Final answer:
Fred Fiedler's contingency model determines leadership effectiveness based on a match between the leader's style and key situational factors such as leader-member relations, task structure, and the leader's position power. Leadership effectiveness is increased when these situational variables are favorable and match the leader's style.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Fred Fiedler's contingency model, the effectiveness of a leader is contingent on both their leadership style and the control provided by the situation.
Fiedler proposed that the situational effectiveness of a leader could be determined by three main factors: leader-member relations, the degree of task structure, and the leader's position power.
These three situational components, sometimes called contingency variables, can either complement or diminish the leader's ability to influence their team effectively.
An important aspect Fiedler identified is that leaders are more likely to be effective when their leadership style matches the demands of the situation. If the match is not good, then shifting the leader, changing the leader's style, or modifying the factors of the situation to create a better fit can increase leadership effectiveness.
A leader with a task-oriented style may function best in situations that are either highly favorable or highly unfavorable to them, due to structured tasks, strong position power, or good leader-member relations.
On the other hand, a leader with a relationship-oriented style may be more effective in situations with moderate favorability.