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THE PATH GOAL THEORY by Robert House (1971)

The Path-Goal model is a theory based on specifying a leader’s style or behaviour that best
fits the employee and work environment in order to achieve a goal. The path-goal theory can
best be thought of as a process in which leaders select specific behaviours that are best suited
to the employees’ needs and their working environment so that they may best guide the
employees through their path in the obtainment of their daily work activities (goals).

The Path-Goal theory, having its roots in Vroom's (1964) expectancy theory, inspired by
the work of Evans (1970) and then further developed by House (1971) can best be
thought of as a process by which leaders select specific behaviours that are best suited to their
employees’ needs and their working environment, so that leaders may best guide their
employees through their path in the obtainment of their daily work activities (goals)
(Northouse, 2013).

The theory argues that leaders will have to engage in different types of leadership behaviour
depending on the nature and the demands of a particular situation. It is the leader’s role to
assist employees in attaining goals and to provide the direction and support needed to ensure
that their individual goals are in concert or compatible with the organization’s goals.

The Path-Goal model is a theory based on specifying a leader’s style or behaviour that best
fits the employee and work environment in order to achieve a goal.  The goal is to increase an
employee’s motivation, empowerment, and satisfaction so they become a productive member
of the organization.  Employee satisfaction is contingent upon the leader’s performance as
both a facilitator and coach and rewards their employees for effective performance.  The
original Path-Goal theory identifies achievement-oriented, directive, participative,
and supportive leader behaviours rooted in four (4 styles).

The Four Leadership Styles:

House and Mitchell (1974) defined four types of leader behaviours or styles:
Directive, Supportive, Participative, and Achievement. They are based on two
factors that were identified by an Ohio State University study behaviour (Stogdill,
1974) i.e. Consideration and Initiating Structure.
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1. The directive path-goal clarifying leader behaviour refers to situations where the leader

lets employees know what is expected of them and tells them how to perform their tasks. The
leader informs her followers on what is expected of them, such as telling them what to do,
how to perform a task, and scheduling and coordinating work. It is most effective when
people are unsure about the task or when there is a lot of uncertainty within the environment.
The theory argues that this behaviour has the most positive effect when the employees’ role
and task demands are ambiguous and intrinsically satisfying.

2. The achievement-oriented leader behaviour refers to situations where the leader sets

challenging goals for employees, expects them to perform at their highest level, and shows
confidence in their ability to meet this expectation. Occupations in which the achievement
motive were most predominant were technical jobs, sales persons, scientists, engineers, and
entrepreneurs.

3.The participative leader behaviour involves leaders consulting with employees and asking

for their suggestions before making a decision. This behaviour is predominant when
subordinates are highly trained and involved in their work.

4.The supportive leader behaviour  is directed towards the satisfaction of employees’ needs

and preferences. The leader shows concern for the employees’ psychological well-being. This
behaviour is especially needed in situations in which tasks or relationships are
psychologically or physically distressing.

Path–Goal theory assumes that leaders are flexible and that they can change their style, as
situations require. The theory proposes two contingency variables, such as work
environment and employee characteristics, that moderate the leader behaviour-outcome
relationship.

Characteristics of work environment: These include factors such as task structure and team
dynamics that are outside the control of the employee. For example, for employees
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performing simple and routine tasks, a supportive style is much effective than a directive one.
Similarly, the participative style works much better for non-routine tasks than routine ones.
When team cohesiveness is low, a supportive leadership style must be used whereas in a
situation where performance-oriented team norms exist, a directive style or possibly an
achievement-oriented style works better. Leaders should apply directive style to counteract
team norms that oppose the team’s formal objectives.

Employee characteristics are the employees’ needs, locus of control, experience, perceived
ability, satisfaction, willingness to leave the organization, and anxiety. Personal
characteristics of employees determine how the environment and leader are interpreted. For
example, if followers are high on ability, a directive style of leadership may be unnecessary;
instead a supportive approach may be preferable. Effective leaders clarify the path to help
their employees achieve goals and make the journey easier by reducing roadblocks and
pitfalls. Research demonstrates that employee performance and satisfaction are positively
influenced when the leader compensates for the shortcomings in either the employee or the
work setting.

House et al (1974) posit that leaders generate followers’ motivation by increasing both the
type and number of rewards the follower can attain in the workplace. Leaders help the
follower by making the path-goal clear, removing obstacles that the follower might encounter
in the process of goal attainment, coaching and providing directions and increasing work
satisfaction. According to Hughes and Ginnett (2012), the leader’s role is to increase the
follower’s belief that their effort will lead to accomplishing goals , which in turn will lead to
attaining the reward they desire.
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Conclusion:

The theory has been subjected to empirical testing in several studies and has received
considerable research support. This theory consistently reminds the leaders that their main
role as a leader is to assist the subordinates in defining their goals and then to assist them in
accomplishing those goals in the most efficient and effective manner. This theory gives a
guide map to the leaders about how to increase subordinate’s satisfaction and performance
level.

The Path-Goal theory is useful because it reminds leaders that their central purpose as a
leader is to help employees define and reach their goals in an efficient manner.

Reference: Jex page278-281

Video link: https://youtu.be/E4oMTL4QSWg

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