Fundamentals of Management, 8th ed

Chapter 11: Leadership and Influence Processes

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Flexibility of Leader Style

Fiedler argued that, for any given individual, leader style

is essentially fixed and cannot be changed; leaders cannot change their behavior to fit

a particular situation because it is linked to their particular personality traits. Thus,

when a leader’s style and the situation do not match, Fiedler argued that the situation

should be changed to fit the leader’s style. When leader–member relations are good,

task structure low, and position power weak, the leader style that is most likely to be

effective is relationship oriented. If the leader is task oriented, a mismatch exists. Accord-

ing to Fiedler, the leader can make the elements of the situation more congruent by

structuring the task (by developing guidelines and procedures, for instance) and increas-

ing power (by requesting additional authority or by other means).

Fiedler’s LPC theory has been attacked on the grounds that it is not always supported

by research, that his findings are subject to other interpretations, that the LPC measure

lacks validity, and that his assumptions about the inflexibility of leader behavior are

unrealistic.

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However, Fiedler’s theory was one of the first to adopt a situational

perspective on leadership. It has helped many managers recognize the important situa-

tional factors they must contend with, and it has fostered additional thinking about the

situational nature of leadership. Moreover, in recent years, Fiedler has attempted

to address some of the concerns about his theory by revising it and adding additional

elements such as cognitive resources.