It is also called the leadership effectiveness theory , it is one in which a leader influences his members and / or followers. Leadership is the ability you have to influence a group of people, making this team do the best in its field.
The model has that name because it was created by Fred Fiedler who was the management psychologist at the University of Washington , in 1967 he created the model in which he explained that people become leaders because of their personality.
There are three critical dimensions that are, the power of the leader, which is the level at which he allows a leader to be followed, the structure of the task, which is the degree to which clear tasks are likely to be performed, and the leader / leader relationship. member which he considered as the most important, because in this dimension it speaks of the degree to which the members recognize their leader, how much they trust him and if they are willing to follow him.
What is the Fiedler model?
In short, it is used to predict whether or not a leader is good to himself, to predict the effectiveness of leadership types. For that, it is important to know the situation within the group where this model is applied. Fred Fiedler had the thought that it was difficult to change a person’s leadership , but not unfeasible.
This model is the one that says if a work group is good or not, measuring it from the leader’s perspective . From this point you can see two clear positions: employee-oriented or job-oriented.
For this, the questionnaire called «Least Preferred Workmate» (CTMP) was also created, which is the one that allows group members to measure their figure or that of another. Personnel selection is very important in this model.
Advantages of the Fiedler model
If it is the one that measures the effectiveness of a work group, it should lack advantages, since if it were not so, this model would not be applied. This is one of the models that has given the most results in the workplace. Its advantages are:
- It provides bosses with a tool , to make positive groups that leave results, by modifying leaders. According to this model, there is no predominant type of leader since they vary according to their work group, however, the model provides a series of factors to improve the effectiveness of each group.
- This model offers groups an effective method to find out who the best leaders are, leaders with a clear task orientation are the most effective for groups with control. Then there are the guidance leaders, who can get the job done and make decisions.
- This is a model that gives flexibility , since it does not pretend to describe all types of existing leadership. The model can only ensure results and that makes it flexible for any work group, so that it can be applied.
- Leader changes are like appropriate adaptations to maturity changes. This makes decision making much easier.
Disadvantages of the Fiedler model
All models have their disadvantages, however this model is used as a test in various work areas and that has left much to be desired. Its disadvantages are:
- Lack of resources to know how to measure the maturity of the members of a work group.
- He is attached to the fact that leaders must be able to see flexible behaviors as the model indicates, but this should not always be the case.
- It makes an organization change its style and not that of the leader, this makes it ignore the adaptability of a leader.
- Those members who do not have a high qualification cannot have a say in the group’s decision-making.
