Leading people is one of the challenging tasks that managers face at workplace. For the employees to be more productive, the management has to be effective. What exactly renders a manager effective? Effective management entails finding a balance between behavior, situation and need. According to the contingency theory, effective management depends on the interaction between a manager’s behavior and the contingency or rather situation itself. Contingency theories, notably, argue that there is no one particular leadership style that can be deemed the best (Donaldson, 2006). As such, effective leaders ought to embrace the various styles of leadership depending on the issue at hand. In that respect, this paper will examine why contingency theory is regarded as the best management approach. Additionally, the important concepts of leadership will be evaluated herein.
Why contingency theory
Contingency theory is robust since it offers managers with some form of flexibility when addressing organizational issues. The proponents of this model have suggested that successful managers are known to embrace different leadership styles in various situations. Apparently, such leaders understand that there is no guarantee that a particular approach will be effective in the future just because it worked well in the past. The theory allows a leader to assess situations to establish the best leadership approach. Thus, a manager can embrace delegating, supporting, directing or coaching leadership style depending on the outcome of the assessment. Contingency theories require a leader to have insight into these leadership styles so that they can address organizational issues as they emerge. The key features of contingency theories are the interaction between task and relationship behaviors, level of preparedness of the followers to execute particular tasks. Also, they show how the various leadership style impact the confidence and competence of the members (Donaldson, 2006).
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Contingency theory has longevity since it can be used to address both current and future issues. These theories can change the complexities of tasks performed by staff. Also, they can improve the skills of the workers as they work together to attain certain organizational goals (Donaldson, 2006). For instance, as the employees’ level of maturity increases after performing specific tasks, managers can reduce their work behavior and improve workers relationship behavior. That can be done until the workers can shift from moderate to higher maturity levels. When the followers attain such levels of maturity, the managers can then decrease their task as well as relationship norms. Such achievements imply that the managers would have helped their employees to become more competent and cordial at work place. Of essence, the company would be presented with solutions to both existing and future issues.
In addition to flexibility, contingency theory is directive in nature. It directs a manager on how to manage different situations. In leadership, it is crucial to have insight into leader and followers expectations under various circumstances and conditions. Typically, all organizations are susceptible to changes. Leadership, in this regard, has a significant role in managing the change process. Contingency theory informs managers on how to respond to changes. Successful leaders often respond promptly to changes in the workplace with sound interventions (Donaldson, 2006). For example, a manager can embrace a leadership style that would equip followers with skills that would help them to achieve particular organizational objectives.
Concisely, change regularly occurs in companies. With contingency theories, a leader will be guided on how to adapt to the changes that occur within the organization. The contingency theories can be particular to a manager who works for a firm that is vulnerable to changes. Primarily, contingency theories would help managers to address rapid organizational changes.
Important concepts of leadership
The process by which individual influences and guides others to achieve particular objectives is known as leadership. Through such process, a person may be able to make an organization to be more coherent and cohesive. In the past, people used to perceive that a good leader is born. In today’s world, scholars have demonstrated that leaders are made. Notably, as long as an individual has the willpower, he or she can become a good leader. Efficient leaders develop through a ceaseless process of education, experience, self-study, and training (Weinbach & Taylo, 2015). In order to inspire followers to be productive, a leader ought to understand things that need to be done and those that should be avoided at all cost. Most of these things do not come innately. Good leaders do not rest on their achievements. They work continuously and often study to enhance their leadership credentials. There specific elements that leaders need to demonstrate to be effective in leading others. These aspects will be analyzed as below:
Communication
Communication is a critical component of leadership. Effective leaders always proved to be effective communicators. Communication in this regards refers to relaying or rather conveying information from the source to the recipient. Reports indicate that leaders who embrace a top-to-down and bottom-up system of communication can win the trust of their employees (Weinbach & Taylo, 2015). Communication helps leaders in the following ways. First, it ensures that the followers understand the goals and vision of the organization. Second, the management will be able to understand the employees’ needs. Such understanding is important since the management can align employees’ goals together with that of the organization. In the process, the followers’ morale will be boosted, and they would be committed to ensuring organizational success. Lastly, effective communication helps in ensuring that the followers understand their roles. Consequentially, their productivity would increase significantly.
Honesty
Another vital aspect is honesty. Typically, leaders are required to be open to their employees about some issues. In today’s competitive markets, employees are supposed to build trust with their employees in order to win their loyalty. Many organizations that are successful in the current world, allows the employees to take part in decision-making. The essence of this process is to enable the employees to understand organizational issues as well as contribute to the solution (Folkman, 2010). Many companies have struggled to achieve success due to lack of honesty. When a corporation is in a crisis, for instance, the leadership needs to inform the workers about the situation. In response, the workers would strive to initiate positive changes such as performance improvement. Besides, when the company opts to retrench its workers, the remaining employees will understand the situation. However, when the leadership is not honest, the followers will not be loyal to the organization. Moreover, competitors can lure followers easily when they approach them with better wages.
Commitment
If a leader is expecting his or her team to work productively, he or she must set the best example for the followers to imitate. Reports have shown that the best motivation is seeing a leader working alongside the followers. Apparently, this would imply that hard work is characteristic of all levels. When a leader shows high levels of commitment to his or her work, he or she will not only get respect from followers but also instill the culture of hard work among the employees. Leaders are also expected to demonstrate commitment by keeping their promises (Yukl & Prussia, 2013) . For example, if a leader pledged to give the employees an afternoon off after achieving their daily target, he or she should go ahead and keep that promise. That will create an impression that the person is both a hard worker as well as a fair leader.
Conclusion
In conclusion, effective management depends on the interaction between a manager’s behavior and the contingency or rather situation itself. Many scholars regard contingency theories as best leadership models since they provide leaders with various leadership options depending on the issue they are facing. Nevertheless, for leaders to be effective, they need to show commitment, honesty and excellent communication skills.
References
Donaldson, L. (2006). The contingency theory of organizational design: challenges and opportunities. Organization Design , 19-40.
Folkman, J. (2010). Top 9 Leadership Behaviors that drive employee commitment. Extraordinary performance , 1-4.
Weinbach, R. W & Taylo, L.M (2015). The Social Worker as manager: A practical guide to success (7 th Edition). Pearson eText.
Yukl, S. H. R. M. G., & Prussia, G. E. (2013). Ethical and empowering leadership and leader effectiveness. Journal of Managerial Psychology , 28 (2), 133-146.
