ADM 612 - Leadership

1. ADM 612 - Leadership Lecture 7 – Path-Goal Theory

2. Introduction • Path-goal theory is about how leaders motivate subordinates to accomplish designated goals. • Evans (1970), House (1971), House and Dessler (1974), House and Mitchell (1974). • Path-goal theory emphasizes the relationship between the leader’s style and the characteristics of the subordinates and the work setting.

3. Introduction • Leadership generates motivations when it increases the number and kinds of payoffs that subordinates receive for their work. • Defines goals. • Clarifies path to the goals. • Removes obstacles and roadblocks. • Makes work more personally satisfying.

4. Path-Goal Leadership

5. Major Components of Path-Goal Theory

6. Leader Behaviors • Directive leadership. • Task-oriented, expectations, techniques, timeline, standards of performance. • Supportive leadership. • Friendliness, approachability, empathy, needs-oriented, equality, respect.

7. Leader Behaviors • Participative leadership. • Sharing, consultation, advice-seeking, integration. • Achievement-oriented leadership. • Challenging, high standard of excellence, confidence in subordinates’ abilities.

8. Leader Behaviors • Styles will vary depending on subordinates and situations. • Assumes subordinates will adapt styles to circumstances.

9. Subordinate Characteristics • Characteristics: • Needs for affiliation, • Preference for structure • Desires for control, • Self-perceived level of task ability.

10. Subordinate Characteristics • Patterns • Needs affiliation requires supportive leadership. • Dogmatic and authoritarian subordinates with an ambiguous task require directive leadership. • Internal locus of control requires participative leadership. • External locus of control requires directive leadership. • As subordinate’s confidence in their own skills goes up, the need for directive leadership goes down.

11. Task Characteristics • Components. • Design of task. • Formal authority system. • Primary work group norms. • Structured task, strong norms, established authority: leadership becomes redundant and overbearing.

12. Task Characteristics • Unclear and ambiguous tasks: leadership provides structure. • Repetitive tasks: leadership should provide support.

13. Task Characteristics • Weak authority: leadership should provide rules and work requirements. • Weak norms: leadership provides cohesiveness and role responsibility.

14. Task Characteristics • Obstacles create excessive uncertainties, frustrations or threats. • Leadership should remove obstacles or enable subordinates to circumvent them.

15. How Does the Path-Goal Model Work?

16. Strengths • Links leadership behaviors to subordinate satisfaction and work performance. • Develops four distinct types of leadership. • Integrates subordinate motivation into leadership theory. • Model is practical.

17. Criticisms • Complexity makes interpretation and application difficult. • Only partial empirical support. • Does not really explain link between leadership behavior and motivation. • Puts more burden on leader than follower.

18. Application • Not many management training programs. • But provides a general set of recommendations for how leaders should act in various situations.

19. Applications • Complex tasks – directive. • Dull tasks – supportive. • Subordinates need control – participative. • Subordinates need to excel – achievement-oriented.

20. Applications • Applies to all levels and tasks in an organization. • To apply, assess subordinates and tasks and choose an appropriate style to match characteristics. • Model reminds leaders that their central purpose is to help subordinates define their goals and achieve them efficiently.