c) Contingency Theories（權變理論）

Contingency theories are a class of behavioural theory that argues there is no single, best way of leading. The leader's ability to lead is contingent on various situational factors, including the leader's preferred style, the capabilities and behaviours of followers and other situational factors.

An effective leadership style in some situations may not be successful in others. An effect of this is that leaders who are very effective at one place and time may become unsuccessful either when transplanted to another situation or when the factors around them change.

權變理論領導力模型主要是根據不同的情況和不同的環境來決定用什么樣的領導方式，相信沒有單一且特定的領導方式，這就是權變理論的核心。

1. Action-Centred Leadership Model（行動力中心理論領導力模型）

John Adair's action-centred leadership model is where task, group and individual needs are interconnected. The total situation dictates the relative priority which must be given to each of the three sets of needs. Effective leadership means identifying and acting on that priority to create a balance between the needs.

2. Fiedler's Contingency Theory of Leadership（Fiedler權變理論領導力模型）

Fiedler found that people become leaders partly because of their own attributes and partly because of the nature of the situation they find themselves in. Leadership style depends on the personality of the leader, which is fixed. The extent to which the situation favours the leader depends on three things:

• Position power. Same thing as organisational authority.
• Task structure. Work is easier to organise and accountability easier to determine when the task is clear, well defined and unambiguous. The quality of performance is difficult to control when the task is vague and unstructured.
• Leader-subordinate relations. The leader’s task is eased when subordinated have trust and confidence in him or her.

Fiedler found that a task-oriented was most productive when the situation was either very favourable to the leader or very unfavourable.

In less extreme cases, a more people-centred approach was more effective.

3. Handy's "Best Fit" Approach（Handy的Best-fit理論）

Charles Handy's best fit approach identifies four factors which a successful leader must integrate:

From the first three of these factors, Handy creates a spectrum ranging from "tight" to "flexible".

Handy's "best fit" occurs where all three factors are at the same point in the spectrum. Almost inevitably there will be a misfit, and change will be necessary. Any such change is invariably slow.