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CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Economics and Management · Leadership and Motivation - Concepts and Theories

A leader at an Indian retail chain adjusts her approach to follower readiness: she gives detailed instructions to new recruits, but delegates fully to veteran staff who are both able and willing. This approach is most closely associated with which theory?

This is Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theory. The leader changes her style, from telling for new recruits to delegating for able and willing veterans, according to follower readiness. Fiedler's model instead treats style as fixed and matches the leader to the situation.

  1. AFiedler's contingency model, which fixes the leader's style and changes the situation
  2. BHersey and Blanchard's situational leadership theoryCorrect
  3. CLewin's leadership studies, which classify only three fixed styles
  4. DOhio State studies, which prescribe one best style

Explanation

Situational leadership theory holds that the leader should vary style (telling, selling, participating, delegating) according to follower maturity or readiness. Fiedler's model assumes a leader's style is relatively fixed, so the situation is matched to the leader instead. Ohio State studies of initiating structure and consideration did not rely on follower readiness in this way.

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