Lauren Dodge 

Dr. Wood

Leadership 1301

20 September 2018

Review Questions

Chapter 6: Path–Goal Theory

1. What researchers are most associated with path–goal theory?

Evans, House, House and Dessler, and House and Mitchell

2. What are the assumptions of expectancy theory and how do they undergird path–goal theory?

The path-goal theory says that leaders must engage in behaviors that compliment subordinates’ environments and abilities in a manner that compensates for deficiencies and is instrumental to subordinate satisfaction and individual work unit performance. 

3. Explain each of the four leader behaviors considered in path–goal theory.

Directive leadership: initiating structure and telling style 

Supportive leadership: consideration of behavior. Being friendly and approachable.

Participative leadership: Inviting followers to share in the decision making. 

Achievement- oriented leadership: Challenges followers to perform work at highest level possible. 

4. Identify the follower characteristics that influence how workers interpret a leader’s behavior.

Needs for affiliation, preferences for structure, desires for control and self-perceived level of task ability. 

5. How does each follower characteristic affect that interpretation?

Followers with a need for affiliations prefer supportive leadership. Followers who need structure prefer directive leadership. Internal locus of control followers think they are in charge of events that occur in their life. External locus of control believe fate controls life. 

6. Identify the task characteristics that influence how workers interpret a leader’s behavior.

Ambiguous, unclear rules, complex, repetitive, unchallenging, mundane, unstructured, and unclear. 

7. How does each task characteristic affect how the leader’s behavior influences motivation?

There has to be a good balance of the extremes of and between all of these task characteristics in order to maintain motivation. Something can be challenging but there will be no motivation if it isn’t challenging enough or if it is too challenging. 

8. Explain the conditions under which each of the four leadership styles is optimally used.

Directive leadership is used when structure needs to be put into place. 

Supportive leadership is used when the follower has a need for affiliations and satisfaction. 

Participative leadership is used when the follower has a need for control or clarity.