Path–Goal Theory
According to the path-goal theory, a leader’s success is measured by their capacity to advance their people’s objectives, talents, and overall contentment. Moreover, the path-goal theory focuses on how leaders may improve follower performance by concentrating on their motivation and the type of work activities they engage in. In the case study “6.3: Row the boat”, Coach Fleck achieves advanced performance and wins through motivating followers and effective task management (Northouse, 2022).
Coach Fleck’s Application of Path–Goal Theory
The coach believes that rather than adapting the type of leadership to meet the shifting needs and progression level of his disciples, it is more advantageous to choose leadership behavior based on the qualities of his followers. Namely, follower motivation is applied when Coach Fleck works with teams and players who are not accustomed to success, employing an approach that emphasizes survival and triumph under challenging conditions. Thus, he motivates his followers by setting hardly achievable goals. Moreover, he identifies work tasks in football as tedious ones. Considering the nature of complex work tasks helps Coach Fleck achieve high team performance, as his followers understand that they should work hard and, as a result, put more effort into their actions.
Coach Fleck’s Leadership Through the Four Path–Goal Behaviors
Furthermore, the four path–goal leader behaviors include directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented, and Coach Fleck’s style could be analyzed in these terms. Coach Fleck emphasizes the importance of his followers’ lives outside the games. Coach Fleck employs supportive leadership for tasks that are extremely challenging, placing team members under considerable stress while prioritizing the well-being of all stakeholders within the organization (MasterClass, 2022). Moreover, he focuses on stepping outside the comfort zone and making the players mature by forcing them to believe that they want to do what he perceives as what they should do. Such an approach is inherent in directive leaders, who advise followers about expectations and guide them through the completion process.
The coach allows the players to choose what to concentrate on in their personal lives, while setting challenging goals and expressing confidence in the individuals’ abilities to achieve them, which is the achievement-oriented approach. Moreover, Coach Fleck uses feedback from his followers to assess their maturity and set goals for further development, thereby linking their capacities to football opportunities and employing a participatory approach.
Addressing Follower Characteristics
The previous description of Coach Fleck’s leadership style offers insight into how he addresses the diverse needs of his followers. To address the need for affiliation, he promotes a specific culture, motto, and values while attempting to impart life lessons to the players. As for preferences for structure, Coach Fleck aids these individuals by clarifying their routes and objectives and aligning them with his own goals. Desires for control are addressed by the constant reminder that the best teams are those in which each player is a leader.
Pursuing Players’ Objectives vs. Coach Fleck’s Vision
Finally, Coach Fleck’s imperative objectives and motivation approach improve the self-perceived level of task ability, making the followers view the tasks as necessary actions and wants. As a result, when followers’ perceptions of their talents improve, their demand for direct control decreases.
Analyzing Coach Fleck’s Leadership Through the Lens of Expectancy Theory
An ambiguous question is whether the participants performed toward their own or Coach Fleck’s goals. On one hand, Coach Fleck teaches the players about the challenges that await them in life and advises them on achieving overall success, while also leaving some freedom of choice. Conversely, Coach Fleck can only achieve his objectives by setting clear goals for his team and guiding them to attain those goals. Moreover, he admits that he forces his followers to believe they want to do what Coach Fleck considers essential, which suggests that he places his goals over his team members’ desires.
Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2022). Case 6.3: Row the boat. In Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Path-Goal theory of leadership: How to use the path-goal theory. (2022). MasterClass. Web.