Current Events in Public Health Leadership and the Fiedler Contingency Assignment - 1

Current Events in Public Health Leadership and the Fiedler Contingency Theory - Assignment Example In adults, pertussis is starting as a cough but is ending up as a persistent cough (CDPH, 2014). The response of the department exemplifies the tenets of Fielder’s contingency theory. The director of the California Department of Public Health (CPDH) has acted by mobilizing his subordinates to launch a statewide campaign against the epidemic. The harmony with which the response has taken off demonstrates the good relationship that exists between the leader and his juniors. For example, some juniors have gone to local health departments and they are coordinating vaccination activities with physicians. They are providing a link between the physician in the grassroots with CDPH so that to ensure that there are enough supplies of the vaccines. Just as in Fielder’s theory, Dr Ron Chapman, the director of CDPH, comes across as a leader who can exercise control. He has been quoted assertively clarifying the rumours that the epidemic has killed people already (Kapur & Smith, 2011). An important observation that is in line with Fielder’s contingency theory is that Dr Chapman is using a task-motivated interaction with his subordinates. This is seen in the way the director has emphasized the nature of the epidemic and how fast it is spreading rather than his relationship with his subordinates. Based on his perception of the high volatility of the epidemic, Dr Chapman has taken a multisectoral approach to curbing the effects of the disease. Schools are one of the sectors that he has deployed some subordinates to sensitize teachers and students about pertussis and the available resources such as vaccine stations. He has directed others to work with media outlets in order to disseminate accurate information about the progress of the epidemic and about the actions that are being taken to curb its spread (Clements, 2009). The emphasis that Dr Chapman has demonstrated on the task of curbing pertussis shows that he has a low score on the least preferred co-worker.