PJM 460 Path Goal Leadership Theory and Model Discussion

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PJM 460

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PJM460 MOD1 Peer Discussion Responses

Please reply to both POST1: and POST2: in at least 200 words.

Original post:

Early in the execution phase of a project to design a new engine in an aerospace company, a key Design Engineer working out of one of the company’s facilities located in Hamburg, Germany indicates to the Project Manager (PM), who is working out of one of the company’s facilities located in Connecticut, that the Design Engineer is not available to work on project tasks that have been assigned to him by the PM. The Design Engineer states that this is because his functional manager has assigned him higher priority tasks on another project. Discuss how the Path-Goal Leadership Theory and Model apply to the following interactions: (1) PM- Sponsor; (2) PM-Functional Manager; (3) PM- Design Engineer.


POST1:

Path-Goal Leadership theory is a theory that focuses on a leader adapting their style of leadership to a situation. There are 4 styles in this theory: the directive path-goal clarifying leader behavior, the achievement-oriented leader behavior, the participative leader behavior, and the supportive leader behavior (Bickle, 2017).

In this scenario, a variance of the styles could be involved in dealing with the PM-Sponsor interaction, the PM-Functional Manager interaction, and the PM-Design Engineer.

In the PM-Sponsor interaction, it may be best for the PM to exhibit a combination of the participative and supportive leadership styles. By doing so, he can show support and concern for the situation (which may result in a delay to the project if his work is along the critical path) while also letting the sponsor know that the PM is open-minded to suggestions going forward (Bickle, 2017).

The PM-Functional manager may be best managed through a participative leadership style. A negative confrontation should be avoided, if necessary, and the PM should have an approach that facilitates collaboration. If there can't be any way to have the design engineer do at least some of his tasks during the period of time that the PM and Sponsor would like, then maybe in the future there could be more definite times scheduled for his work through working with the functional manager and/or deeming this project a more pertinent to complete (Rana, R., K’Aol, G., & Kirubi, M., 2019).

The PM-Design Engineer should be a supportive leadership style, which would focus on letting the Design-Engineer understand that the PM knows these situations do occur and that the situation will be worked out between the PM and the Functional manager. It's important to not put undue stress on the Design engineer, if possible (Rana, R., K’Aol, G., & Kirubi, M., 2019)

Bickle, J. T. (2017). Developing Remote Training Consultants as Leaders-Dialogic/Network Application of Path-Goal Leadership Theory in Leadership Development. Performance Improvement, 56(9), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21738

Rana, R., K’Aol, G., & Kirubi, M. (2019). Influence of supportive and participative path-goal leadership styles and the moderating role of task structure on employee performance. International Journal of Research In Business and Social Science, 8(5), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v8i5.317


POST2:

The Path-Goal Leadership Theory states that an appropriate approach in leadership style is chosen depending on the situation which presents itself which is both motivational and goal-achieving (Lussier & Achua, 2016). These styles are that of directive, supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented. The objective is to encourage effective performance as well as positive participation of all project team members.

In this case, the PM-Sponsor, acting as the project leader, must focus on his or her role as the authoritarian in which they are directive due to the complexity and importance that the project scope and schedule maintain their quality, but also supportive in ensuring that the functional manager is supported at a high level, open to modifications of task delegation so long as the timeline is maintained. The behavior of the project sponsor must be that which supports a positive relationship among all project team members from the top-down to ensure ongoing motivation and the achievement of project goals (Malik, 2013).

The PM-Functional Manager should be both supportive and advocate for the Design Engineers bandwidth, but also directive and participative in his or her efforts to ensure the tasks are delegated and completed efficiently and within the scope and schedule of the project milestones by the Design Engineer. His or her directives would be most practical by focusing on the task-structure and resource management that would increase the overall path to successful task achievement and reward (Lussier & Achua, 2016) through constant communication and consultation with his or her subordinates (Rana, K’Aol, & Kirubi, 2019), acting as the liaison between the PM-Sponsor and the PM-Design Engineer.

When motivated appropriately, the PM-Design Engineer will function within an approach relating to participative and achievement-orientation. With active advocacy for his or her time constraints as well as role clarity within the work group by the projects Functional Manager, the Design Engineer can successfully perform the tasks at hand and work successfully toward the reward of task completion.



Lussier, Robert N., and Christopher F. Achua. Leadership: Theory, Application & Skill Development. Cengage Learning, 2016.

Rozmina Rana, George K’Aol, & Michael Kirubi. (2019). Influence of supportive and participative path-goal leadership styles and the moderating role of task structure on employee performance. International Journal of Research In Business and Social Science, 8(5), 76–87. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v8i5.317 (Links to an external site.)

Sikandar Hayyat Malik. (2013). Relationship between Leader Behaviors and Employees’ Job Satisfaction: A Path-Goal Approach. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 7(1), 209–222.

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Explanation & Answer

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Peer Discussion Responses
Post 1
Particularly, the path-goal style of leadership is essential for adapting one's behavior to suit
different situations (Rana, K’Aol, & Kirubi, 2019). It falls under the contingency theory of
leadership, which is a contemporary issue in the study of industrial-organizational psychology. The
contingency theory is an advancement of predecessor theories such as the trait and behavioral
theories. The project manager must apply different styles when communicating with the sponsor,
functional manager, and Design Engineer.
I agree with you that the project manager should combine the supportive and participative
styles of leadership when interacting with the project sponsor. The participative style ensures the
manager seeks views of the sponsor regarding the best way to move forward to convince the design
engineer to co...


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