Path Goal Theory

The expectation theory of motivation served as the foundation for Robert J. House’s hypothesis. The notion is predicated on the idea that a leader’s actions have a significant impact on an employee’s impression of what is expected of him in terms of effort and performance. Group leaders facilitate the achievement of rewards by providing direction and eliminating roadblocks to achievement. They do this by giving staff members the knowledge, assistance, and other resources they need to finish the job.

The creator of the Path-Goal theory, Robert J. House, contends that performance, motivation, and employee happiness all influence a leader’s actions. According to the Path-Goal theory, an effective leader establishes high standards, gives clear instructions, participates in goal attainment, and encourages his team members. The staff will thus function as a happier and more effective unit. Additionally, it says that workers will follow a leader’s instructions if they think their efforts will pay off now or in the future.

In House’s idea, servant leadership is promoted. The idea of servant leadership holds that being in a position of leadership is not a privilege. Instead, executives serve as mentors and advisers to their staff members. A leader’s performance is dependant on several personnel and contextual conditions as well as certain leadership styles, as per House’s path-goal theory. Figure 1 below provides explanations for each of these:

Styles of Leadership

There are four types of leadership styles:

Directive

Here, the leader establishes expectations for subordinates, communicates expectations to them, assigns performance standards, and monitors conduct when standards are not reached. He uses incentives and disciplinary measures well. The task-oriented approach is the same as this one.

Supportive

The leader shows personal care for the needs, welfare, and well-being of subordinates and treats them with friendliness. Leadership that is focused on people is the same as this type.

Participative

The leader communicates with subordinates and supports collective decision-making. When making critical choices about his job, tasks, and objectives, he confers with his subordinates.

Achievement-oriented

The leader pushes team members to achieve at their highest level by setting ambitious objectives. The manager thinks staff members are capable of achieving difficult objectives. This is equivalent to the notion of goal-setting.

Theoretically, leaders may choose more than one kind of style that works well in a given circumstance, and these styles are not mutually exclusive.

Contingencies

According to the hypothesis, each of these approaches will work well in some circumstances but not in others. It goes on to say that the following factors affect how a leader’s efficacy and style relate to each other:

Employee attributes

These consist of things like the needs, locus of control, experience, perceived ability, contentment, readiness to quit the company, and worry of the personnel. For instance, a supporting approach may be more effective than a directive one when dealing with followers who possess a high degree of skill.

Features of the work environment These include things that are beyond of the employee’s control, such team dynamics and task organisation. For instance, a supporting approach works much better than a prescriptive one when workers are doing straightforward, repetitive duties. In a similar vein, non-routine jobs are far more suited for the participatory style of work than regular ones.

A supportive leadership style is required when team cohesion is minimal; on the other hand, a directive or potentially achievement-oriented approach is more effective when performance-oriented team norms are present. To combat team norms that are in opposition to the stated aims of the team, leaders should use a directive manner.

Numerous studies have empirically tested the idea, and the results have been quite encouraging. This notion constantly serves as a helpful reminder to leaders that their primary responsibility is to help their subordinates define their objectives and then find the most effective and efficient way to achieve those goals. This idea provides leaders with a road map for raising the performance and satisfaction levels of their subordinates.