What Is the Least-Preferred Coworker Scale?
Let me tell you about the Least-Preferred Coworker Scale, developed by American scholar Fred Fiedler. This scale determines if your leadership style leans toward relationships or tasks.
With the Least Preferred Coworker (LPC) Scale, you rate the person you'd least want to work with—your least-preferred coworker—using 18 to 25 pairs of opposing adjectives, scoring each from 1 to 8. You add up those ratings to get your LPC score. If it's high, you're a relationship-oriented leader; if it's low, you're task-oriented.
Key Takeaways
Understand that the Least-Preferred Coworker Scale (LPC) serves as a management tool to classify your leadership as task-oriented or relationship-oriented. It relies on your subjective view of the coworker you'd least prefer. By examining how you rate that person, we can deduce your overall management approach.
The relationship between leader and team members measures the influence and trust present. The scale's model shows that no leadership style is perfect; it varies with circumstances and context.
How the Least-Preferred Coworker Scale Works
In the LPC scale, you encounter opposing adjectives like pleasant versus unpleasant, friendly versus unfriendly, supportive versus hostile. You grade them from 1 (least favorable, like unpleasant) to 8 (most favorable, like pleasant).
The scale operates on the idea that relationship-oriented leaders describe their least preferred coworkers more positively, while task-oriented ones rate them negatively.
Applying the LPC Scale
Remember, no single leadership style fits all situations, as organizational needs shift with context. For example, a team of experienced workers might thrive under relationship-oriented leadership, without needing strict rules that a novice team requires.
Even a seasoned team could need task-oriented leadership during tight deadlines or challenging milestones. If your team mixes veterans and newcomers, you might switch styles depending on the moment or the people involved.
Special Considerations
Situational favorableness affects the chosen leadership style. The leader-team relationship gauges influence and trust; a weak bond means a weak position, influenced by the leader's organizational power.
If you have strong authority to direct the team and enforce mandates, that's a strong position. Weak power means less control over actions taken.
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