The Least Preferred Employee (LPC) scale is a management heuristic that defines an individual’s leadership style as task-oriented or relationship-oriented.
The scale uses a subjective assessment of a person’s attitude towards his least favorable colleague.
Seeing how a person reacts to the assessment of one person with whom he would least prefer to work, one can draw a conclusion about the general style of management.
The leader-member relationship is a barometer of influence and trust between the team and its leader.
The model represented by the scale reflects the notion that no leadership style is perfect or ideal, as needs change depending on circumstances and context.