Contingency approaches to leadership emphasize situational variables in determining effective leadership styles.
The contingency approaches to leadership highlight the impact of situational variables on choosing the most effective leadership style. For example, Fiedler's contingency theory suggests that task-oriented leaders are more effective in certain situations than people-oriented leaders.
Situational Leadership Theory by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey emphasizes the importance of adjusting leadership styles based on the development levels of followers. This approach is widely used in managerial training programs and by Fortune 500 companies.
Person variables, situational variables, and the person-situation interaction all play a role in determining leadership effectiveness, as illustrated by various models like Fiedler's, House's path-goal theory, and Vroom and Yetton's normative model.