What is the Path-Goal Leadership Theory?
A Leadership Theory proposed by the American psychologist Robert House. The Path-Goal Theory contends that the leader must motivate subordinates by: (1) emphasizing the relationship between the subordinates’ own needs and the organizational goals; (2) clarifying and facilitating the path subordinates must take to fulfill their own needs as well as the organization’s needs. House’s theory also attempts to predict the effect that structuring behavior will have under different conditions. Based on assumptions from Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, this model explains how behavior of the leader causes expectancies/motivations in the subordinate that create effort and satisfaction. The rationale is that followers will perform better if they think they are capable, and if they perceive the work will get results and be worth the effort. In choosing which of the leadership behaviors to use, two variables influence the choice: the subordinate’s characteristics, and the characteristics of the task. The
