Adapting to Change in Leadership: Path-Goal Theory
Ashlyn Brown and Brooklyn Beelner
Background
Lila Bennett was the director of the project management team for Veltrix Technologies in Washington. She recently got a new job opportunity to become the director of the project management team for Stratigen Technologies. Lila would have to be okay with moving to California for this job, but she would get a higher salary. She decided to take the new job offer and has just started her new life and job in California. Lila hopes to adjust to her new life as soon as possible to keep things running smoothly for her new team at Stratigen Technologies.
The Problem
Lila needs to learn how to adapt to the large changes from her old company to the new one. With switching states and companies, there are many challenges that have come up. While at Veltrix Technologies, Lila’s team was very hands-off and she rarely ever had to assist them with projects. Her team consisted of highly educated and dedicated workers that enjoyed working alone. She could easily discuss the projects and let them have their own creative freedom with very little help. Now that Lila is at Stratigen Technologies, the team she is in charge of is extremely different. This team needs a lot more instruction and assistance when working on projects as they have not had as much experience. Lila is having issues with this as the leadership style she has been using is not working with this new team. There is a lot of miscommunication and Lila finds herself and the team extremely stressed and unorganized. She realizes she needs to learn and apply a new leadership style that could better help herself and the team individuals to better succeed.
The Decision
Lila decides to learn the path-goal theory hoping this better helps the teams’ dynamic. She uses better time management to carve out time in her busy schedule to write out more specific instructions for the team members. She gives each of them their own tasks to work on while also encouraging them to work together to find solutions. She then periodically reviews and checks on their work and gives any assistance and guidance needed. Lila also implements team building exercises to better help with trust between members and to better help communication. Along with that, Lila practices effective encouragement and supportiveness to create a more healthy and positive environment and reduce stress levels. She also sets goals to challenge the teams and keep them engaged.
Outcome
Lila realizes that by using factors from the path-goal theory that herself and the team has become more successful than when she had first landed the job. She comes to the conclusion that with altering her leadership style, she is able to effectively instruct different types of individuals needs. With supportive communication, team bonding, and challenges, the projects have become more attainable and Lila and her team are able to work up to higher level projects.
Discussion Questions
- What path-goal leadership styles did Lila have to use as she adapted to her new team at Stratigen Technologies?
- Based on Lila’s approach with directing her new team, how will this affect the future of her team's success?
- What other actions could Lila have taken to learn how to direct her new team?
License
This case study is licensed CC BY 4.0.