'BILLY BUDD,' 'THE CAINE MUTINY,' AND FIEDLER'S 'CONTINGENCY MODEL': AN INFERENTIAL ANALYSIS OF LEADERSHIP

The purpose of this study was to show that the characters in leadership positions (formal and informal) portrayed in Billy Budd and The Caine Mutiny performed predictably with respect to the parameters of the Fiedler Contingency Model of leadership effectiveness. Qualitative inferences concerning character motivations and actions were derived by using the Contingency Model as a baseline for analysis of various leadership behaviors. The two novels selected for this study provided realistic microcosms of bureaucratic organizations in situations which revealed both task-motivated and relationship-motivated leadership types.;In attempting to illustrate predictable leadership effectiveness through inferential character analysis, complex psychological and philosophical dimensions had to be considered. Too often, leadership has been assessed only in terms of quantifiable productivity in our results-oriented society. Of course this is the "proof of the pudding" approach to evaluate leaders but it is too simplistic to be comprehensive.;To achieve a more comprehensive evaluation of leadership types, inferences have been drawn to show predictable leader effectiveness not only through the actions of characters but also in psychological and philosophical terms which influenced those actions. Hopefully, the result has been to produce a more multi-dimensional insight into the complexity of leader behavior.;To accomplish the purpose of this study, a literary approach was used to involve readers vicariously in realistic situations of leadership. Only those portions of each novel which portrayed salient qualities of leadership (motivations, words, actions) in the characters were summarized. These qualities were carefully selected for inclusion as a part of leader profiles which would later become points of analysis. Documented comments of scholarly critics have substantiated the realism of the leader profiles presented throughout this dissertation. The style is relatively free of complex terms and professional jargon (nautical terms excepted) in order to enhance readability for professionals in virtually any field. It is hoped that people in all kinds of organizations can derive some benefit by recognizing situations or styles of leadership portrayed here which might aid them in becoming more effective leaders or at least in understanding leadership behavior within their respective organizations.;Since these leadership types comprise a variety of characteristics encountered in leaders throughout many kinds of organizations, this study has nearly universal application. Additionally, the situational variables reflected the degree of "favorableness" most conducive to the leadership types portrayed. Analyzing the interaction of these situational variables and characters has projected some degree of predictability for effectiveness of leadership types described in Fiedler's theory. Some conclusions were that leaders are more effective in some situations (jobs, circumstances, organizations) than others and that a leader's effectiveness can be enhanced more easily by changing his situation than by attempts to change him as an individual. Ideally, an exceptional leader must possess the judgment to recognize (or even create) the variables of fluid situations and have the personal flexibility to employ either a task-motivated or a relationship-motivated leadership style.