Стиль управління як інтегративна характеристика діяльності керівника

Abstract

У статті проаналізовано теоретичні засади проблеми стилів управління як інтегративної характеристики діяльності керівника. Подано результати емпіричного дослідження особливостей стилю управління за шкалою Ф. Фідлера «Найменш бажаний співробітник» (LPC). Визначено особливості поведінки керівників, ступінь орієнтації на завдання і взаємостосунки, ефективність стилю керівництва у зв’язку з організаційною ситуацією.

Introduction. Management remains one of the most pressing and relevant issues both theoretically and practically in organizational activities today. Particularly important for practice is the study of the effectiveness of managerial activities by leaders. The management style, as an integrative characteristic of a leader's activity, requires further scientific investigation. The most challenging task for management involves rapid transformations of the surrounding world. This necessitates a new approach in the study of leadership, which includes an analysis of needs, personal qualities of subordinates, the nature of tasks, requirements, and environmental influences. Purpose: Theoretical justification and empirical research of management styles as an integrative characteristic of leaders' activity within the framework of the situational approach. Methods. The management style of a leader is assessed using the Fiedler F. Least Preferred Coworker test. The LPC scale allows determining whether a leader is oriented towards production tasks or human relationships within the team. The basis for characterizing the leader is his or her evaluation of the least preferred coworker (LPC), which reflects their personal qualities and position. A high rating is given to a leader who describes their least preferred coworker in relatively positive terms. Originality. The article analyzes the theoretical foundations of the issue of management styles as an integrative characteristic of a leader's activity. The results of an empirical study on the features of management style using F. Fiedler's "Least Preferred Coworker" (LPC) scale are presented. It outlines the behavioral characteristics of leaders, the degree of focus on production tasks and relationships, and the effectiveness of the management style in connection with the organizational situation. Empirically, an LPC score (=3.38) was established, which is close to the average score on the Least Preferred Coworker scale and indicates that the leaders studied are generally equally focused on both tasks and relationships. However, there is a tendency for a greater focus on production tasks when the leader defines the direction of activity and sets work norms. 20.8% of leaders showed a clear orientation towards tasks. No clear orientation towards relationships was found in the studied sample. An averaged manifestation of the personal characteristics of leaders in the sample is determined. Using an eight-point scale, results close to the average score were obtained, relating to the normal level of manifestation of personal characteristics. Conclusion. It has been established that the studied managers are generally equally oriented towards production tasks and interpersonal relationships. Managers with a mid-range LPC score are more effective in most situations compared to those with a unidirectional focus. The effectiveness of this management style is justified by the managers' greater ability to establish a reasonable balance between task orientation and relationship orientation, which allows them to better adapt to changing situations. We see prospects for further research in the empirical study of gender and age characteristics of managers' management styles.