1) The document compares three popular situational theories of leadership: Fiedler's contingency theory, Hersey and Blanchard's contingency theory, and the path-goal theory. 2) Fiedler's contingency theory focuses on situational favorability based on dimensions like leader-member relations, task structure, and leader power. Hersey and Blanchard's theory focuses on leadership style matching the follower's maturity level. The path-goal theory focuses on leader behavior's impact on follower motivation. 3) The theories suggest that leadership is dependent on real situations rather than innate qualities, and that effective leadership requires flexibility in behavior based on situational and follower factors.

1. ARMY INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Leadership
(BUS 1202)
ASSIGNMENT NO.1
On
“Comparison of popular situational theories of Leadership”
Submitted by
Zulfikar Pasha Dipto
ID no. B3160B024
BBA 3(A)
Submitted to
Munshi Muhammad Abdul Kader Jilani
Assistant Professor
Submission date: 6th September, 2016

2. Contingency Theories of Leadership
This theory believes that leaders are products of real situations rather than gifts
of nature. It mainly focuses on task requirements, peers’ expectation & behavior,
employees’ characteristics, expectations & behavior, organizational culture &
policies etc.
Comparison of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory, Hersey & Blancherd’s Contingency Theory
and Path-Goal Theory:
Fiedler’s Contingency
Theory
Hersey & Blancherd’s
Contingency Theory
Path-Goal Theory
People Become leaders not
only because of their qualities
but also because of various
situational factors & the
interactions between the group
members & leaders.
Successful leadership is
achieved by selecting the right
leadership styles which is
contingent on the follower’s
maturity level.
The essence explains the
impact of leader’s behavior on
subordinates motivation,
performance & satisfaction.
This approach to situational
leadership starts by
understanding a leader’s
behavior.
This theory focuses on the
followers.
The path-goal theory is a little
easier to comprehend than
Fielder's model.
Fiedler described situational
favourableness in term of
three dimensions-the leader,
member relationship,the
degree of task structure,the
leader position power.
It has four specific leadership
styles.
This theory suggest that ther
various style-directive
leadership,supportive
leadership,participated
leadership and achievement
oriented leadership.
If the three dimension is high
can be said the situation is
favourable.
This theory state that right
style should align with level or
subordinates maturity level.
It indicates that effective
leadership is dependent on
clearly defined for
subordinates,the paths to goal
attaintment.
actually Hersey and
Blanchard’s Situational
Leadership Theory explains
that when followers are
unwilling and unable, as many
newly enlisted Boot Camp
attendees are, the leader
Specifically, this theory has to
do with the maturity of those
who are being led. To those
who have worked as leaders in
the past, it is no surprise that
maturity should be considered
when working on finding the
And this theory is
considered as the
independent variables of
Path-Goal Theory are the
leaders' behavior, thus the
path–goal theory assumes
that people (leaders) are
Leaders are product
of real situations
rather than gifts of
nature*

3. should be highly focused on
providing task-based
behaviors and not
relationship-based behaviors.
right leadership - flexible in that they can
change their behavior or
style, depending upon the
situation.
To Fiedler, stress is a key
determinant of leader
effectiveness (Fiedler and
Garcia 1987; Fiedler et al.
1994), and a distinction is
made between stress related to
the leader’s superior, and
stress related to subordinates
or the situation itself
The theory was first
introduced as "Life Cycle
Theory of
Leadership". During the mid-
1970sIn the late 1970s/early
1980s, the authors both
developed their own models
using the situational
leadership theory.
The path-goal theory was
first introduced by Martin
Evans (1970) and then
further developed by House
(1971).