Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

According to the path-goal theory, the leader’s responsibility is to increase subordinates’ motivation to attain personal and organizational goals. This model is called a contingency theory because it consists of three sets of contingencies—leader style, followers and situation, and the rewards to meet followers’ needs.

The leader increases follower motivation by either; clarifying the follower’s path to the rewards that are available, or increasing the rewards that the follower values and desires.

Path clarification means that the leader works with subordinates to help them identify and learn the behaviors that will lead to successful task accomplishment and organizational rewards.

Increasing rewards means that the leader talks with subordinates to learn which rewards are important to them - that is, whether they desire intrinsic rewards from the work itself or extrinsic rewards such as raises or promotions.

Path–goal theorizing can be complex, but much of the research on it has been encouraging. Using the model to specify precise relationships and make exact predictions about employee outcomes may be difficult, but the four types of leader behavior and the ideas for fitting them to situational contingencies provide a useful way for leaders to think about motivating subordinates.

Видео Path-Goal Theory of Leadership канала GreggU