Theories in Action: Fiedler’s Contingency Theory at WebMD/Krames

After discussing the Transformational Leadership Theory in my last post, I’ve decided that Fiedler’s Contingency Theory would be a good follow up, as they both focus on the leaders doing what is best for their followers. Just like all contingency theories, Fiedler’s states that there is no best way to lead a team or group of followers. His ideas put forth the concept that effective leadership is not only based on the leader’s style, but the overall situation as well. There need to be strong leader-member relations and there also must be clearly outlined goals and procedures outlined for people to follow. Lastly, the leader needs to be able to willingly hand out punishments and rewards to their followers as well.

Seeing that Fiedler’s Contingency Theory truly only fits in situations where groups are closely supervised, I believe that it works with both of the teams I worked with in my time at WebMD/Krames. Our leaders, Dianna and Jaclyn, both understand our group’s situations and were able to build upon them. Seeing as our teams were both fully remote even before the pandemic, they have had time to adjust how they choose to guide and manage their followers and the work. They understand that leader-member relationships are crucial, especially in the COVID age. With that, they are always scheduling calls, both with groups and one-on-one, in order to discuss both work and personal matters. Despite the distance, the leader-follower relationships within this company are strong ones. Working fully online also does not always make it easy for Dianna and Jaclyn to clearly communicate goals and procedures for us to follow, as we are all not within one office. However, as I stated above, the numerous calls, emails, and chats we all have on a daily basis allow them to guide us all in the right direction. If ever there is any confusion about any objectives or agendas, they are always ready to straighten it out. And lastly, rewards and punishments are also difficult to hand out electronically of course. Punishments in an office can be a range of things, however with WebMD/Krames, it is more of a stern conversation so the employee knows they need to step up. As for rewards, the leaders of teams literally hand out Amazon gift cards to people on a weekly basis for their dedication and excellent work.