According to the theory of path–goal leadership, participative behavior involves
What is House's Path-Goal Theory?Path-Goal Model of leadership was proposed by Robert House. It concerns the relationship between leadership styles and situations. More specifically, it explores which leadership styles are more effective in any given situation. Show
What are Situational Factors of the Path-Goal Theory?
According to House, there are four different types of leadership styles depending on the situation. What are the Leadership Styles of the Path-Goal Theory?The model posits that the primary leadership function is to clarify objectives, set goals, identify methods of accomplishment, and remove obstacles for the subordinate. In this way the leader makes subordinates believe that the methods will lead to higher performance, the performance will be rewarded, and the rewards are valuable. To do this effectively, a leader must adopt a leadership style that fits the situation. As part of this model, House identified 4 types of leadership style:
Back to: BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Note: This site is moving to KnowledgeJump.com. Please reset your bookmark. The Path-Goal model is a theory based on specifying a leader's style or behavior that best fits the employee and work environment in order to achieve a goal (House, Mitchell, 1974). The goal is to increase your employees' motivation, empowerment, and satisfaction so they become productive members of the organization. Path-Goal is based on Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory in which an individual will act in a certain way based on the expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. The path-goal theory was first introduced by Martin Evans (1970) and then further developed by House (1971). The path-goal theory can best be thought of as a process in which leaders select specific behaviors that are best suited to the employees' needs and the working environment so that they may best guide the employees through their path in the obtainment of their daily work activities (goals) (Northouse, 2013). While Path-Goal Theory is not a detailed process, it generally follows these basic steps as shown in the graphic below:
Employee CharacteristicsEmployees interpret their leader's behavior based on their needs, such as the degree of structure they need, affiliation, perceived level of ability, and desire for control. For example, if a leader provides more structure than what they need, they become less motivated. Thus, a leader needs to understand their employees so they know how to best motivate them. Task and Environmental CharacteristicsOvercoming obstacles is a special focus of path-goal theory. If an obstacle becomes too strong, then the leader needs to step in and help the employee select a path to work around it. Some of the more difficult task characteristics that often arise are:
Leader Behavior or StyleThe independent variables of Path-Goal Theory are the leader's behavior — the leader adjusts her style of behavior to the employee and task characteristics so that the employee's motivation is to excel at their goal. House and Mitchell (1974) defined four types of leader behaviors or styles: Directive, Supportive, Participative, and Achievement (explained in detail below). They are based on two factors that were identified by an Ohio State University study behaviors (Stogdill, 1974):
The first behavior listed below, Directive, is based on initiating structure. The other three (achievement, participative, and supportive) are based upon consideration. The four path-goal types of leader behaviors are:
The leaders' behavior is not set in stone, as there are other leadership styles that may be used depending upon the situation. For example, House (1996) defined four other behaviors:
ApplicationAs noted earlier, the independent variables of Path-Goal Theory are the leaders' behavior, thus the path–goal theory assumes that people (leaders) are flexible in that they can change their behavior or style, depending upon the situation. This coincides with the research that while nature (genes) may be our internal guide, nurture (experience) is our explorer that has the final say in what we do (Ridley, 2003). Next StepsNext chapter: Transformational Leadership Related page: Leadership Styles Return to the main Leadership Page ReferencesEvans, M.G. (1970). The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance. 5: 277–298. House, R.J. (1971). A Path-Goal Theory of Leader Effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly. 16, 321-328. House, R.J., Mitchell, T.R. (1974). Path-goal theory of leadership. Journal of Contemporary Business. 3: l–97. House, R.J. (1996). Path-goal theory of leadership: Lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory. Leadership Quarterly. 7 (3): 323–352. Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Ridley, M. (2003). Nature Via Nurture. New York: Harper Collins. Stogdill, R.M. (1974). Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of Theory and and Research. New York: Free Press. Vroom,
V.H. (1964). Work and motivation. New York: Wiley. What is the pathThe path goal theory of leadership states that a leader's traits and behaviors can directly affect the satisfaction, motivation, and performance of their team members. In other words, how successful a leader is can be determined by their ability to promote the contentment, goals, and skills of their subordinates.
What is participative leadership theory?Participative leadership is a leadership style whereby leaders listen to their employees and involve them in the decision-making process. It requires an inclusive mindset, good communication skills and the ability — and inclination — to share power.
What are the three main components in pathTask structure is an important component of the Path-Goal Leadership Theory, which states that a leader's responsibility is to increase her employees' motivation by ensuring a high degree of task structure. This leadership theory has three main components -- leadership style, subordinate preferences and task structure.
What are the four components of pathFour Components or Types of Path-Goal Theory
Directive Leadership. Supportive Leadership. Participative Leadership. Achievement Oriented Leadership.
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