Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership was developed to describe the way that leaders encourage and support their followers in achieving the goals they have been set by making the path that they should take clear and easy.

Leaders can take a strong or limited approach in these. In clarifying the path, they may be directive or give vague hints. In removing roadblocks, they may scour the path or help the follower move the bigger blocks. In increasing rewards, they may give occasional encouragement or pave the way with gold.

Path-Goal Theory of Leadership formulated by Robert House proposes that the leader can affect the performance, satisfaction, and motivation of a group in different ways:

Offering rewards for achieving performance goals
Clarifying paths towards these goals
Removing obstacles to performance

A person may perform these by adopting a certain leadership style, based on the situation:

Directive leadership: Specific advice is given to the group and ground rules and structure are established. For example, clarifying expectations, specifying or assigning certain work tasks to be followed.

Supportive leadership: Good relations are promoted with the group and sensitivity to subordinates' needs is shown.

Participative leadership: Decision making is based on consultation with the group and information is shared with the group.

Achievement-oriented leadership: Challenging goals are set and high performance is encouraged while confidence is shown in the groups' ability.

Supportive behavior increases satisfaction by the group, especially in stressful situations, while directive behavior is suited to uncertain and ambiguous situations. It is also proposed that leaders who have influence upon their superiors can increase group satisfaction and performance.

There is also evidence that more directive leadership is preferred by certain people under some circumstances as shown in the figure below: