Associate Level Material
Appendix D

Contingency Theory of Leadership

|Description of work environment | |
| |Describe the work environment you intend to review for this assignment. |
| | |
| |I have previously worked in a big grocery store, but I think it might be little more|
| |interesting to look into a smaller grocery store, walking into start a new job in a |
| |mom and pop grocery store that has been around for nearly 70 year, Reams. |
| | |
| | |

In the table below, categorize different leadership approaches that could be used in the work environment you have described. Provide different suggestions for each of the four approaches to leadership.

|Directive approach |Supportive approach |
|In this directive approach it is pretty personal. The manager or |This is a very personal and relaxed approach, this is an approach|
|trainer, goes through everything with you, they allow you to stop|that is designed to make the new comers feel welcome and feel |
|them and ask questions, make sure you understand everything, |like they can go to this person with no hesitation if the need |
|mostly to make sure you will follow everything to the letter. |were to arise. You tell life stories and histories, play games, |
|With this approach, I might make the suggestion of highlighting |and stay by them every step until they are feeling right at home.|
|and or bolding the most important things, to have to read and |This sounds like a very productive approach, especially for small|
|understand it all right at first is a little much. |businesses, but I am one of those people who doesn’t want to |
| |share my life stories or hear others life stories when I don’t |
| |know them or what they are about, I would rather hear it after I |
| |get to see their real personalities and if they really care |
| |through actions, too much personal share is not a good business |
| |practice in my opinion. |
|Participative approach |Achievement-oriented approach |
|In this approach you are asking right up front for them to |This seems like a very strict approach and one that I don’t see |
|participate and put in any suggestions or concerns. This is a |working very well unless you are training the new hires for a |
|great approach, for the most part. To ask for participation right|management position or something hiring that an associate. You |
|up front before they know how it all works or what to expect. I |give them the run down, tell them your expectations and hand them|
|always feel like that puts people on the hot seat, let them work |the rue book. This would scare a lot of employees off right away.|
|a couple of days and take some extra time reading the hand book, |In a grocery store, where people usually just go to have a job |
|then try asking for input, that way they feel more comfortable |and not because it is something they want to do forever, they |
|sharing any input. |wouldn’t really care about where you wanted the company to go. |
| |Ease off and let them get more comfortable, don’t just expect |
| |them to do it all by the book the first time. No one is perfect. |

|Leadership recommendation | |
| |What is your recommendation for the BEST leadership approach for the work |
| |environment you described? Explain your recommendation. |
| | |
| |I believe that the best leadership approach for a mom and pop grocery store would be|
| |the directive approach. This approach almost sounds the best for any company. This |
| |approach makes sure your new employees feel comfortable while also allowing them to |
| |ask question openly and comfortably. They get to sit down and talk about what is |
| |expected instead of just having to read it and not be able to understand most of it.|
| |It isn’t so personal that it would make them feel awkward at all about having to |
| |open up to someone they just met. This opens the door to complete understanding and |
| |to an open work environment. I don’t think it would get much better for that on a |
| |first day or week of a new job. |
| | |