discussion

What did you find to be compelling and enlightening? What other advice do you have to give in your current or experience.

    Path goal theory refers to a set of processes undertaken by leaders to choose specific behaviors that meet employee’s needs and enable them to have a good working environment. It requires a leader to behave in a certain way depending on the current incidence. This provides guidance and support to employees to ensure they meet organizational goals (Northouse, 2018).

       There are various leadership styles that that leaders apply to achieve path-goal theory. The success of each style is measured by the follower’s acceptance. How it satisfies them and motivates them to achieve more. There are four major leadership styles.

    Supportive leadership is where the leader uses friendliness and empathy attitude. It’s mostly exercised when the followers have personal challenges such as low self-esteem.  A lot of attention and effort is given to these followers to achieve organizational and personal goals. In achievement-oriented leadership, the leader sets ambitious goals and believes that they can easily achieve them Famakin & Abisuga, (2016). He challenges them to deliver beyond his expectation of their ability. The style requires confident followers who are results-oriented.

           Teamwork is greatly appreciated in any organization as it creates a sense of belonging and greater results. In participative relationships, the leader collaborates with followers and welcomes discussions, and suggestions on how to go about a specific goal can be reached. The followers are free with this leader creating a comfortable environment for them to achieve.

         As the name suggests, directive leadership is where the leader gives a framework and clear guidelines to followers. Leaders, in this case, know precisely what they need to be done, how, and when to be completed to achieve goals Northouse, (2018). The leadership style is most appropriately used when the task specifications are specific for each job. Leaders can use more than one leadership style to ensure they achieve the desired path-goal. For instance, they can use both the supportive and participative leadership style. Here, besides being there for followers, they also collaborate with them and listen to their opinion when doing a task.

      Path goal theory, therefore, shows that leaders are flexible and can adjust accordingly depending on the type of situation. Consequently, the type of leadership to be used by leaders heavily depend on the characters and personal capabilities of followers.