Contingency Theory

Fred Fiedler (1922–2017), born in Vienna and a refugee from the Anschluss, spent most of his career at the University of Washington. His contingency model — built on the least-preferred-coworker scale — was the first to formalize that leader effectiveness depends on the match between a stable style and the favorableness of the situation.

Fiedler's contingency model held that leadership style is fixed, so effectiveness depends on matching leaders to situations — defined by leader–member relations, task structure, and position power.

The era: Situation & Contingency — Situational variables are considered; behavior is moderated by obstacles along the path between subordinates and goals.

Leader effectiveness depends on the match between style and situation.

This theory sits in the Situation & Contingency era of the map: Situational variables are considered; behavior is moderated by obstacles along the path between subordinates and goals.

• Fiedler, F. E. (1964). A contingency model of leadership effectiveness. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 1, 149–190. Google Scholar ↗
• Fiedler, F. E. (1967). A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness. New York: McGraw-Hill. Google Scholar ↗