PSY 365 Module 5 Contingency Leadership Memo example

Memorandum

To: Marcus Hale, Depot Manager (composite)

From: [Student Name], HR Business Partner

Date: [Date]

Re: Matching your leadership to the situation: Saturday launch, holiday peak and daily operations

Why One Style Is Not Enough

Our earlier work focused on adding consideration to your strong structuring style, and that remains the priority. But the next six months will put you in very different situations: launching Saturday delivery on unfamiliar routes, running the holiday peak and continuing daily work with drivers who know their routes better than anyone. Contingency theories of leadership argue that the best behavior depends on the situation, and they suggest that what works in one of these situations could backfire in another.

Vroom and Jago (2007) argued that the situation shapes leadership in three ways: it affects what leaders do, it shapes how followers respond to what they do and it determines which behaviors are effective. The practical implication is that leading well means reading the situation first. This memo applies that idea to the three situations ahead.

Path-Goal Theory

House (1996) reformulated path-goal theory to explain how leaders increase followers' motivation and performance by supplying what the work environment and the followers themselves lack. When tasks are ambiguous, clarifying direction helps. When work is stressful or tedious, support helps. When followers have knowledge the leader needs, participation helps. When followers are capable and the work allows it, setting challenging goals helps. The same behavior that fills a gap in one situation is redundant or irritating in another. Table 1 applies this to the depot.

Table 1

Leader Behavior Matched to Depot Situations

Note. Applied from path-goal theory; composite depot situations.

How the Recommendation Changes

The contrast between the first and third situations is the important one. On Saturday routes, even experienced drivers will face unfamiliar streets, new customers and new procedures, so clear direction is welcome; it reduces uncertainty rather than implying incompetence. On their weekday routes, the same directive behavior would signal distrust of people who know their work intimately, and it is exactly what your former peers already resent. The same driver needs a map on Saturday and a voice on Tuesday.

The holiday peak is different again. The work is familiar but exhausting, and directives add little because drivers already know what to do. What they lack is support, and path-goal theory predicts that considerate behavior will matter most when work is stressful. It also suggests postponing any new scan compliance targets until January.

A Note on Situational Leadership

You may have seen the situational leadership model in the regional leadership program, with its four styles, telling, selling, participating and delegating, matched to follower readiness. It is intuitive and widely taught, but the research support is thinner than its popularity suggests. Thompson and Vecchio (2009) tested three versions of the model and found limited support; the clearest finding was that less experienced employees responded better to more structuring leadership, while the model's more detailed prescriptions were not consistently supported. The useful core, that newer and less experienced people need more direction, is consistent with path-goal theory, so the advice in Table 1 does not conflict with what you learned; it simply rests on firmer evidence.

When Situations Overlap

Real weeks will not arrive one situation at a time. The first Saturdays may fall close to the holiday peak, and some experienced drivers will be working unfamiliar weekend routes while tired from a heavy week. In those moments, the theory suggests starting with whatever gap is largest. A driver who is lost on a new route needs direction before encouragement; a driver who is exhausted but knows the route needs relief before instruction. Asking the driver what would help most is often the fastest way to find out which gap matters, and it also shows the respect your former peers have said they miss. Getting the order wrong is rarely a disaster, but getting it right repeatedly is what builds a reputation for leading well.

Questions to Ask Before You Choose

In practice, you will not consult a theory before each conversation. Four quick questions capture the approach. Is the task clear to this driver, or new? If new, give direction. Is the driver under unusual strain? If so, offer support before anything else. Does the driver know something I need to know? If so, ask. Is the driver capable and ready for more? If so, set a challenge. Most situations call for more than one, and the order matters: direction or support first, participation and challenge once the basics are in place.

Next Step

I suggest we use this framework when planning the Saturday launch next week. The ride-along schedule and route materials are the directive part; the driver committee on the rotation is the participative part. Both can run at once because they address different drivers' needs in different parts of the change.

References

House, R. J. (1996). Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(3), 323-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(96)90024-7

Thompson, G., & Vecchio, R. P. (2009). Situational leadership theory: A test of three versions. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(5), 837-848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2009.06.014

Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (2007). The role of the situation in leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.1.17