Leadership Theories and Styles Analysis

The provided document is an assignment that analyzes and discusses different leadership theories and styles. It covers Hersey-Blanchard's situational leadership theory, Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership, transformational and transactional leadership, and their effects on individual and team innovation, among others. The document includes references to various studies and research papers, providing a comprehensive overview of the topic.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY
ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY
1.Introduction
The analysis of the essay is based on the recommendations that can be given to the
sales managers of a large manufacturing organization. The major reasons behind this decision
of the managers are the rapid changes that have occurred in the external environment and the
requirement of providing immediate response to the customers (Fiedler 2015). The high staff
turnover was also a major reason behind the change related decision of the manager. The
reason behind the high staff turnover has been the directive nature of the management and the
lack of contribution from the employees in the decision-making process of the company
(Lehmann-Willenbrock et al. 2015). The three theories of leadership will be analysed in the
essay so that the best theory can be applied in the organization by the sales manager.
2.Evaluation of three theories
a. Fiedler’s contingency model
According to, Appelbaum et al. (2015), Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership is
related to the effectiveness of the leadership in an organization which is based on the study of
the wide range of activities related to effectiveness. This study is mainly concentrated on
relationship between the organizational performance and leadership. The organization can
achieve the effectiveness in group activities with the help of leadership and there is also a
need for the assessment of the leader according to the underlying trait.
Traits of the leader - The attitudes of the leader can be assessed with the help of the
scale developed by Fiedler named the ‘least preferred co-worker’ scale. This scale is used to
rate the leaders with whom the employees are least willing to work. The scale is based on a
questionnaire which consists of 16 items which are used to reflect the disposition of the
leader towards the others in the organization (Oc 2017). The theory states that the leaders

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who score high on the LPC scale are more oriented towards the relationship with the
employees and the low score implies that the leaders are more oriented towards the tasks. The
leaders with high LPC scores derive more satisfaction in the interpersonal relationships and
on the other hand the leaders with low scores are concerned about the completion of tasks
(Boehe 2016).
Situational factors – The behaviour of the leaders is based on the favourability of the
situation in which they work. As suggested by Fiedler, the three factors that are related to the
determination of favourable situation for the leaders are as follows,
Leader-member relations – The degree of trust between the leaders and the
members of the group and the level of willingness of the group members to follow the
instructions of the leader.
Task structure – The degree of understanding of the tasks by the members is also
affects the behaviour of the leaders in the organization (McCleskey 2014).
Position power – The power that is possessed by the leader with respect to the
position that they hold in the organization and the degree up to which the leaders can exercise
their authority affect the behaviour of the leader.
Effectiveness of leadership – The effectiveness of the leaders is based on the
interaction related to the leader’s behavioural style with the favourableness of situational
characteristics. The situation is most favourable when the relationships between the leaders
and the members are good, the tasks are structured in nature, and leader holds a strong
position. It also suggested by Fiedler that the leaders can act in different ways in different
types of situations (Bates 2016).

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The model states that every different type of leader can be successful in their own
style. The different ways by which the management can increase the efficiency of the teams
are explained in the model. This model can help the organization in the identification of the
best type of leader who can be effective for the organization (Vandayani, Kartini and
Hilmiana 2015).
The model has many disadvantages as well which are related to the inadequacy of the
information provided in the literatures. The complexity of the model is also another major
disadvantage of the model. The third cultural change related to increase of motivation of the
employees can be successfully made with the help of this model (Todd et al. 2014).
Figure 1 – Source - Created by Author
b. Hersey’s and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model
As discussed by, Fernandez (2017), The Hersey’s and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership
model deals states that the leadership style of the managers in the organization needs to

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match with the readiness of the subordinates or the employees which completes an entire
cycle in the organizational processes. The theory mainly deals with the readiness levels of the
members of the team working under the leader. Readiness mainly relates to the extent up to
which the followers possess the ability and the willingness to complete a specific task.
Ability is related to the knowledge, skill and experience that an employee had developed with
the help of which he can complete the given job. Willingness is related to the commitment
and motivation that is required by the individual for the accomplishment of particular tasks.
This style of leadership therefore totally depends on the readiness of the followers (Meier
2016). The readiness of the individuals can be measured based on four major levels which
are, R1 – low readiness of the follower, R2 – low to moderate readiness of the follower, R3 –
moderate to high readiness of the follower, R4 – high readiness of followers (Dinh et al.
2014).
The directions are provided to the followers at lower levels of readiness, due to this
the decisions are directed by the leaders. On the other hand, in case of high levels of
readiness that directions are provided by the followers, and the decisions are follower
directed. The movement of the followers from the low to higher levels determine the changes
that occur in their levels of readiness (Tyssen, Wald and Spieth 2014).
Task behaviour – The extent up to which the leader provides instructions, duties and
responsibilities to the follower. The leader defines their role in the organization and in this
case one-way communication takes place between them.
Relationship behaviour – The extent up to which the leader pays attention to the
followers and provides them with the encouragement that is required to complete the tasks. In
this case, two-way communication occurs between the leaders and the followers (Xenikou
2017).

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ANALYSIS OF CASE STUDY
The task behaviour and relationship behaviour are combined and four different styles
of leadership can be formed which are as follows, S1 Telling, S2 Selling, S3 Participating, S4
Delegating (Antonakis and House 2014).
The major advantage of this leadership model is related to the simplicity related to its
usage as compared to the Fiedler’s Contingency Model. The model helps in the recognition
of the flexibility related to the leaders and the importance of followers which determines the
behaviour of the leaders (Wong and Giessner 2016).
The limitations of this model deals with the lack of explanation in the theory related
to the leadership style of the female managers as comparted to the male managers. The
definition that is provided in the model related to the maturity of the followers is also not
sufficient to determine the ability by which they can take responsibility.
The cultural changes which can be made in the organization if the manager uses this
theory are increasing the levels of motivation among the sales person with the increase in the
willingness of the employees to complete their jobs (Behrendt, Matz and Göritz 2017). The
increase in level of readiness will enable to empower the employees and increase their
involvement in the decision-making process of the organization. The sales team can also be
motivated up to higher levels in comparison to the past (Murase et al. 2014).

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Figure 2 – Source – Created by Author
c. Path Goal Model of Leadership
According to, Domingues, Vieira and Agnihotri (2017), the Path Goal Model of
Leadership is used to describe the ways by which leaders can encourage and further support
the followers to achieve the goals that have been set by developing an easier path which is
easy and clear for the employees. The main functions of the leaders are, to describe the path
to the subordinates so that they can decide the appropriate way to proceed. The roadblocks
that can arise in the fulfilment of the job can also be removed by the leader. The leaders can
choose to take a limited or strong approach in these cases. In the process of removing the
problems in their path, the leader can either act in a positive or negative manner. The
employees can be provided with occasional rewards or the leaders can provide huge amounts
of rewards (Hamstra et al. 2014). This theory mainly relates with four different styles of
leadership as discussed below,

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Supportive leadership – This style will enable the leaders in understanding the needs
of followers and further creating a working environment which is friendly in nature
(Anderson and Sun 2017).
Directive leadership – This style is related to the leaders who provide instructions to
the followers about the jobs that need to be done and the ways by which the followers can
complete the job.
Participative leadership – The leaders who follow this style of leadership will
consult with the followers before taking any decision related to the organizational processes
(Fitzsimons, Sackett and Finkel 2016).
Achievement – oriented leadership – The leaders following this style of leadership
will set goals for the followers so that they can improve their work processes (Li, Mitchell
and Boyle 2016).
The advantages of the path goal theory rely in its ability to provide results when there
is an emergency situation. The irrational ways of the leaders can also cause problems in the
application of this theory in the organizations. The over dependence on leaders can cause
issues in the entire work process (Whisnant and Khasawneh 2014).
The three cultural changes can be made by the sales manager with the application of
this theory. The sales team can be empowered by applying the participative style of
leadership and including them in the decision-making process (Peck 2017). The team can be
provided with more value by applying the supportive style of leadership and understanding
their needs and demands. The motivation levels can be applying the achievement-oriented
style of leadership and setting up goals for the followers (Lehmann-Willenbrock et al. 2015).

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Figure 3 – Source – Created by Author
Comparison of three models
The Fiedler’s Contingency model is complicated in nature and the information
provided is also inadequate. This model does not provide adequate information for the
purpose of solving the issues that are raised in the case study by the sales manager. It only
helps in judging the best type of leaders for the company. On the other hand, the Hersey’s
and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model is used for the purpose of judging the
readiness of the leaders regarding the readiness level or motivation of the employees. This
model can only be used for the purpose of increasing the levels of motivation in the
organization. The Path Goal Model of Leadership is used for the purpose of judging style of

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leadership and helping the subordinates in achieving their goals. The rewards related factor
can also be introduced with the help of this model. This can help the sales manager to achieve
the cultural changes that are mentioned in the case study.
3.Conclusion
The above discussed theories can be implemented by the sales manager to bring the
desired changes. The changes in the external environment of the organization demands
changes in the organizational processes as well. The leadership style which is the most
suitable for organization facing employee related problems is the transformational leadership
which will help the management in motivating the employees. The employees need to be
involved in the process of decision-making of the organization and their ideas need to be
given importance. This will further make the employees like they are a part of the
organization and will increase their loyalty as well. This requires the leaders to focus on the
big picture and help the employees in achieving the goals and targets.
4.Recommendations
The Sales Manager of the large manufacturing company can be recommended to use
the situational leadership style and the path goal leadership style. The implementation of
these two styles will help the manager in making the three changes in the organization. The
rapid changes in the external environment of the manufacturing organization can be
addressed by the implementation of the two theories. The sales manager in the manufacturing
company needs to play a crucial role in the implementation of changes. The staff turnover can
also be reduced with the help of path goal leadership theory and the ways by which the sales
manager discussed in the case study influences the followers. The lack in the continuity of
services can be addressed by the sales manager by implementing the theories in the
organization. The management of the manufacturing company can also become flexible after

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the implementation of the two theories. The example that can be provided with relation to the
solution that can be implemented in the organization is that the participative leader will take
the opinions of the followers before taking an important decision. The leadership style
followed in Google is most relevant example in this case. The second example is related to
the leadership style that is followed in Amazon which is related to achievement-oriented
leadership where the employees have to follow the set of goals that are set by the leaders or
the management of the organization.

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Boehe, D.M., 2016. Supervisory styles: A contingency framework. Studies in Higher
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