According to Fiedler’s contingency theory of leadership, optimal conditions for effective management occur when:
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Answer: D. Good relationships, structured tasks and high degree of power
Explanation
Fiedler's contingency model states that leader effectiveness depends on matching leadership style to situational favorableness. Favorable management conditions occur when leader-member relations are good, tasks are structured, and power is high. Optimal leadership performance requires good interpersonal relationships, high task clarity, and strong position power. Fred Fiedler developed contingency theory to explain why leadership effectiveness varies across different organizational contexts. Position power measures the formal authority a leader has to reward or punish subordinates. Task structure refers to the degree to which job assignments are clear, explicit, and well-defined.
Organizational psychologists use Fiedler's model to train managers to alter situations to match their leadership styles. Corporate leadership development programs teach managers how to assess team relationships and task clarity. Military organizations structure command hierarchies to maximize leader control and operational effectiveness. Option A is less optimal because unstructured tasks reduce overall situational control for the leader. Option B mirrors an unstructured task condition, which fails to provide optimal managerial control. Option C involves moderate relationships, whereas Fiedler's most favorable condition requires good relationships.
- Subject
- Psychology
- Category
- Psychology
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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