Exam Practice - Analysis of Path-goal theory case study

You are assigned by the Managing Director of Faxxcom, a mobile phone production company to look into the problems. You have talked to three managers. The first one is Bob, A departments manager, and has a set of leadership challenges. Bob is a supportive leader as seen through his interactions with workers. He remembers his followers birthdays, takes them out for lunch, and praises their performance. However, this approach does not suit their task characteristics as outlined in the path-goal model. Often times, his workers are unsure what and how to do their work. They seem to have ambiguous targets to achieve and have to work under a lot of pressure. Their work environment transforms on a regular basis, so they require a supervisor who can explain the targets. Additionally, these workers feel insecure since they do not know how to cope with the changes which is shown in the way they complain to each other about their work. This scenario requires a directive leader who will provide structure and guide them in their daily tasks. Bob ought to get more involved in his subordinates tasks so as deal with this challenge.

The second manager is Arthur who is Department Bs manager, and he has different leadership challenges. His employees are dull and uninterested to work. They also know their tasks inside out. The path goal theory states that directive leadership is suitable to dogmatic subordinates who have unclear, complex and ambiguous tasks. However, B departments workers are already confident about their ability to complete tasks. Additionally, they seem to have an internal locus of control. Therefore, the last thing they need is a directive leader, yet Arthur has selected the directive leadership style. His behaviour is incompatible with his employees and well as their work environment. Thus, Arthur needs to minimize his level of involvement in the workers work. He should behave more like Bob by dealing with his subordinates human needs. Arthur ought to work on his interpersonal relationship by relating to his subordinates. These workers need a human touch because they prefer affiliation and interpersonal relationship, which is the perfect scenario for supportive leadership.

Lastly, Carol, is a part-time assistant manager who comes to support the factory of Faxxcom during the peak production seasons for departments A & B, seems to have mastered her situation and her employees quite well. She is a participative leader in certain circumstances, a supportive leader at other times, and an achievement-oriented supervisor in certain circumstances. She knows when to solicit for ideas or when to support workers. Carol represents the ultimate path-goal leader; she works on employees personal needs while focusing on the ultimate goal in the enterprise. She also eliminates obstacles and clarifies path in the way that the matter has been described in the theory.

Questions

1. What are the leadership problems for departments A & B under Bobs and Arthur?

2. Why do you think Carol is using the appropriate leadership styles for the employees of the two departments A and B?

3. Give suggestions to Bob and Arthur to solve the problems?