Arthur G. Jago

The role of the situation in leadership

Leadership depends on the situation. Few social scientists would dispute the validity of this statement. But the statement can be interpreted in many different ways, depending, at least in part, on what one means by leadership. This article begins with a definition of leadership and a brief description of 3 historically important theories of leadership. The most recent of these, contingency theories, is argued to be most consistent with existing evidence and most relevant to professional practice. The Vroom, Yetton, and Jago contingency models of participation in decision making are described in depth, and their work provides the basis for identifying 3 distinct ways in which situational or contextual variables are relevant to both research on and the practice of leadership.

On the Validity of the Vroom-Yetton Model.

Abstract : In this research an empirical evaluation of the validity of the Vroom-Yetton contingency model of leadership behavior is performed. Native to the model, managers from a variety of organizations described 181 actual problem-solving or decision-making situations and their behavior in these situations. The model was then employed to predict ratings of the technical quality, subordinate acceptance, and the overall effectiveness of the final solutions chosen or decision made. Substantial support for the model and its various components was obtained. Its concurrent validity was greater than that of a noncontingent model proposed by other theorists. However, the validity of the Vroom-Yetton model is due, in large measure, to relationships between agreement with the model and subordinate acceptance of or commitment to these decisions. Relationships with decision quality were smaller. Reasons for this difference and possible deficiencies in the model are discussed. (Author)

Situation effects and levels of analysis in the study of leader participation

Abstract Cumulative research pertaining to the Vroom-Yetton and Vroom-Jago models suggests that multiple levels of analysis are needed to understand a leaders choice of autocratic versus participative behaviors. Leadership scales that simply aggregate behavior across situations are incapable of detecting situational and persons by situation effects that do, in fact, exist. Research designs that capture these effects and that test specific prescriptive models are described.

Predicting Leader Behavior from a Measure of Behavioral Intent

The article focuses on a study that investigates the problems of direct and objective observation of leader behavior in field settings. The study is designed to examine the importance of subordinat...

Hierarchical Level and Leadership Style

Abstract This research investigates the relationship between the hierarchical level of managerial personnel and individual differences in their leadership styles, specifically the degree to which they are disposed to the use of participative versus autocratic decision-making strategies. Analysis of self-report data collected from four different levels of managers suggests a greater propensity for use of participative methods at higher organizational levels. Subordinate descriptions of their immediate superiors further support this relationship. However, members asked to describe this relationship reveal perceptions incongruent with the direction of effect implied by the between-level group differences. Reasons for the incongruity and its implications for the organization are discussed.

PROBLEM-SOLVING STYLES AND PARTICIPATIVE DECISION MAKING

This study examined the relationships between the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Sensing-Intuition and Thinking-Feeling scales, and the choice of autocratic versus participative decision-making methods as measured by the Vroom/Yetton Problem Set. Data from 62 graduate business students indicate that sensing types tend to be more participative than intuitive types. Further analyses suggest that situational factors may be more important than individual differences in influencing the choice of autocratic versus participative decision-making methods.

AN EVALUATION OF TWO ALTERNATIVES TO THE VROOM/YETTON NORMATIVE MODEL

The article evaluates two alternatives to a contingency model of leader behavior. The models in question are in response to the Vroom/Yetton contingency model. The Vroom Yetton model attempts to pr...

Configural cue utilization in implicit models of leader behavior

Abstract This research investigates the manner in which managers employ information concerning four fundamental dimensions of decision making situations in choosing leadership behaviors deemed appropriate for those situations. Given alternatives ranging from highly autocratic to highly participative, 29 subjects responded to a set of 30 hypothetical decision scenarios employed extensively in prior research. Subjects also responded to a new set of 72 situation “profiles” designed specifically for this research and conforming to a completely crossed and replicated 3 × 3 × 2 × 2 repeated measures experimental design. Data analyses allow rejection of a combinational model that is strictly additive and suggest substantial configurality in the way managers combine and process informational cues. These results reveal certain similarities and differences between normative and descriptive models of leadership and identify a previously undocumented source of individual differences among managers. Conclusions reached in previous research are reevaluated in light of these results. Implications for the design of data feedback in management training programs are also discussed.

An Assessment of the Deemed Appropriateness of Participative Decision Making for High and Low Hierarchical Levels

Addressing questions concerning the dependence of leadership style on hierarchical position, this investigation employs an instrument offering greater internal validity than similar instruments used in previous research. Middle-level managers from three organizations (N = 167) were asked to indicate the degree of subordinate involvement they would permit in hypothetical decision situations occurring at different hierarchical levels. For that subset of problems for which selection of high-quality solution was required (i.e., problems possessing a quality requirement), the degree of participation deemed appropriate for low-level situations did not differ significantly from the degree of participation deemed appropriate for high-level situations. However, for the subset of problems for which all possible alternatives were equally suitable (i.e., problems lacking a quality requirement), substantially greater participation was judged appropriate for low-level situations than for otherwise comparable high-level situations. It is argued that these effects reflect perceived tradeoffs between the expected costs and benefits of participation at different hierarchical levels. Previous research suggesting a positive relationship between level and participation is evaluated in light of these results.