Principles and Practices of Leadership and Management Essay - 1

Principles and Practices of Leadership and Management - Essay Example In this paper, there are several contingency models which have been discussed to outline the theories of leadership in the society. Contingency Theory of Decision Making As per this model, the success of a decision procedure is contingent upon a number of instances of the situation. This involves the significance of the decision attributes and acceptance, the extent of relevant information owned by the leader and subordinates. Also, there is the possibility that subordinates will admit an autocratic verdict or cooperate in attempting to make a good decision when allowed to participate. In addition, there is the degree of disagreement among workers with regard to their favored alternatives. Path–Goal Theory The theory suggests that the leader should assist explicate the path for workers to achieve the group goals. This is where the leader employs particular behaviors in particular situations to intensify follower satisfaction as well as motivate efforts in the direction of task accomplishment. The theory recognizes four kinds of leader behavior which includes supportive, directive, achievement oriented and participative leader behavior. In instances where the task is taxed, the theory forecast that supportive behaviors of leadership may increase the workers' interest in task completion and encourage workers' expectations for an effective outcome. On the other hand, in instances where the task is complicated, then the directive behaviors such as explaining the task and emphasizing on rewards on good performance may increase the workers positive expectation (House, 1996). Normative Decision Model This theory exclusively focuses on providing prescriptions to enhance the decision-making process of the leader. It gives out a set of 5 different strategies of decision-making that range from directive decision making to a participative one. The finest strategy for making decision situations may be arrived at by answering â€Å"yes/no† to 7 questions based on a decision tree which may characterize the situation for decision-making. The significance of decision quality, the probability that workers would accept to execute the decision as well as the quantity of available information required for the decision amounts to some of the examples of situational considerations (Smith, 1984). Situational Leadership Theory The theory proposes that the effectiveness of leadership depends purely on the ability of the leader to customize his/her behavior to the necessity of the situation. For instance, the workers’ level of maturity. The function of the leader is to constantly evaluate and modifies his/her behavior to each workers’ task and psychological maturity to accomplish the task in sight. For example, when a worker happens to have lower maturity, then the leader should assist the employee on how to carry out the job. However, when a worker is more mature, then probably he/she does not require much assistance to have the work do ne. In this situation, it would be proper to delegate the task to the employee. Studies back the theory's hypothesis that low maturity workers mostly take advantage of the directive behavior. The theory has however been disapproved for its limited focus on only a single situational element, but it has played a part in the understanding of the effectiveness