Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ROSALIE Q. CAPISTRANO
Graduate School - MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

A S S I G N M E T N O. 4

A contingency theory is an organizational theory which claims that

there is no absolute best way to organize a corporation, to lead a
company, or to make decisions. There is no one way to do the same but
instead, its optimal suggestion for a course of action depends upon the
internal and external situation at hand. This way leaders are more flexible
in choosing and adapting to concise strategies to suit change in situation
at a particular period in time in the running of the organization. It is also
beneficial as it gives purpose to the meaning of leadership, by giving
leeway and discretion to the leader on how they would act accordingly to
the certain situation presented at hand. Another strength is its predictive
nature, it provides an understanding to the types of leaders that will be
most effective in specific situations. It also suggests that leaders do not
have to be effective in all situations and that there are specific scenarios in
which a leader might not be the perfect fit. Having that said, it can be
applied even when presented with different hindrances like cyber
security, natural calamity, leadership style and in spite of laws, policies,
rules, regulations and other protocols.

As I have said earlier, contingency theory is a flexible type of an

organizational theory, thus it shall be molded and planned as to the
situation being handled by the leader. In terms of cyber security, malicious
attacks directed on computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic
systems, networks, and especially data gathered from private individuals
are unavoidable and is in need of swift action in order to avoid aggravating
the attack. Thus, being a flexible organization theory, there are no hard
and fast rule in how the leader would approach the same as long as he or
she stays within the protocols set in dealing with the certain situation.
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ROSALIE Q. CAPISTRANO
Graduate School - MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Meanwhile, in my opinion, contingency theory are best to be used

in situations of natural calamity. Its dynamics is suitable to changing
situations, ready to adjust in unpredictability and uncertainty. In these
kind of situations leaders must be ready with plans a, b, c, d, e, and so on
because most of the time plan a doesn’t work out in natural disasters or
calamaties, however, while making decisions, leaders must keep in mind
to make their decisions within the bounds of laws and policies being
enforced at the time, although in life and death situation, leaders must
prioritize the safety and well-being of his or her followers.

In terms of leadership style, contingency plans although most

commonly used only when an unexpected situation is presented at them
should also have construct and well-planned. We always say prevention is
better than cure but not all issues can be prevented, those issues that are
not prevented must be resolved by a contingency plan previously crafted
to suit the needs of a problem at hand. Thus, leaders are expected to think
out of the box, to think almost irrationally, considering scenarios that are
not even imaginable. For example, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the
whole world was put to its knees, no one, even the hegemons, they were
not prepared for it, however, those states with contingency plans
ingrained in their laws was able to, at the very least contain the virus
within their boundaries and act swiftly. As I said, they prioritized the
safety and well-being of their constituents above anything else.

As can be read above, people might think contingency theory will

result to having to break laws in order to make the decisions, but it is not
the case. In every law, there are exceptions and also, contingency doesn’t
always have to be unplanned. Most governments’ right now has
contingency plans to whatever calamity or problem they may face. Thus,
execution of such plans are still made within the bounds of laws or policies
placed by the state or an organization for that matter. This is the reason
why contingency plans are encouraged to be done even when the
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ROSALIE Q. CAPISTRANO
Graduate School - MASTERS IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

problem is still just in hindsight. It is to avoid unnecessary violation of laws

and rules.