Verified Document

Contingency Approach To Change Contingency Approach Developmental Essay

Contingency Approach to Change Contingency Approach Developmental transitions, task-focused transitions, charismatic transformations, turnarounds and Taylorist methods

Contingency theory suggests that there is no singular, prescriptive way of enacting change. Rather, the specific circumstances must be taken into consideration. In general, contingency theory proposes that change is dependent upon the relationship between the leaders and followers, the structure of the task, and the position of the leader (Doyle & Smith 2001). For example, in a developmental or gradual transition, the leader is more likely to be in a weaker position of power and need additional 'buy-in' from employees. A major departmental overhaul may be more appropriately rendered in such a fashion, given the shock of a sudden transition along with the close-knit nature of the community. Another good example of when a developmental approach might be used is when the needed changes the organization might embark upon are uncertain. Through collaboration, the path of change is arrived at by all organizational participants. The leader exercises some direction, but accepts input from other organizational members. For example, when a university is enacting changes to serve the student body, the president will likely solicit information from faculty members and students, rather than dictate changes in philosophy or coursework in an autocratic fashion.

In contrast, during task-specific transitions, the leader exercises a great deal of authority. A task-focused transition may feature a more powerful leader. Also, "if the task is clearly spelled out as to goals, methods and standards...

A good example of a task-specific transition might be a shift to using a new type of computer system at work. In such a shift, the known transition is already decided. The task is defined and relatively enclosed. In task-specific transitions, usually the leader has a fair amount of authority in deciding how the structure of the change will take place. This is because of the definite nature of the task, and the fact that the leader possesses the greatest amount of knowledge in terms of how the change will be orchestrated, and the planning of the change.
With charismatic transitions, the leader can exert considerable influence over his or her followers. The followers are also often willing to obey, because of the charismatic sway of the leader's personality. Charisma is, of course, difficult to define, but examples of charismatic leaders include the late Steve Jobs. It is said that employees at the Apple Company were often willing to accept lower levels of pay than they might receive elsewhere, simply because they were so eager to work at Apple. "Google's perks and benefits seem to be better than Apple. And Microsoft's health benefits are supposedly amazing. Apple's don't seem to be anything special... If you have a project that Steve is not involved in, it will take months of meetings to move things forward. If Steve wants it done, it's done faster than anyone thinks is humanly possible.... Apple employees believe they are changing the world... you are part of something much bigger than you" (Yarow 2011). Employees who did not believe that they are doing…

Sources used in this document:
References

Doyle, M.E. And Smith, M.K. (2001). Classical leadership. The Encyclopedia of Informal

Education. Retrieved November 27, 2011 at http://www.infed.org/leadership/traditional_leadership.htm

Smashing the clock. (2006). Business Week. Retrieved November 27, 2011 at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_50/b4013001.htm

Yarow, Jay. (2010). Working at Apple. Retrieved November 27, 2011 at http://www.businessinsider.com/working-at-apple-2010-7
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Contingency Theories Leadership & 8226; Situational Approach Chapter...
Words: 957 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Contingency Theories Leadership • Situational Approach (chapter 5) • Contingency Theory (chapter 6) • Path-Goal Theory (chapter 7) Behavioral Learning Objectives: Students explore contingency theories leadership identify theory employ . Contingency Theories of Leadership Leadership is the process in which a person influences others towards achievement of a common goal. It is a social influence process and can only exist where there is a leader and some followers Waldman et al. 823 (

Developmental Behavior Analysis and Motor Development
Words: 1453 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Developmental Behavior Analysis and Motor Development Developmental Behavior Analysis Motor development and developmental behavior analysis is an important behavior related concept and much of the profound work on this field has been done by John. B. Watson. Behaviorism which can also be termed as learning perspective is regarded as a philosophy of psychology. The main concept of behaviorism is that all actions that are shown by the organisms and the human beings

Contingency Management Alcohol & Marijuana
Words: 11354 Length: 41 Document Type: Term Paper

" (1995) The authors state: "The amphetamines occasioned dose-related increases in d- amphetamine-appropriate responding, whereas hydromorphone did not. Amphetamines also occasioned dose-related increases in reports of the drug being most like "speed," whereas hydromorphone did not. However, both amphetamines and hydromorphone occasioned dose-related increases in reports of drug liking and in three scales of the ARCI. Thus, some self-report measures were well correlated with responding on the drug-appropriate lever and some

Autism Is a Developmental Disorder As It
Words: 12944 Length: 32 Document Type: Literature Review

Autism is a developmental disorder as it is marked with pervasive and severe impairment revolving around areas of development such as communication, imagination, reciprocal interaction and behavior. The diagnostic criteria for autism as incorporated by the DSM IV TR includes symptoms such as impairment in the use of nonverbal behaviors like eye contact, gestures, bodily postures during the normal routine social interaction, the inability to form good peer relationships, delay

Organizational Performance and HRM Approach
Words: 4660 Length: 15 Document Type: Essay

integrated HRM approach organizational performance Human Resource Management HRM consists of managing people in a company, it's all about managing the employees. For the sake of simplicity, we can conclude that it's managing humans / people. HRM is purely a managerial operation in which a company tries to meet the company's goal by skill set of its workforce. Human Resource Management addresses the management of employees within a company. It assists

Report Attempted Change
Words: 3069 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Addiction recovery Theoretical models A brief overview of some prominent theoretical models relating to behavior modification is felt to be a pertinent starting point for his study, as many of these aspects can be compared to the actual interviews and case studies of the subjects. Research suggests that the recovery from drug and alcohol addictions is commonly a long-term process and can involve relapses before sustained and permanent rehabilitation is achieved.

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now