Path-Goal Theory Case Analysis

Path-Goal Leadership Case Analysis

1. Donna cannot get a replacement for a constable position so she has to divide the constable job to other employees. After the first time she notice her employees, everyone was complain about the additional job. There for, she reexamined their job but still cannot get everyone happy. Then the officers started to trade their tasks and duties. However, soma officers seem happy with their trade and some did not. The officers who did not happy with their tasks all blame at Donna.
2. The path-goal theory says that it is the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization.

• Directive: It means to let followers know what is expected of them, schedule work to be done, and gives specific guidance as to how to accomplish tasks. Donna let her officers know what their additional duties are and make specific goal for everyone.
• Supportive: it is friendly and show concern for the need of followers. After the first time everyone was complained, she asks everyone’s opinion and re-examined their tasks.
• Participative: Means consults with followers and uses their suggestions before making decisions. After she realized that the officers have lots of complaints, she listen everyone’s opinions and make some changes.

Her choices are appropriate with the situation as she found out that the way she divide the tasks had some problem and made changes.

• Task structure: Donna gave everyone tasks and duties for their additional jobs.
• Formal authority system: Donna looks like she does not have that much authority as the officers did not respect what she said.
• Work group: Donna divided tasks to individual, and did not emphasize the group work.
• Locus of control: The officer just trade their tasks without asking Donna for approved.
• Experience: Donna seem like does not have much experience to become a leader as she found out her officers still complain about their tasks, she dose not know how to handle it.
• Perceived ability: Donna could not help notice that many weren’t reacting favorably to the announced assignments. After she re-examined the assignments she still did not notice that some of them still did not like their own job.

The participative and achievement-oriented behavior should be adopted. Donna should set up a group meeting before she started to make decisions to hear everyone’s ideas. In this way she can notice officers’ different suggestions like” I do not really think I can do this task well”. Donna should give some challenging to her officers as well. She can also tell her officers that if they achieve the goal their can get some rewards.