Testing the Validity of the Contingency Model for Female and Male Leaders

In a laboratory study of 72 four-person ad-hoc groups of West Point cadets, the evidential validity of Fiedler's contingency model was tested for female and male leaders. For leaders of both sexes, the relationships between leader LPC scores and objective measures of group task performance were statistically significant in several cases. Difficulties in interpreting the degree to which these results support predictions of the model suggested the need to develop direct measures of situational favorableness. Such a measurement system would allow researchers to avoid reliance on assumptions that cannot be subjected to empirical verification. Conclusions called for further development of the contingency model for both female and male leaders.