Chapter 11 Summary

The situation may well be the most complex factor in the leader-follower-situation framework. Moreover, situations vary not only in complexity but also in strength. Situational factors can play such a pervasive role that they can effectively minimize the effects of personality traits, intelligence, values, and preferences on leaders' and followers' behaviors, attitudes, and relationships. Given the dynamic nature of leadership situations, finding fairly consistent results is a highly encouraging accomplishment for leadership researchers.

As an organizing framework, this chapter introduced the Congruence Model as a way to consider many of the situational factors leaders should consider. In terms of work factors, leaders need to be aware of how task interdependence, task structure, and job characteristics can affect both their own and their followers' behaviors, and how they might change these factors in order to improve followers' satisfaction and performance. Research also has shown that organizational factors, such as lateral interdependence, structure, design, and culture, play major roles in determining why certain communication problems and conflicts might exist, how work is accomplished, and why some people may be more satisfied in the organization than others. The informal organization or the organizational culture can have a profound impact on the way both leaders and followers behave-and may be the least recognizable since it is the water in the bowl where all the fish are swimming. Factors in the environment, such as legal, political, or economic forces, can also affect leaders' and followers' behaviors. Sometimes these may effectively wipe out any changes a leader may make to improve productivity or satisfaction among work-group members.

Finally, let's look back one more time at our three outstanding leaders: Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, and Konosuke Matsushita. Except this time, change the situation they find themselves in. Imagine instead Colin Powell as a CEO of a major electronics firm with an entrepreneurial focus, Madeleine Albright as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Konosuke Matsushita as the secretary of state. Consider the implications of how their personalities would impact their work on these situations and what would still make them effective. These are the kinds of questions we are continuing to ask and research as we move forward in the 21st century.