- Emphasizes how a leader influences subordinates’ perceptions of both work goals and personal goals and the links, or paths, found between these two sets of goals.
- The theory assumes that a leader’s key function is to adjust his/her behavior to complement situational contingencies.
- Leader behaviors.
- Directive leadership.
- Supportive leadership.
- Achievement-oriented leadership.
- Participative leadership.
- Situational contingency variables.
- Subordinate attributes — authoritarianism, internal-external orientation, and ability.
- Work setting attributes — task, formal authority system, and primary work group.
- Path-goal theory predictions regarding directive leadership.
- Positive impact on subordinates when task is clear; negative impact when task is ambiguous.
- More directedness is needed when ambiguous tasks are performed by highly authoritarian and closed-minded subordinates.
- Path-goal theory predictions regarding supportive leadership.
- Increases satisfaction of subordinates working on highly repetitive, unpleasant, stressful, or frustrating tasks.
- Path-goal theory predictions regarding achievement-oriented leadership.
- Encourages subordinates to strive for higher performance standards and to have more confidence in their ability to meet challenging goals.
- Increases effort-performance expectancies for subordinates working in ambiguous, non-repetitive tasks.
- Path-goal theory predictions regarding participative leadership.
- Promotes satisfaction on non-repetitive tasks that allow for subordinates’ ego involvement.
- Promotes satisfaction for open-minded or non-authoritarian subordinates working on repetitive tasks.
- Evaluation and application of House’s path-goal theory.
- Many aspects of the theory have not been adequately tested.
- Lacks substantial current research.
- House has revised and extended path-goal theory into a theory of work unit leadership.