Fred Fiedler is best known for his contributions to a contingency theory of leadership, which claims that there is no one best way for a leader to manage a company, and that instead leaders must vary their leadership styles depending on the situation. Realizing that a manager needs to be sensitive to situational contexts is one of the most fundamental ways of making the most of the management theory of Fred Fiedler.

As a business leader, you can also employ Fiedler management philosophies by using the Least Preferred Co-Worker scale to assess your leadership style. By doing so, you can adapt your leadership to different scenarios when necessary. Fiedler's management theory represents a revolutionary turn in leadership thinking, but is easy to implement with some time and concentration.

Consider the following options for making the most of the management theory of Fred Fiedler:

1. Use the Least Preferred Co-Worker scale for assessing leadership through Fiedler's management theory.
2. Consider Fiedler's theories of contingency when making business decisions.
3. Get to know Fred Fiedler more in depth through books and articles.
   

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Incorporate Fiedler management philosophies using the LPC scale

The LPC, or Least Preferred Co-Worker scale, is one of the most famous contributions of Fred Fiedler to the field of business management. The LPC scale asks a leader to imagine his or her least preferred co-worker, and then to rank that person's traits. The rankings are then used to characterize leadership type as 'high' or 'low' on the LPC scale.

I recommend: Read an explanation of the LPC scale and its uses at Spiritus Temporis, and get a copy of the scale itself from Wiley. Remember that ranking "high" or "low" on the LPC scale does not necessarily characterize a better form of leadership; different leadership styles are more appropriate in specific contexts.

Understand the leader's situational role in Fiedler contingency theory

Fiedler contingency theory emphasizes that leaders have situational control over their organizations. According to Fiedler, a leader's actions will vary depending on three factors: leader-member relations, task structure and leader position power. Leadership effectiveness depends on the leader's ability to adapt his or her leadership type to the given situational factors.

I recommend: Situate Fred Fiedler in a broader context of leadership theory at the knowledge exchange, and view a graphical model of his theory. Learn more about contingency theory and situational leadership from Bellevue College and Changing Minds. Remember when using contingency theory to adapt your leadership style that effective management depends on your ability to recognize your realistic position in terms of power and relationships, rather than attempting to achieve results that the situation does not support.

Read books and articles published by Fred Fiedler for a deeper understanding

For truly making the most of the management theory of Fred Fiedler, it is important to read the significant works Fiedler has published. Although many of Fiedler's most famous works, such as A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, were published in the 1960s and 1970s, many tenets of Fred Fiedler contingency theory are still used today and can be better understood by reading the original sources.

I recommend: Get a complete list of Fiedler's publications from getCITED. You can also find additional information about Fred Fiedler, such as a short biography, the institutions where he has studied or taught and the professional societies to which he belongs from the NationMaster encyclopedia.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Educate your employees and co-workers about the management theory of Fred Fiedler to make sure that you will have the support you need to implement his philosophies. Your organization as a whole will be able to adapt to different situations more effectively if changes in leadership style don't come as a surprise.

In contrast to many classical management theories, the contingency model of leadership, developed by Fred Fiedler, states that no single approach to management is effective for all organizations at all times and under all circumstances. Fiedler's management theory effectively did away with the "One Best Way" methods of management that preceded it. According to Fiedler, contingency theory is required for business success. This is because company size and structure, environmental change and uncertainty, type of technology in use by the business and leadership style of company management each play a significant role in determining the most effective management model for a given company at a given time. In addition, the management theory that proves effective today may not be effective tomorrow, when the above factors change.

Because of the continuously changing nature of the business organization and environment, Fiedler's management theory requires management to consider all aspects of the current situation before making managerial decisions. Some factors, or constraints, other than those mentioned above, which impact a company and its contingency strategy are these:

1. The company's ability to adapt to its environment;

2. The assumptions managers make about employees; and

3. The differences between available resources and operational activities.

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Understand Fiedler contingency theory and its implications for your company

Numerous websites provide valuable information about Fiedler's theory. In addition to diagrams and summaries of Fred Fiedler management principles, you'll find various videos and instructional materials that can help you develop the background knowledge and practical expertise to put Fiedler's theories to work for your company.

I recommend: Free-Ed.Net provides free online courses in numerous subjects. One course, called Principles of Business Management, includes Fred Fiedler's Contingency Theory. AuthorStream offers a PowerPoint presentation for online viewing which explains Fred Fiedler's Contingency Model of Leadership. Other leadership presentations are also available at this site.

Take advantage of consulting services based on Fiedler management theories

Consultants with knowledge and experience in the management theory of Fred Fiedler can guide you in maximizing the benefit of his principles in your own company's unique environment.

I recommend: JMK Associates offers numerous customized management consulting and training services, and Leadership Success Strategies provides leadership consulting and other related services that can help you run your business better.

Access online tools which can help you practice the management theory of Fred Fiedler

Widely available online tools and resources can help you more easily implement Fiedler's management theory principles. PowerPoints, charts and other informational tools provide a resource pool from which you may choose the materials most valuable to your business.

I recommend: Think TQ offers a Synergize/Leadership Quick Test to help you determine your leadership style and assess your ability to develop synergistic relationships with your teams. The site also offers virtual training to help you improve your leadership skills. ChangingMinds provides a chart illustrating Fiedler's Least Preferred Co-Worker (LPC) Theory, along with a description of the theory, which can help you score your managers and team leaders, determining their LPC styles. This can help you assess which type of leadership approach will work best for your organization. HRDQ offers a Focused Leader Profile, which can be used for management and supervisor training of various types and levels. Andrews University provides a downloadable PowerPoint presentation on Leadership Theories, which includes Fred Fiedler's theory of leadership. Chad T. Brinsfield also offers a downloadable PowerPoint called Leadership in Organizations, which again, covers Fiedler theory, among others.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Never underestimate the value of Fiedler management theory to your company. If your budget is small, take advantage of free information and tools available online and consider advancing to paid products, training or consulting services when they become more affordable to you.

The Fred Fiedler management theory has been a learning tool for many business leaders since the publication of his work, 'A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness' in 1967. Fiedler's contingency theory showed that there was not one perfect business leader but a leader best suited to (or contingent upon) the workplace situation. Fiedler's theories focus on the leader's control of the situation as it plays into their personal behavior.

Psychologist and business consultant, many people recognize Fred Fiedler as a leader in business management and occupational psychology. Effective leadership, according to Fred Fiedler, is a matter of personality and the ability to relate to other human beings. When considering management theory of Fred Fiedler education and training:

1. Know Fiedler theories provide solid foundations for management strategies

2. Understand that Fiedler's contingency theory of leadership is fundamental to application of his concepts

3. Grasp that businesses using management theories provide structure and direction to employees

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Read articles on Fred Fiedler to improve understanding of his management

The Internet is a good source of information about Fred Fiedler and his work on management theories. The savvy busy leader or manager takes the time to understand the man behind the model in order to share this information with employees, increasing their ability to field background questions. Informative yet easy to read articles provide a good foundation for further research and education.

I recommend: NationMaster.com has a full but brief biography of Fiedler that includes his life, career, theories and major publications. getCITED lists all of Fiedler's published works as well as links to reading or obtaining them.

Train employees and managers on the Fiedler contingency model

The Fiedler model discusses the intersection or relationship between leader and situation. It states that not one kind of leadership or management style is the best and everything depends on adapting leadership to circumstance. Used by business gurus, college professors and small business owners alike, the contingency model is core to Fiedler theory and understanding it is key to application in the workplace training session or environment.

I recommend: Patrich Antoine of the University of St. Francis in Illinois offers a detailed but easy to follow explanation of Fiedler contingency. SAGE Publications shares an article on effective leadership by Fiedler himself which places his model in a more readable, down-to-earth explanation. Changing minds.org explains another section of Fiedler's theory: the "least preferred co-worker," which helps integrate his models into practical applications.

Learn more about the management theory of Fred Fiedler by studying contingency leadership

The theory of Fiedler and his ideas on leadership are best when you view them as part of a whole. Although often the subject of college classes, course and degrees devoted simply to his work are rare. The principles of effective leadership as explained by Fiedler are part of the larger body of work that exists on contingency management.

I recommend: Workshops, consultancy firms, books and lectures exist to educate managers and business owners alike on the rules of effective leadership as first explored by Fred Fielder. The Knol Project by Google hosts a greatly informative article on effective leadership based on and referencing Fiedler's management theory. Scribd.com offers a free lecture on organizational theory with a focus on Fiedler's contingency model, showing how it fits into the larger body of work on organizational psychology and business management.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A call to the local business college to discuss if and when they will discuss Fred Fiedler and his theories may elicit an invitation to sit in on a lecture for free.

The management theory of Fred Fiedler key terms serve to help managers understand the helpful information available from this man known as the Father of the Contingency Theory of Leadership. Most experienced managers know that workers come in all shapes and sizes with a variety of abilities. Fielder, through his experience and research, developed models which managers now use to identify different types of situations and suggestions for effective management.

Fiedler outlined typical variables common to workplaces and those favorable to managers and leaders. Success according to Fiedler might depend on the power that comes to a leader through his position, the relationship of the leaders to members of the group and the structures of the tasks necessary in the organization.

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Contingency theory

Fred Fiedler developed models that business leaders find most useful to improve production in organizations. Leaders differ in their approach to organizing employees, resources and production, and according to Fiedler's experience, leadership depends on the situation. Fiedler noted when writing about contingency theory that one strategy does not always bring the same results in spite of the leader and the followers involved.

I recommend: Situational leadership provides details about Fred Fiedler and his writings about management and leadership.

Situational favorableness

According to Fiedler, a dynamic leader with proven results might not succeed in every situation. He noted the three ingredients necessary to produce situational favorableness. These components include the relationship between the leader and followers, the structure of the task at hand and the power position of the leader.

I recommend: National Technical Information Service has results of Fred Fiedler's theory of situational favorableness.

Focused leader

Managers and leaders of any organization must be flexible according to Fred Fiedler, and they adjust their strategies according to each situation. Fiedler is specific in his recommendations for analyzing a situation and choosing an appropriate strategy. The focused leader must assess the situation based on the task, his or her power position and relationship with the workers.

I recommend: HRDQ focuses on the task of a focused leader and adopting a strategy for action.

Position power

According to Fiedler, a leader can possess two types of power. A leader acquires power that comes with the position to reward, compensate and promote workers. Personal power is based on the personality and actions of each leader.

I recommend: Citeman provides information on the power of leaders and managers.

Least Preferred Co-worker

Fred Fiedler suggests through his research and writing, that the way leaders view workers with both positive and negative factors gives insight into that person's leadership style. He provides a system, Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC), which leaders can use to evaluate the positive and negative attributes that contribute or detract from the best workers and use this information to evaluate their own leadership qualities.

I recommend: Changing Minds focuses on Fiedler's work on Least Preferred Co-worker scales.

Situational control

The leaders of every organization face challenges with every task, but some tasks have a better chance for success than others. Depending on their leadership style, some leaders will focus on their relationship with the workers, while other leaders will focus on the task at hand. Leaders of every organization can use Fiedler's work to determine how they deal with the variables of situational control.

I recommend: Bellevue College offers programs on leadership and management as well as relevant information of important figures covered in their curriculum.