Leadership Theories - Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2010. Print.
Leadership Theories * leadership requires followers
Path-Goal: creating a shared, common goal or vision and following through to reach the goal or vision by determining the best path * defines goals, clarifies path, removes obstacles, provides support * designed to explain how leaders can help subordinates along the path to their goals by selecting specific behaviors that are best suited to subordinates’ needs * in theory, it provides a set of assumptions about how various leadership styles interact with characteristics of subordinates and the work setting to affect the motivation of subordinates; in practice, it provides direction about how leaders can help subordinates to accomplish their work in a satisfactory manner * positive features of the path-goal theory * provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding how various leadership behaviors affect subordinates’ satisfaction and work performance * it attempts to integrate the motivation principles of expectancy theory into a theory of leadership * provides a very practical model – it underscores and highlights the important ways leaders help subordinates * fairly straightforward – an effective leader has to attend to the needs of subordinates * provides a set of general recommendations based on the characteristics of subordinates and tasks for how leaders should act in various situations if they want to be effective; it informs us about when to be directive, supportive, participative, or achievement oriented * leaders should adapt their styles to the situation or to the motivational * a leader must carefully assess the subordinates and their tasks, and then choose an appropriate leadership style to match those characteristics * needs of their subordinates, as well as utilize not only one of the leadership traits, but a combination of them * Directive Leadership: characterizes a leader who gives subordinates instructions
Path-Goal: creating a shared, common goal or vision and following through to reach the goal or vision by determining the best path * defines goals, clarifies path, removes obstacles, provides support * designed to explain how leaders can help subordinates along the path to their goals by selecting specific behaviors that are best suited to subordinates’ needs * in theory, it provides a set of assumptions about how various leadership styles interact with characteristics of subordinates and the work setting to affect the motivation of subordinates; in practice, it provides direction about how leaders can help subordinates to accomplish their work in a satisfactory manner * positive features of the path-goal theory * provides a useful theoretical framework for understanding how various leadership behaviors affect subordinates’ satisfaction and work performance * it attempts to integrate the motivation principles of expectancy theory into a theory of leadership * provides a very practical model – it underscores and highlights the important ways leaders help subordinates * fairly straightforward – an effective leader has to attend to the needs of subordinates * provides a set of general recommendations based on the characteristics of subordinates and tasks for how leaders should act in various situations if they want to be effective; it informs us about when to be directive, supportive, participative, or achievement oriented * leaders should adapt their styles to the situation or to the motivational * a leader must carefully assess the subordinates and their tasks, and then choose an appropriate leadership style to match those characteristics * needs of their subordinates, as well as utilize not only one of the leadership traits, but a combination of them * Directive Leadership: characterizes a leader who gives subordinates instructions