Contingency Theory

Published on February 18, 2010. Updated on December 15th, 2023.

What Is The Contingency Theory of Leadership?

Maybe leadership isn’t about who you are, what skills you have, or how you act. Maybe what defines effective leadership is about more than just you. This inquisitive contemplation brought forth the idea of Contingency theory, and moved the field of leadership theory forward by another drastic step.

Developed by Fielder, Contingency theory examines the leader in conjunction with the situation the leader is in. In essence, it argues that effective leadership is contingent upon a match between the leader’s style and the work situation. Leadership style is assessed using a measure called the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) scale. This scale divides leaders into task motivated (low LPC), socio-independent (middle LPC), and relationship motivated.

Three different variables provide a means for situational measurement: leader-member relations, task structure (defined or undefined tasks), and position power (how much power does the leader have). When considered together, these variables suggest a style of leadership that has the best chance of success. Generally, low LPCs are found effective in extreme combinations with high LPCs effective in moderate situations.

Contingency theory is easily measurable, and as a result has a considerable amount of research supporting it. As mentioned, it represents the first theory to consider more than just the attributes of leaders but also the situation leaders can find themselves in. While it is supported by substantial research, an adequate explanation of why it works has yet to be discovered. Contingency theory is merely predictive. It can predict which leaders will be effective in what situations but cannot be used to make leaders in unfavorable situations more effective.

More Articles in This Series:

HOME_AboutDavidBurkus

About the author

David Burkus is an organizational psychologist, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of five books on leadership and teamwork.

Learn More

Recommended Reading

Why Theory [Explained]

During WWII, Allied bomber losses were high, so high that the British Air Ministry undertook a rigorous analysis in hopes of finding a solution. Their engineers set out to eyeball every bomber they could, gathering data on each bullet hole. After analyzing the results, engineers decided to reinforce the areas that had the highest concentrations […]

Why isn’t my team talking to me? (Hint: Psychological Safety)

It’s a common issue in many organizations – teams not voicing obstacles or issues in their work. If you’ve been a leader for a while, you’ve probably experienced it firsthand. Maybe you and your team had a check-in meeting with everyone, and everything was positive. Everyone gives a status update. And no one is asking […]

How Does Leadership Influence Organizational Culture

Since Edgar Schein published his seminal work Organizational Culture and Leadership, leaders and researchers have engaged in a constant dialogue about the importance of culture, the ways to build culture, and the differences between a positive and toxic culture. But surprisingly, little has been said about the question, “How does leadership influence organizational culture?” It’s […]

Scroll to Top