Leadership Theories Of A Leader And Leader Member Exchange Theories

One form of a contingency approach to leadership is the Path Goal Theory, formed by Robert House. This theory states that it is the leader’s responsibility to define their organization’s goal, define the path to achieve that goal, and to remove obstacles which prevent the attainment of these goals, by increasing their subordinates’ motivation by clarifying the behaviors necessary for both personal and organizational goal attainment (Landrum & Daily, 2012).

Leadership is an influential factor in the success and failure. If an organization is failing, look at the leader, not the economy; not the market; look at the leader. The movements and influence of a leader determines the fate of those under her or him. The importance of leadership cannot be underestimated. The importance of leadership has constantly been debated and a part argumentative discussion. There is no one approach to leadership, however leadership theories try to make sense of various approaches to leadership. James G. Clawson is considered an authority in leadership theories. His Level III leadership theory is about managing energy, first in leader, and then in those around the leader.

Since the beginning of recorded history, leadership has been one of, if not the most important elements in the success or failure of an endeavor. This is whether it involved a prehistoric hunting party or ruling the Roman Empire. Today, leadership is recognized as a vital factor in an organization’s quest to be productive and profitable. For an organization to be competitive and achieve optimum success in the 21st century, it is vital that they employ effective leaders that will be able to communicate their vision and goals, motivate their employees and develop trusting and loyal relationships with its stakeholders. There is no one or best way to accomplish this mission. There have been numerous leadership theories and styles which have been developed over time which can enable leaders to choose which method would be most effective for them in establishing collaborative working relationships and a respectful team environment in a group setting (Landis, Eric A; Hill, Deborah; Harvey, Maurice R, 2014).

Leadership theories in and of themselves carry negative and positives characteristics. Within the various theories lie strengths and weaknesses that when applied to complex problems can highlight each one respectively. As I examine a few theories, I will look at the strengths and weaknesses of each and determine when and with which situation would these theories best be utilized. Collective leadership or distributive leadership, and leader-member exchange are both theories that incorporate specific team or group mentalities.

Due to the path-goal theory being such a broad theory, it encompasses four different styles of leadership. The four leadership styles included are directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership. A directive leader under the path-goal theory will focus on their expectations that they have laid out for their employees, they will provide clear direction and believe that they have more power and information that their subordinates. Under a supportive leader, you will notice that they are concerned for their employees and their needs but also stresses the importance of the organizational tasks at hand. An achievement-oriented leader will focus on seeing their employees achieving results in their job. As mentioned in the Stojkovic book, the leader in this scenario “expects that workers will attempt to do their best and that if goals are set high enough and subordinates are properly motivated, they will achieve those goals.” (Stojkovic, Kalinich & Klofas, 2012, p. 203). Last but not least we have participative leaders, this style of leadership emphasizes collaboration between the leaders and subordinates, they feel they have equal power to their employees and will work with them in order to complete a task.

The path-goal theory states that it is the leader’s job to provide support to get the employee towards achievement of their goals (Robbins & Judge, 2009, p. 397). You made a specific reference to reducing the roadblocks that are in the way of goal attainment. At work I try to make it fun to work. It is important to respect employees’ likes and dislikes. Leader behavior should be directed to

To ensure leadership effective, several leadership theories are put forward and are adopted by different organizations. Some widely accepted theories include Trait Approach, Style Approach, Situational Approach, New Leadership Approach and Post-charismatic & Post-transformational (Western, 2013). Beyond doubt, they have their pros and cons, and they could play their role to guarantee the effectiveness of leadership as long as they are applied in an appropriate condition.

Amanchukwu, R. N., Stanley, G. J., & Ololube, N. P. (2015). A review of leadership theories,

The contents and assignment in this course has helped me understand the various theories of leadership and how different leadership styles can have a negative or positive effect on followers and organizations. The leadership theories helped me understand the concept of leadership better because it educates me on the different leadership options that are available. Leadership and followership is not based on specific characteristics. Leaders must draw from things and approaches to find the right style. A follower’s attitude determines the way a leader leads. According to Johnson (2011) “Being a good follower means ensuring your boss is supported, but only if he is making optimum decisions”.

First, they should prioritize the tasks. Second, they should assess the employee’s skill and motivation. Third, the leaders should decide on the leadership style they are choosing to use either a directing approach, a coaching approach, and supporting or observing approach that best fits the position. Leaders may have to use a mixture of these styles to deal with the diverse group of followers. The path-goal theory advises that leaders take into account their employees' skills before delegating the responsibilities, convince employees of their abilities to accomplish the assigned tasks and reward those who exceed expectations. An example of this theory is done through empowerment that is achieved by

Leadership has been studied from a wide range of perspectives and thus it means different things to different people. Some people view leadership as the focus of group processes, some others view it from a personality or skills perspective, to some others leadership is an act or behavior, some school of thought describe leadership in terms of power relationship while some view leadership as a transformational process (Northouse, 2012). Looking at the various definitions of leadership, there are various terms that are important; including the fact that leadership is a process that involves influence and the attainment of a common goal, and usually occurs in the context of a group (Northouse, 2012). The path-goal theory is one of the

Research findings on Robert House’s Path Goal Theory are basically on the relationship between the leader’s style of leadership and the outcomes of the

Overall, the path-goal theory, path-goal theory of leader effectiveness, or path-goal model can be considered as a variant on Transactional Leadership Theory, where the leader clearly is directing activity and the only factor that varies is the manner in which this is done. There are some aspects of Contingency Theory, as well, where various means of application vary with the situation. The leader sees a path that needs to be tread, one leading to the accomplishment of a goal and she or he attempts to clear it and get the group members to tread on it. The leader may cajole command, reward or punish, get suggestions from the group, or sugar coat the tasks, if necessary, but it is clear that democracy is not the hallmark of this method. The Path-goal of Leadership Effectiveness was created to rectify prior research and anomalies resulting from empirical investigations of the effects of leader/task orientation and leader/person orientation/relationship on worker satisfaction and performance (House 1971).

David’s study portrays that leadership theory has been considered as the field of macro-oriented perspective and organizational behavior. It uses path-goal theory and leadership theory, which focuses on the leadership actions that should be used to improve subordinates' motivation to attain personal and origination goals. The theory is applied to supervisory-level leadership behavior and subordinate performance, rather than the promotion of such higher-level organizational phenomena as CSR.

Research on management and leadership in organizations over the past century shows there are still no clear definitions or answers about what counts as effective and successful leadership; the field remains varied and argued. Actual studies of leadership began in the early twentieth century. The research and studies on leadership have resulted in defining what characters, traits and attitudes are considered to be significant for leaders to possess. The early studies of leadership theories focused on the person and their behaviors, currently known as leadership trait theories and behavioral theories. It is important for organizational leaders and managers to understand what characteristics, traits and actions of an individual mark a great leader when forming a strong diverse workforce.