The Path Goal Theory Of Leadership

There have been numerous theories surrounding leadership, which attempt to explain which form is most effective in the workplace. A universalistic approach was once used to rationalize leadership and it was believed that successful leaders possessed certain common abilities and traits. However, today due to external factors such as globalization and advanced technologies, there has been an evolution towards a new paradigm of leadership. Subordinates want to feel empowered and engaged at the workplace and often the behaviors and relationships between leaders and their subordinates become important to understand in order to fully understand effective leadership. Contingency theories have been developed in which people began to look at the behavior of leaders in specific situations. Two such contingency theories are: Path-Goal and Hershey and Blanchard’s Situational Theory.

Path Goal Theory is a contingency approach to leadership which under Mary Kay’s responsibility is to increase subordinates’ motivation by clarifying the behaviours necessary for task accomplishment and rewards. Under Path Goal Theory it must be formed by tangible award. Mary Kay increases her follower motivation by either (i) clarifying the follower’s path to the rewards that are available or (ii) increasing the rewards that the follower values and desires.

The path-goal theory focuses on motivating followers to achieve goals. It suggests that if followers believe there will be positive outcomes in their efforts, they will be highly motivated to do their work. Leaders, in this theory, use a style that compliments the follower’s needs in order to motivate them. Take the following situation as an example. I am newly hired as a sales manager and the morale in the department is extremely low. A few months ago the department’s profit in sales had been at the highest in decades. Multiple sales

The Expectancy Theory suggests that individuals choose a particular course of action after they have – often subconsciously – evaluated three critical components of the theory.

Becoming a strong, influential leader is determined by an array of factors, as well as who we are as people. Our most inner being holds the key to whether or not we are destined to become successful leaders. Culture and society also play a powerful role in our leadership style. It is thought that various styles of leadership have varied effects on leadership practice and results. Regardless of our natural abilities, there will always be room for change, growth, and overall becoming a more effective leader.

If the goal setting theory is followed, managers are required to work with their employees in devising goal objectives with the aim of providing targets for motivation. Additionally,

The leadership theory that is most aligned with my leadership style would be Path-Goal Theory and Collaborative Theory. According to the

Path-goal theory deals with the leader's style to motivate followers, to accomplish set goals (Northouse, 2010). The path-goal theory is simply the implication that a leader works with an individual to establish a goal. The leader does this by individual motivation to achieve the proposed goal, while working through obstacles that may hinder achieving that goal (Whitener, 2007). The basic assumption of path-goal theory is that the following motivates subordinates: the capability to perform the work, their efforts will result in a certain outcome, and the payoff will be worthwhile (Whitener, 2007). The path-goal theory is a pragmatic approach that the leader uses to motivate the followers to achieve the set goals.

On the other hand, here comes to the theory Y. On the contrary, it based on positive assumptions, and also more positive view of workers and the possibilities that create. For instance, they assumed that employees are ambitious, self-motivated and anxious to accept greater responsibility. Employees exercise self-control, self-direction, autonomy and empowerment, also exercise creativity and become forward looking. So, once the managers are adopted this theory, they believes that people want to do well at work, have a pool of unused creativity and that the satisfaction of doing a job

My results from the “Path-Goal Leadership Questionnaire” shows high scores in supportive, participative, and achievement styles, but moderate score in the directive. The scores do not surprise me. I am aware that I have a little improvement to do in directing my team.

The expectancy theory states that people assume that negative and positive consequences follow like behaviors, and that performance, which is the result of effort, is directly linked to the outcome produced. Within expectancy theory are three key concepts: valence, expectancy, and instrumentality. Valence in an individual’s preference for a certain reward. A good example of valence is rewarding an employee who enjoys reading with a gift card to a bookstore rather than a pay raise or additional vacation time. Expectation is the connection of effort with performance. It is similar to the concept of putting one’s nose to the grindstone. Instrumentality is the connection of performance with rewards. An example of instrumentality is that of a mouse navigating a maze to receive a reward of a piece of

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

The best leaders are those have the adaptability to flex their behavioral style, and choose the right style suitable for each situation. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation and certain behavioral patterns may be identified as leadership styles. Advantages of Behavioral Theory of Leadership: Behavioral theory promotes the value of leadership styles with an emphasis on concern for people and collaboration. It promotes participative decision making and team development by supporting individual needs and aligning individual and group objectives. It helps managers evaluate and understand how their behavioral style as a manager affects their relationship with the team and promotes commitment and contribution towards organizational goals. This theory helps managers find the right balance between different styles of leadership, and helps them decide how to behave as a leader, depending on concerns for people and for productivity. Criticism / Arguments against - Behavioral Theory of Leadership: As there were inherent limitations with the Trait approach to leadership, when early researchers ran out of steam in their search for traits, they turned to what leaders did, how they behaved and came with behavioral theory of leadership. This became the dominant way of approaching leadership within organizations in the 1950s and early 1960s but this

Path Goal Theory also known as the path–goal theory of leader effectiveness or the path–goal model is a theory proposed by Martin Evans and Robert House, which is then developed by Robert House who is an

Radosevich, D. J., Levine, M. S., Sumner, K. E., Knight, M. B., Arendt, L. A., & Johnson, V. A. (2009). The role of expectancy theory in goal striving processes. Journal Of The Academy Of Business & Economics, 9(4), 186-192.