Critical Appraisal of Path-Goal Theory Principles and Application

This report delves into the principles of Path-Goal Theory, focusing on how leadership behavior influences employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance within an organization. It identifies key elements such as task and environmental characteristics, employee characteristics, and leadership styles (directive, supportive, participative) and their impact on achieving organizational goals. The report emphasizes the importance of aligning leadership styles with specific situations to address issues like conflict, demotivation, and employee turnover. It highlights the significance of understanding subordinates' needs and the nature of the task to implement effective leadership strategies. The analysis includes critical appraisal, examining the theory's practical application and its interaction with subordinates' needs and the nature of the task. The report also provides references to support the concepts discussed, offering a comprehensive understanding of Path-Goal Theory and its implications for effective leadership.

Question 7

Contents
Identification and critical appraisal for the principles of path-goal theory and critical evaluation
of how it interacts with subordinates’ needs and the nature of the task..........................................1
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................3

Identification and critical appraisal for the principles of path-goal theory and
critical evaluation of how it interacts with subordinates’ needs and the
nature of the task
Path Goal theory can be determined as specification of leadership behavior or style that
enables to fit for the employees working environment so as to attain the set goals by the
organization. Main focus of this theory is to raise the satisfaction, motivation and empowerment
so that individuals become productive workers for the firm. There are different type of aspects
that are included in this theory and all these are helpful enough to make sure that the goals set by
the company can be attained (Senko, Hulleman and Harackiewicz, 2011). Below given are the
principles that are included in this theory:
Task and environmental characteristics: There are different type of issues that are faced
within the organization. This could be conflicts among workers, high employee’s turnover,
demotivation, etc. In each of the issues that are faced need to be solved with certain set of skills
that are needed by a key person. Leaders are the one who focus on guiding and directing workers
so that they are able to put on their full efforts in resolving the issues. The type of perception
carried out by individuals are different. Some may be supportive and there will be few of them
who may not contribute. With this respect, role of management is highly important to make sure
that appropriate steps are taken so that they are able to identify the areas or issues that are being
faced.
Employees Characteristics: The experiences that individuals have enable to take up steps
and to understand the situation and to take steps that will help in resolving them. The experience
that people have make the business to take up decision that can enable to overcome the issues in
effective manner (Antonakis and House, 2013). There are people who are always motivated and
these type of people are helpful enough to make sure that all the work that are provided to them
performed with their full efficiency. Further, there are certain set of skills that are required by a
person so that the given roles can be performed by the workers. It is important that skills that
individual possess are identified.
Leadership style: There are different type of leadership styles that can be implemented.
Selection of these styles should be done as per the situation that are being faced. With this
respect, it includes leadership styles like directive, supportive, participative, etc. It is important
for the leaders to understand or analyze the condition that they are in and steps are taken by them
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so that they are able to overcome them in effective manner (Wang, Oh and Colbert, 2011). In
situation when selection of style is not done effectively, then it can make the situation more
worse.
When all the above given areas are focused, then it enables to make sure that the situation
faced within the organization are solved in effective manner. The theory focus on understanding
the conditions that are faced by them and appropriate steps by implementing leadership style is
done.
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REFERENCES
Antonakis, J. and House, R. J., 2013. The full-range leadership theory: The way forward.
In Transformational and Charismatic Leadership: The Road Ahead 10th Anniversary
Edition (pp. 3-33). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Senko, C., Hulleman, C. S. and Harackiewicz, J. M., 2011. Achievement goal theory at the
crossroads: Old controversies, current challenges, and new directions. Educational
Psychologist, 46(1), pp.26-47.
Wang, G., Oh, I. S. and Colbert, A. E., 2011. Transformational leadership and performance
across criteria and levels: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of research. Group &
Organization Management, 36(2), pp.223-270.
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