Leadership and Decision Making: The Vroom-Yetton-Jago Model

The Vroom-Yetton-Jago model is a leadership theory of how to make group decisions.


LEARNING OBJECTIVE

  • Apply the Vroom-Jago decision-tree model to guide leaders in a decision-making situation

KEY POINTS

    • Different tasks and situations require leaders to make different types of decisions.
    • There are five different approaches to making group decisions according to the degree and type of follower participation.
    • The Vroom-Yetton-Jago model employs a decision tree for determining the right mode of decision making under different conditions.

TERMS

  • Contingency Approach

    A school of thought on leadership that proposes that there is no single ideal leader or leadership style. Also known as situational leadership.

  • decision tree

    A visualization of a complex decision-making situation in which the possible choices and their likely outcomes are organized in the form of a graph.

  • autocratic 

    Conducted alone and with sole responsibility.


The Vroom-Yetton-Jago model is a contingency approach to group decision making that is designed specifically to help leaders select the best approach to making decisions. The model identifies different ways a decision can be made by considering the degree of follower participation. It proposes a method for leaders to select the right approach to making a decision in a given set of circumstances.