provide the support not already provided by task, group, and organization.
C) substitutes for leadership cannot be designed into organizations in ways to complement existing leadership.
D) when a task is highly structured and routine, the leader should provide clarification of task objectives and responsibilities as it is not provided by the task.

Question 32

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, _____ involves planning, making schedules, setting performance goals and behavior standards, and stressing adherence to rules and regulations.

A) achievement-oriented leadership
B) participative leadership
C) directive leadership
D) supportive leadership

Question 33

Which of the following things should leaders know in order to use Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership?

A) They should conclude that they are task-oriented leaders if they are moderately well liked, have some power, and supervise jobs that contain some ambiguity.
B) They should identify themselves as relationship-oriented leaders if they define the task structure and can establish authority over subordinates.
C) They should assume that they are more effective as task-oriented leaders if they perform better in situations of intermediate favorability.
D) They should diagnose the situation and determine whether leader-member relations, task structure, and position power are favorable or unfavorable.

Question 34

_____ refers to a theory meaning one thing depends on other things.

Question 35

According to the least preferred coworker (LPC) scale of Fiedler's model of leadership styles, if the leader describes the least preferred coworker using positive concepts, the leader:

A) is relationship-oriented.
B) is task-oriented
C) places greater value on tasks.
D) is an extrovert.

Question 36

According to Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership, which of the following statements is true of task-oriented leaders?

A) They are more effective in a situations where they have little authority over subordinates and cannot evaluate their work or reward them.
B) They are more effective in situations of moderate favorability.
C) They are more effective in favorable situations because the task is not clear to everybody.
D) They are more effective when a situation is highly unfavorable because a great deal of structure and task direction is needed.

Question 37

An important contribution of Fiedler's research on the contingency model of leadership is that it:

A) uses weights that are determined in an arbitrary manner in order to determine situation favorability .
B) goes beyond the notion of leadership styles to try to show how styles fit a situation.
C) recommends medium least preferred coworker leaders as they are more effective in many situations.
D) is clear about how the model will work over time.

Question 38

In the context of using substitutes for leadership, which of the following factors tends to substitute for leader task orientation?

A) Love-based motivation
B) Socialization
C) Formalized rules
D) Creative and ill-defined tasks

Question 39

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, which of the following situational contingencies consists of the educational level of subordinates and the quality of relationships among them?

A) Human relations skills
B) Task structures
C) Formal authority systems
D) Work-group characteristics

Question 40

According to the Vroom-Jago contingency model of leadership, if subordinates have a high level of expertise in relation to a problem, _____.

A) the leader should not allow the group to make the decision alone
B) the leader has to be actively involved in decision making
C) more responsibility for the decision can be delegated to them
D) subordinates will have low commitment to the decision

Question 41

New research has continued to improve Fiedler's model of leadership, and it is still considered an important contribution to leadership studies. However, its major impact may have been to stir other researchers to consider situational factors more seriously. Discuss.

Question 42

Which of the following behaviors is a meta-category that can be applied to leadership in a variety of situations and time periods?

A) Situational behavior
B) Reward behavior
C) Relationship behavior
D) Contingency behavior

Question 43

Explain the aspect of substitutes and neutralizers for leadership.

Question 44

According to the _____ of leadership, the leader's responsibility is to increase subordinates' motivation to attain personal and organizational goals.

Question 45

Some situations don't require leadership. Discuss.

Question 46

Which of the following is stated by the contingency approach to leadership?

A) A leadership style that works in one situation might not work in another situation.
B) The contingencies seek to investigate traits that can improve performance in all situations.
C) The contingencies most important to leadership are the leaders.
D) There is only one best way of leadership.

Question 47

A leadership style that works in one situation might not work in another situation. There is no one best way of leadership. Discuss.

Question 48

According to Fiedler's contingency model of leadership, _____ is the extent to which the leader has formal authority over subordinates.

Question 49

Briefly describe Fiedler's contingency model of leadership.

Question 50

_____ was designed to enable leaders to diagnose both leadership style and organizational situation.

Question 51

According to the situational theory of leadership, a leader following the _____ encourages participation, consults with followers, and facilitates decision making.

Question 52

According to the path-goal theory of leadership, how does a leader tailor rewards to a situation?

Question 53

The Vroom-Jago model of leadership focuses specifically on varying degrees of _____ leadership.

Question 54

A(n) _____ for leadership, which is a situational variable, makes the leadership style unnecessary or redundant.

Question 55

Explain the four leadership styles based on the situational theory of leadership developed by Hersey and Blanchard.

Question 56

The point of Hersey and Blanchard's situational theory of leadership is that subordinates vary in _____.

Question 57

A(n) _____, which is a situational characteristic, counteracts the leadership style and prevents the leader from displaying certain behaviors.

Question 58

The _____ to leadership seek to delineate the characteristics of situations and followers and examine the leadership styles that can be used effectively.

Question 59

Describe the Vroom-Jago contingency model of leadership.

Question 60

Zac has been promoted to team leader. His team consists of high school students who have never had jobs before. The procedures the workers need to follow are long and complicated. Based on Hersey and Blanchard's situational theory, which of the following leadership styles should he use?

A) Delegating leadership style
B) Selling leadership style
C) Telling leadership style
D) Participating leadership style

Question 61

Jody manages the sales team for a sports equipment manufacturer. Sales have been slipping downward at an alarming rate. She called a department meeting and set sales goals that the team will need to meet. She doesn't care how they meet their goals; she just wants them to do it. Based on the path-goal theory, which leadership style is she using?

A) Directive leadership
B) Supportive leadership
C) Achievement-oriented leadership
D) Participative leadership

Question 62

Jonni is a certified accountant who works from home without any personal contact from the organization that employs her. Which of the following characteristics of followers substitutes for people-oriented leadership in Jonni's situation?

A) Highly structured task
B) Group cohesiveness
C) Professionalism
D) Automatic feedback

Question 63

Linc's software development team has run into a problem. The tools that they are using are old and missing some functions that would speed up the development process. Linc can think of only one solution-buying new tools. Because the new development tools are so expensive, Linc called a meeting and asked everyone to suggest solutions that the company can afford. Linc will do what the group decides is the best solution. According to the Vroom-Jago contingency model of leadership, which leadership style is Linc using?

A) Consult group
B) Delegate
C) Decide
D) Facilitate