Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance pp 1–6Cite as

Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

Leadership and Public Management

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 3138 Accesses

Synonyms

Contingency Theory; Expectancy Theory; Leader-member Exchange Theory; Transactional Leadership Theory

Definition

The definition of path-goal leadership theory has changed over time. House in 1971 specified that the leader’s motivational function was to increase “personal pay-offs to subordinates for work-goal attainment and make the path to these pay-offs easier to travel by clarifying it, reducing road blocks and pitfalls, and increasing the opportunities for personal satisfaction en route” (p. 324). Citing a need for consistency with existing theory and empirical testing, House reformulated the definition of path-goal leadership theory in 1996 by stating “leaders to be effective engage in behaviors that complement subordinates’ environments and abilities in a manner that compensates for deficiencies and is instrumental to subordinate satisfaction and individual and work unit performance” (p. 323). House’s 1996 definition continues today.

Introduction

Robert J. House’s 1971...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Antonakis J, Cianciolo T, Sternberg R (2004) The nature of leadership. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass BM (1990) Bass & Stogdill’s handbook of leadership, 3rd edn. Free Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • DuBrin AJ (2009) Political behavior in organizations. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans MG (1970) The effects of supervisory behavior on the path-goal relationship. Organ Behav Hum Perform 7(3):277–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Georgopoulos BS, Mahoney GM, Jones NW Jr (1957) A path-goal approach to productivity. J Appl Psychol 41:345–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House RJ (1971) A path-goal theory of leadership effectiveness. Adm Sci Q 16:321–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House RJ (1996) A path-goal theory of leadership: lessons, legacy, and a reformulated theory. Leadersh Q 7(3):323–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes RC, Ginnett RC, Curphy GJ (2006) Leadership, 5th edn. McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaffee D (2001) Organization theory: tension and change. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Jermier JM (1996) The path-goal theory of leadership: a sub textual analysis. Leadersh Q 7(3):311–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lussier R (2004) Leadership, theory, application, skill development, 2nd edn. Thomson/South-Western, Mason

    Google Scholar 

  • McShane SL, Von Glinow MA (2003) Organizational behavior, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Northouse PG (2015) Leadership theory and practice, 6th edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe WG, Guerrero L (2013) Cases in leadership, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Schriesheim CA, Neider LL (1996) Path-goal leadership theory: the long and winding road. Leadersh Q 7(3):317–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schriesheim CA, Castro SL, Zhou X, DeChurch LA (2006) An investigation of path-goal and transformational leadership theory predictions at the individual level of analysis. Leadersh Q 17:21–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stodgill RM, Coons AE (eds) (1957) Leader Behavior: Its description and measurement, Research monograph 88. Bureau of Business Research/Ohio State University, Columbus

    Google Scholar 

  • Vroom VH (1964) Work and motivation. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Vroom V (2007) Can leaders learn to lead? In: Vecchio RP (ed) Leadership – understanding the dynamics of power and influence in organizations. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, pp 259–272

    Google Scholar 

  • Wofford JC, Liska LZ (1993) Path-goal theories of leadership: a Meta-analysis. J Manag 19(4):857–876

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl G (1989) Managerial leadership: a review of theory and research. J Manag 15:251–289

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl G, Van Fleet DD (1992) Theory and research on leadership in organizations. In: Dunnett MD, Hough LM (eds) Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. Consulting Psychologist Press, Palo Alto, pp 147–197

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA

    Mary Jane Kuffner Hirt

Authors
  1. Mary Jane Kuffner Hirt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary Jane Kuffner Hirt .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

    Ali Farazmand

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this entry

Cite this entry

Hirt, M.J.K. (2016). Path-Goal Theory of Leadership. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2222-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2222-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation