ABSTRACT
Contingency theory initially arose from the body of work concerning leadership and motivation. The principal proponent of this psychology based approach is Fiedler (1967) whose work suggested that the best leadership style depended upon the particular set of circumstances of the organisation. He identified two styles of leadership, ‘relationshipmotivated’ and ‘task-motivated’ which were equally valid under different conditions. ‘Relationship-motivated’ leadership is seen as appropriate when the technical task is relatively easy but the relationships are difficult to manage, ‘task-motivated’ leadership in the opposing circumstances. There is a ‘sliding-scale’ or continuum of variations between these two extreme positions. Overall, Fiedler’s work, unlike that of earlier writers suggests that there is no ‘one best way’ of leading or managing.
