Leadership Styles and Contingency Theory

This assignment requires students to critically examine the interplay between different leadership styles (transformational, situational, transactional) and the contingency theory framework. It encourages an exploration of how situational factors influence effective leadership, drawing upon provided academic sources and case studies. Students are expected to synthesize their understanding and analyze real-world examples to demonstrate the practical implications of this theoretical relationship.

ORGANISATION: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
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Introduction
The concepts of leadership and management are such that they go hand in hand. Both the
concepts are interlinked with each other. This is because in order to become an able manager it is
necessary to possess good leadership qualities. On the other hand, a person cannot be an efficient
leader if the individual is unable to manage the people who look up to him. In the presented
essay an elaborate, detailed discussion is made regarding these two concepts. The main objective
of the essay is to know the functions and responsibilities of a leader, a manager within any
organisational field, along with related skills, traits which are required.
Define and differentiate the ideas of management and leadership
The terms leadership and management basically possess two separate ideas. However in spite of
being different from each other, there exist certain characteristics which are present in both the
context of leadership and management. The term leadership basically refers to the ability, skill
which is needed in order to grow and develop confidence, fortitude and avidity among people so
that they become willing to be piloted. Hence it can be said that leadership is a kind of process
which gives the power to an individual to influence other people in terms of achieving or
attaining a certain set of goals or objectives. Leadership suggests innovation. Instead of
following others, it urges an individual to lead the way, gives power to the leader to take
decisions regarding the certain matter (Goetsch and Davis, 2014, p.10). Since an efficient leader
possess the power of influencing others people, the former is also accountable to the latter. If a
leader is good then it encourages people to follow their concerned leader concerning any
decisions in critical circumstances. So it can be said, the chief emphasis of the leader remains on
the management of people. One of the chief leadership traits is inspiring people to trust. This
means that irrespective of the condition of the situation, the leader gets the trust of his people.
Any decision made by the leader without a doubt is accepted by his people. The chief objective
of the leader is to encourage development regarding the certain matter on a long term basis. It
can be said, one objective of the leader is to accomplish certain goals that are based for a long
time (Nahavandi, 2016, p.180). Challenging the conventions, trying to bring change for the better
in the existing working system and ushering the general people in the process is the chief
function of the leading individual. The main essence of efficient leadership is to be original and

maintain originality while framing goals or objectives. This means objectives which define the
originality of the leader, which makes the leading individual someone different from the general
mass. Based on the behaviour and attitude, leadership styles can be categorised into four
sections, authoritarian or autocratic leadership, paternalistic leadership style, free-rein or laissez-
faire leadership and participative or democratic leadership (Hibbert and Cunliffe, 2015, p.433).
The term management, on the other hand, defines the efficient process of dexterity and mastery
over people coordination and management in order to accomplish certain goals and objectives
related to the organisation. The process of management chiefly deals with five responsible
functions which involve organising, planning, staffing, controlling and directing human efforts in
order to achieve the set of objectives which are given in a company or an organisation.
Therefore, in simplest terms, it can be said that management is the art of administering human
resources within an organisation. This can be better explained with the help of some examples.
In an organisation, a manager based on the organisational objectives frames a proper planning
regarding how the methods, ways by which human resource can be utilised. Therefore, the
manager constructs and puts forth certain short-term goals among the working employees; this,
in turn, helps the concerned working members to set their respective goals and work accordingly
(Choudhary et al. 2013, p.440). An efficient manager knows the ways and means which can be
applied in the order in order to control and manage his subordinates. The chief function of
management resides within the framework of the organisation, hence, unlike a leader, the
manager works as per the stated rules and regulations of the organisation, accepting the
conventional status-quo in the process. A manager is a classic example of a good soldier. This
means the manager controls and operates the tasks and functions which are stated by the
organisational heads. There are many responsibilities and duties of a manager. However, there
exist four mentions worthy traits which need to be considered in order to define a true, capable
managerial individual; these are performance, motivation, effort and satisfaction. An efficient
manager knows how to get a particular job done from his team members irrespective of any kind
of obstacles or hindrance. The factor of motivation is another chief factor of a good manager
(Armstrong and Taylor, 2014, p.15). In order to get a job done by the employees, the manager
needs to considerate enough to motivate his working members. This means the manager needs to
be observant, he must know and acknowledge the skills, appraising capabilities and talents of the
employees. Acknowledgement and recognition from the manager encourages the employees to

give their best in their work. The effort is another factor which needs to be considered. This
means the manager must make the effort to work harder for the development and betterment of
the concerned organisation. In order to accomplish this factor, the manager must always devise
methods and plans in order to strive for excellence, growth and overall development of the
organisation. Satisfaction, this is another point which plays a major role in deciding the
efficiency of the manager. The manager must strive to be someone who can maintain a balance
between working objectives and harmonious coordination of working member (Rothaermel,
2015, p.5).
As observed from above, the roles and responsibilities of leadership and management are
somewhat similar in nature. The chief objectives of a leader and a manager are to accomplish a
set of goals and objectives to their people. Both the leaders as well as the manager are
responsible for explaining the vision of the objectives which is needed to be fulfilled. In order to
do this, these two individuals possess the responsibility to motivate their concerned people; they
also need to know the art of mobilising resources as per requirement. Each of them acts as the
organisational figureheads in their respective working system. However, at the same time, in
spite of possessing similarity, there exists certain traits and characteristics which do differentiate
these two terms. In simplest terms, it can be explained that a leader possesses the trait of
originality. On the other hand, a manager works under the existing status quo of an organisation
(Lussier and Achua, 2015, p.15). A leading individual possesses the advantage of creating his
own vision and strategies as per the goals he wants to achieve. He creates his own values which
others follow. On the other hand, since manager works under an organisation, he is expected to
follow the stated organisational procedures and policies and also urges others to do the same.
Instead of creating, the manager observes and abides by the values which are set, and also makes
sure the other working members are following those values (Chemers, 2014, p.100).
Inspiration and influence define the trait of leadership, while control and power suggest
management capability. In order to do a certain work, for instance, a leader influences and
inspires the people to follow the same path, to work for the similar objective. People follow the
leader out of respect and trust, believing the leading individual possesses the ability to usher
change. Hence, it can be said that the chief focus of the leader is the people. The manager, on the
other hand, works under the system of the organisation. Therefore, the chief focus of the

manager is the overall development and betterment of the organisation. This objective can be
accomplished with the help of proper management and coordination of the people or the
concerned employee, which is the true responsibility of the manager. Setting a certain direction
keeping in view a long term goal is the main task of a leader, while a manager crafts and sets
plans by assessing short term goals. A leader is answerable to his people, however, a manager is
not answerable to the working members, and he simply helps in giving directions as per demands
of the organisation (Higg and Dulewicz, 2016, p.76).
2. Comparison and contradiction of any two theories
Leadership means possessing the quality of leading. Although the meaning is simple, there exist
various qualities, traits and characteristics which measure the efficiency of a capable leading
individual. Throughout ages, various leading personals have developed and constructed many
kinds of leadership theories based on these diverse features and characteristics. Some of the
relevant theories are Trait Theory, Contingency Theory, Transformational Leadership,
Behavioural Theories and much more.
In this essay, in order to gain a proper understanding of the various traits and qualities of
leadership, two leadership theories are taken for the purpose and a proper comparison and
contradiction picture of the two theories are suitably provided, Trait Theory of Leadership and
Contingency Theory (Menz and Scheef, 2014, p.471). The Trait Theory of Leadership framed by
Thomas Carlyle is basically based on the traits and characteristics of various leaders. As per the
theory, certain characteristics and qualities of an individual decide whether the person has the
required personality of a good leader. Some key traits which need to be considered are business
knowledge, decision-making skills, initiative creativity, charisma, drive and motivation,
confidence, flexibility and integrity and honesty (Gerdin and Linton, 2016, p.13). On the other
hand, the Contingency Theory, proposed by Fred E. Fiedler stresses chiefly on two factors-
situation and leader's personality. As per the theory both the factors are responsible for
measuring the capability of a potential leader. Taking the Contingency Theory into
consideration, an individual can be termed as a true leader depending on the way he acts in
certain demanding and critical situation or circumstance. It is the ability to handle and manage
the people, to take appropriate decisions at critical times, to conduct any task with full
responsibility, proves the leadership quality of the individual. Some of the important

contingencies are technology, customers and competitors, consumer interest groups, unions,
government and distributors and suppliers. There is no fixed and rigid rule, based on the theory;
the leader must know the art of flexibility, depending on situation demand. Contingency theory
implies taking all the essential and related factors into consideration (Grötsch et al. 2013,
p.2842).
Taking into view the context of Trait Theory and Contingency Theory, several similarities, as
well as dissimilarities, are observed. If the comparison is to be made, both the theories do
possess similar views regarding desirable leadership qualities and characteristics. The Trait
Theory states that there exist certain behavioural features or characteristics which decide whether
an individual is suitable and qualified to be a good leader. On the other hand, as per the opinion
of the contingency theory, a good leader works chiefly on two aspects, one if task based, another
is based on the factor of the relationship. This means a good leading individual must possess
strong interpersonal and communication skill in order to interact with others and maintain a
healthy relationship in the process. Thus it can be said that both the theories offer similar
viewpoints. The fact that both the theories hold similar opinions can be elucidated by proper
examples (Taylor and Taylor, 2014, p.848).
In order to conduct a certain operation, a leader needs the assistance of other people who holds
similar vision like their leader. However, leading a group of people is not an easy task. The
leader must be a good audience as well; he must possess the integrity and honesty, wise decision-
making ability to earn people trust and respect. He needs to be a good motivator, an individual
who has the potential to take initiative as per situation demands. Hence, it is observed that an
efficient leader in order to conduct his responsibility must have the necessary confidence for the
purpose, irrespective of the present situation (Mikes and Kaplan, 2013, p.2). Flexibility also acts
as a necessary tool, deciding the efficiency of a good leading individual. All of these features
indicate the opinion of the contingency theory. One of the chief opinion factors of the
contingency suggests, a true leader is one who can work under pressure, in any kind of situation
irrespective of the risk and danger involved concerning the circumstance. Apart from this, the
contingency theory states that in order to be an able leader, the good relationship needs to be
maintained with the other people who are following the leader. The leader needs to possess
strong morality and honesty; he must keep establishing good relationship with the people. As per
the theory, an individual can be considered a true leader only if he is capable of a critical and

challenging situation and the way he acts in those times, thus flexibility is the key (Van et al.
2013, p394).
However, in spite of all the similarities, certain mention worthy similarities also exists between
these two theories. The Trait Theory is built considering chiefly the behavioural aspects of an
individual. The theory suggests that if a certain individual possesses specific personal traits
abilities and motivational abilities then he is fit to be a good leader. For example, if an individual
possesses traits like maturity, confidence, decisiveness, job security, intelligence and such then
the person is capable of being a good leader. However, this suggestion is erroneous. Almost
every individual possess these characteristics. However, only a handful among them can become
successful leaders (Van et al. 2014, p.560). Not every become a leader. Unlike the contingency
theory which stresses on both the factors of situation and personality, the trait theory in a way
disregards the importance of situation which plays a major role in deciding the success and
failure of a leader. In terms of historical and organisational context, many instances are present
which shows the importance of the situation.
A leading individual must have the potential, the capability to understand and assess the various
factors of a critical situation. Based on the assessment of the given situation, a leader needs to
take the initiative to make sound decisions which can be helpful to handle and overcome the
difficulty of the situation. The concerned individual can falter, can lose the confidence or can
even become unable to make proper decisions. However, during the time, the individual by
applying the tool of communication can get help assistance from his fellow people in order to
overcome the situation and attain the desired objective. Many instances have been presented in
previous as well as in recent times. Hence it can be said; in order to be a good leader, traits alone
cannot be considered. The situation, understanding with the people, strong personal traits all play
an equal part to decide the efficiency of a leader (McCleskey, 2014, p.117).

Effectiveness of appropriate leadership selection and training programs
It can be said that the leaders of any organisation are one of the key factors responsible for
organisational growth. On the basis of their knowledge and skills, an organisation is able to
achieve the standard business objective. Hence, it can be considered absolutely important to pay
specific attention while selecting a person who will be responsible for leading the organisation
from the front (Kenig et al. 2013, p.35). Selecting the suitable leaders for the organisation is not
enough. In order to make sure that their capability of providing a vision and aim for the company
as well as guiding the workforce in order to achieve the same is utilised in a proper manner, it is
also a requirement for any organisation that proper training is provided. While the training can be
helpful in making sure that ample amount of theoretical knowledge is gained by the potential
leader, clubbing it with the skills that an individual possess will lead to the desirable business
consequences.
One of the most effective examples of selecting and training skilled leaders to maintain a
standard reputation in the market as well as to meet the organisational objectives have been
recently observed in Apple Inc. It can be said that under the skilled leadership of Steve Jobs the
organisation has been able to emerge from a mere business organisation to an iconic global
brand. While the company was heavily depended upon the guidance of a skilled leader, one of
the major challenges which emerged was to select suitable leaders who can fill in the shoes of
Steve Jobs when he decided to retire from the company. It can be said that while the workforce
of the company is used to follow guidance from a visionary leader, in order to maintain the
reputation of the brand as well as to make sure that the employees are able to provide standard
performance for the organisation, the necessity of proper leader is being recognised by the
management of the organisation (Heracleous, 2013, p.93).
The selection process of the suitable business leaders in Apple Inc. can say to be designed in an
elaborate manner to make sure that no error has been done while handing over the responsibility
to guide the workforces of the organisation. It was seen that the leaders were shortlisted much
before Jobs officially announced his retirement. While Tim Cook was unanimously and quite
unsurprisingly was appointed as the director of the company by looking at the fact that he has
been serving the organisation for a long time and was one of the key individuals behind the

business growth, the selection of executive directors in the company is usually done with a
systematic procedure.
According to Prasad (2015, p.22), the main criterion for selecting any business leader for any
organisation is to recognise the areas where the requirement of a leader is compulsory. It is
important to understand whether the leaders appointed will have the capacity to fulfil these areas
or not. It can be said that the same is being realised by the management board of Apple as well.
Hence, it is made sure that the positions holding major responsibilities of leading from the front
are given to the candidates who are capable of fulfilling these requirements. It is ensured that
appropriate candidates profiling is extended by the company which not only includes the job
description but also the desired qualities that any potential leaders in a certain field should
possess.
It is maintained that the persons having unique leadership capabilities are identified and are
nominated by the managers. Thus, the selection of skilled leaders for business development is
conducted in Apple Inc in a sorted manner with proper assessment as well as by considering that
the consent of the concerned people is taken beforehand. Qualities such as guiding the
workforce, provide a vision, follow ethics, motivate the employees and serving for the
betterment of the organisation are considered to be essential requirements for any business
leaders of any organisation (Denham, 2013, p.166). The same requirements are taken care of in
Apple Inc while selecting the business leader.
It can be seen that even after the retirement of Steve Jobs, the company has been able to function
in a systematic manner with the help of skilled capabilities of the leaders in various departments.
Even though an initial effect was observed in the performance of the organisation, it prompted as
a reminder of the requirement of skilled business leaders. Appropriate training is provided to
these selected candidates prior to handing over the responsibilities. As Seidle et al. (2016, p.18)
state, these trainings are effective in recognising the responsibilities in greater depth. Apart from
that the related theories and its application in a practical field are also comprehended by the
leaders. Thus, they are able to provide their best efforts as capable leaders to make sure that the
workforce is able to be on the same board with the organisational culture and are extending their
best performance for ensuring organisational growth which is sustainable.
It is made sure that the selected leaders are provided ample amount of guidance from learned
mentors for a certain period of time. The skills which are honed in the training are further

implemented by the leaders in practical life thus, providing the company with a competitive edge
(Ramthun and Matkin, 2014, p.249).
While the leadership transformation of Apple Inc after Steve Job's retirement was handled with
appropriate care by the organisation, it can be said that more planning would have saved the
initial blow that the company had to face. However, the ability of Tim Cook has been proven as
the time passed. Currently, he is considered as one of the greatest business leaders.
New implications are considered by Tim Cook to improve the overall reputation of the company.
While Steve Jobs central focus was on the performance of the employees, Tim Cook has been
taking initiatives of making the company socially more aware. Apart from that certain corporate
social responsibility like the initiative of reducing the pollution caused by the data centres has
been also undertaken by the company under the direction of effective leadership. Thus, by taking
steps as such it can be said that managing the people in various departments is becoming
systematic. Thus, the company is able to live up to the name which was gained during the
efficient leadership requirement.
A suitable argumentative discussion: can a good manager become a good leader
‘Can a good manager become a good leader?’- This question is actually holds a lot of debate and
controversial opinions. As it can be already observed from the above discussion, various theories
hold various statements. Although the function and responsibilities of leadership and
management are considered to be different, in recent times many industries and organisations are
taking the initiative to provide leadership training to managers. The leadership training is given
to the managerial heads in order to improve their personal and professional characteristics and
sharpen management skill, leading to overall development in the process. The training is given to
the managers so that they are able to manage and handle the different operational activity within
an organisation (Antonakis and House, 2014, p.700).
Taking into account the first stated point of discussion, the chief responsibility of the manager is
to properly manage and administer the cooperation of all the working members and to balance
the harmony of the various operational departments. It is true that unlike a leader, a manager
works within the conventional system of an organisation. it is indeed true that certain differences
exist, however, the manager does possess certain qualities of a leader. Rather, based on the
discussion, it can be asserted that a good manager does require the qualities of a potential leader
in order to conduct the operational responsibilities related to planning, controlling, directing and

organising. This can be explained with the help of relevant examples. For example, planning an
important event, making the structure of a debating session, organising a conference, managing
all the working employees to work for the preparation of the conference event are some instances
which prove the efficiency of the manager (Antonakis and House, 2013, p.4). Directing an event
like procedures which can be employed and such are conducted by the manager, with the help of
his subordinates or the working staffs of the concerned organisation. However a manager cannot
work alone, he needs the assistance of his co-workers as well as the other employees. Hence,
here lays the importance of interpersonal skills.
The chief objective of the leadership training is to provide managers with all these features.
Flexibility regarding working style, communication and interpersonal skills, ability to work in
critical situations and such are provided to the concerned individuals. The fact that with proper
leadership training, a manager can become more efficient in handling his task can also be
deduced from the theories. The Trait Theory of leadership states that certain personal behaviours
and traits are important which shows a certain individual is capable of becoming a good leader,
hence a good manager (Day and Miscenko, 2016, p.9). The contingency theory on other hand
states that an individual can also be considered a leader depending on the efficiency he possesses
in handling a certain critical situation. An efficient managerial individual also needs to possess
these qualities in order to become a good manager to his employees. Hence, proper
understanding with employees, a capability to produce sound decisions, skill in handling and
managing any situation are the chief criteria of the manager. Hence, in other words, it can be said
a good manager needs to know the art of efficient leadership since, within an organisational
environment, the manager does possess an important position in the eyes of fellow employees
and subordinates.
Therefore, in conclusion, it can rightly be said that a manager, if trained properly, does hold the
potential to be a great leader. One of the most suitable examples regarding this topic is that of
Tim Cook. Following the steps of Steve Jobs (the founder, and the CEO of Apple), Tim Cook is
now the present Chief Executive Officer of Apple. Under the guidance of Cook, Apple continues
to be one of the most prestigious companies.

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