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Path–Goal Theory

Chapter 6

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Overview  Path–Goal Theory Perspective

 Conditions of Leadership Motivation

 Leader Behaviors and Follower Characteristics

 Task Characteristics

 How Does PGT Work?

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Path–Goal Theory (House, 1971) Description (1 of 2)

 Definition

 Path–goal theory centers on how leaders motivate followers to accomplish designated goals

 Emphasizes the relationship between

 the leader’s style

 the characteristics of the followers

 the work setting

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Path–Goal Theory (House, 1971) Description (2 of 2)

Perspective

 Goal--To enhance employee performance and satisfaction by focusing on employee motivation

 Motivational Principles (based on Expectancy Theory): Followers will be motivated if they believe

 they are capable of performing their work

 that their efforts will result in a certain outcome

 that the payoffs for doing their work are worthwhile

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Challenge to Leader  Use a leadership style that best meets followers’

motivational needs

 Choose behaviors that complement or supplement what is missing in the work setting

 Enhance goal attainment by providing information or rewards

 Provide followers with the elements they need to reach their goals

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Conditions of Leadership Motivation

Leadership generates motivation when

 It increases the number and kinds of payoffs followers receive from their work

 Makes the path to the goal clear and easy to travel through with coaching and direction

 Removes obstacles and roadblocks to attaining the goal

 Makes the work itself more personally satisfying

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Leader Behaviors (1 of 4)

Directive Leadership

Leader who gives followers task instruction including:

 What is expected of them

 How task is to be done

 Timeline for task completion

 Clear standards of performance

 Clear rules and regulations

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Leader Behaviors (2 of 4)

Supportive Leadership Leader who is friendly and approachable:

 Attending to well-being and human needs of followers

 Using supportive behavior to make work environment pleasant

 Treating followers as equals and giving them respect for their status

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Leader Behaviors (3 of 4)

Participative Leadership Leader who invites followers to share in the decision making:

 Consults with followers

 Seeks their ideas and opinions

 Integrates their input into group/organizational decisions

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Leader Behaviors (4 of 4)

Achievement-Oriented Leadership

Leader who challenges followers to perform work at the highest level possible:

 Establishes a high standard of excellence for subordinates

 Seeks continuous improvement

 Demonstrates a high degree of confidence in followers’ ability to establish and achieve challenging goals

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Follower Characteristics (1 of 3)  Strong need for affiliation

 Friendly and concerned leadership is a source of satisfaction

 Prefers supportive leadership

 Preference for psychological structure

 For example, dogmatic and authoritarian follower

 Leadership provides psychological structure, task clarity, and greater sense of certainty in work setting

 Prefers directive leadership

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Follower Characteristics (2 of 3)

 Desire for Control  Internal locus of control

 Leadership that allows followers to feel in charge of their work and makes them an integral part of the decision-making process

 Prefers participative leadership

 External locus of control  Leadership that parallels followers’ feelings that outside forces

control their circumstances

 Prefers directive leadership

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Follower Characteristics (3 of 3)

 Perception of their own ability--specific task

 As perception of ability and competence goes up, need for highly directive leadership goes down.

 Directive leadership may become redundant, possibly excessively controlling.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Task Characteristics (1 of 3)

Components  Design of followers’ task

 Organization’s formal authority system

 Primary work group of followers

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Task Characteristics (2 of 3)

Task Situations Requiring Leader Involvement

 Unclear and ambiguous--Leader needs to provide structure

 Highly repetitive--Leader needs to provide support to maintain follower motivation

 Weak formal authority--If formal authority system is weak, the leader needs to assist followers by making rules and work requirements clear

 Nonsupportive/weak group norms--Leader needs to help build cohesiveness and role responsibility

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Task Characteristics (3 of 3)

Obstacles  Anything in the work setting that gets in the way of

followers  They create excessive uncertainties, frustrations, or threats for

followers

 Leader’s responsibility is to help followers by

 Removing the obstacles  Helping followers around them

 Assisting with obstacles will increase  Followers’ expectations to complete the task  Their sense of job satisfaction

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

How Does the Path–Goal Theory Work? (1 of 2)

 Focus of Path–Goal Theory

 Strengths

 Criticisms

 Application

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

How Does the Path–Goal Theory Work? (1 of 2)

 The leader’s job is to help followers reach their goals by directing, guiding, and coaching them along the way

 Leaders must evaluate task and follower characteristics and adapt leadership style to these

 The theory suggests which style is most appropriate for specific characteristics

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Path–Goal Theory Approach

Focus

 Path–goal theory is a complex but also pragmatic approach

 Leaders should choose a leadership style that best fits the needs of followers and their work

Overall Scope

 Path–goal theory provides a set of assumptions about how different leadership styles will interact with follower characteristics and the work situation to affect employee motivation

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Strengths  Useful theoretical framework. Path–goal theory is a

useful theoretical framework for understanding how various leadership behaviors affect the satisfaction of followers and their work performance.

 Integrates motivation. Path–goal theory attempts to integrate the motivation principles of expectancy theory into a theory of leadership.

 Practical model. Path–goal theory provides a practical model that underscores and highlights the important ways leaders help followers.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Criticisms (1 of 2)  Interpreting the meaning of the theory can be confusing

because it is so complex and incorporates so many different aspects of leadership; consequently, it is difficult to implement.

 Empirical research studies have demonstrated only partial support for path–goal theory.

 Theory doesn’t account for gender differences in how leadership is enacted and perceived.

 Theory assumes leaders possess the advanced communication skills necessary to interact with followers in all given situations.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Criticisms (2 of 2)

 The theory fails to adequately explain the relationship between leadership behavior and worker motivation.

 The path–goal theory approach treats leadership as a one-way event in which the leader affects the follower.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.

Application  PGT offers valuable insights that can be applied in

ongoing settings to improve one’s leadership.

 Informs leaders about when to be directive, supportive, participative, or achievement oriented.

 The principles of PGT can be employed by leaders at all organizational levels and for all types of tasks.

Northouse – Leadership: Theory and Practice, Eighth Edition © 2019 SAGE Publishing, Inc.